One of the few positive things about the Coronavirus pandemic is that it shows us just how greedy, heartless and merciless some corporations can truly be.
For example, we have learned via the Ogle Mole Network that ImageNet Consulting – an Oklahoma City-based "Information Technology Solutions" firm that sells high-dollar copiers, scanners, and IT services to companies all across the country – wanted their remaining employees to forfeit a portion of their April paycheck that is equal to the amount they will receive from their government-issued Coronavirus stimulus payment.
(Update! ImageNet Abandons Plan To Pocket Employee Stimulus Payments.)
Basically, ImageNet Consulting came up with a plan to pocket their employees' stimulus checks!
The move came after the company had already conducted mass layoffs as a result of the pandemic. It was first kind of reported by KXAN out of Austin, which is home to an ImageNet Consulting branch.
For some reason, KXAN didn't identify the company by name:
While Congress was working out the details on a bill that would provide Americans with stimulus checks, at least one Austin company was looking for ways to save payroll.
“The form says they are preemptively deducting funds from our paychecks. That number is based on what they’re anticipating the government relief fund to be,” a worker for the company told KXAN. The worker asked not to be identified in this investigation so as not to impact his company’s ability to continue doing business...
In all fairness to ImageNet, they could use the extra money. According to this blog post by company CEO Pat Russell, the privately held company – which is worth at least nine-figures – only has annual revenues that exceed $100-million, and margins that run about 40%, so they also obviously need their employees stimulus checks to remain so profitable!
In fact, they need their employees kids stimulus payments, too!
The agreement would put workers under a “temporary compensation reduction that is in line with the assistance that it receives from the federal government related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” By signing the agreement, the company’s employees would have their paychecks between April 6 and April 20 cut by 100% of any money received under the stimulus bill.
The company would also take half of the $500 stipend allotted for dependents under the bill.
I don't know about you, but that's pretty badass in a shitty, corporate-asshole type of way! I'm sure the people at Hobby Lobby are kicking themselves for not thinking of it first!
You can view the entire agreement that KXAN acquired here. You may notice the company name and all that fun stuff is blacked out. Here's an unredacted top-half of the letter that one Mole provided us. We had to cut the bullet points at the bottom, as they could identify the whistle-blower who leaked the document:
They should change the name from "Employee Emergency Compensation Program" to "This Is How We're Going to Screw Over Our Employees!" That's way more accurate.
We've also acquired a blurry attachment to an email that ImageNet sent to their employees yesterday. Get out your magnifying glass and read it:
We'd like to thank multiple Ogle Moles for sending us this information so we can all properly shame this greedy corporation that's obviously run and managed by greedy people.
I know the economic collapse of the pandemic is challenging and affecting any and all businesses (us included), but some places like ImageNet Consulting seem to be taking things too far. If you know of any other Oklahoma companies that are being unreasonably dickish to their employees during this time of crisis, contact us today.
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Update: The Company has responded an issued the following statement:
