LivingSocial Fires Workers, Then Realizes It Still Needs Them

If you've ever been laid off, you've probably had the wish that your employer lives to regret the decision. Some employees at LivingSocial had that fantasy come true, when the daily deals website eliminated 30 workers' jobs on July 15, then the next day told them the company needed them to work longer, after all.

The 30 workers were part of the Washington, D.C., events department, known as "Adventures," according to the report by the Washington Business Journal. As a result, the company is closing its New York offices, and remaining staff members have been asked to work from home, as Entrepreneur magazine, a trade publication for small business owners, reported. A day after shutting down the entire department, management realized that it still had a handful of events scheduled, and some actual people were needed to make them happen. So the company informed the workers they'd be expected to work until July 24.

In an interview with AllThingsD, LivingSocial spokesperson Sara Parker acknowledged that the company may not having handled the layoffs flawlessly. "There's not a one-size-fits-all experience, but I'm not disputing the fact that there might have been some confusion," said Parker.

The decision to close the division qualifies as a serious disappointment; Adventures was launched in 2011 in 30 cities. But it may have been inevitable. In the last year, LivingSocial registered a net loss of $650 million.