Kick co-founder Ed Craven addresses former employee Melissa’s accusations of “unethical behavior,” responding to claims of false firing and workplace mistreatment.
On June 12, 2024, Melissa (@itsMelissadude on X), a former employee of Kick, took to social media to accuse the platform of engaging in “unethical behavior.” Melissa alleged that the Stake-backed platform was falsely claiming she had been fired and providing “ridiculous reasons” for her departure. She posted, “Is there a depth that @kickstreaming won’t stoop to? I have been told multiple times since I quit, that they are going around saying I was fired… and making up ridiculous reasons why. Let’s put this to bed RN (right now). Here is a screenshot of my resignation email.”
In support of her claims, Melissa shared two screenshots of her resignation email. In the post, she accused Kick of continuing to display “unethical behavior” even after her resignation. “I quit to get away from this type of bulls**t unethical behavior – yet they persist! Is this even legal?” she wrote.
The first email, dated May 16, 2024, was titled “Letter of resignation.” Melissa cited mistreatment from certain co-workers and uncertainty regarding flexible working arrangements as reasons for her resignation. She detailed a particularly troubling encounter with a colleague named Rohan, who allegedly told her that her parental responsibilities were a “burden on team morale.”
“Hello, I am resigning effective immediately from my position at Easygo. I cannot handle the treatment from certain co-workers and the uncertainty that has been placed upon me regarding flexible working arrangements,” Melissa wrote. She continued, “After being told by Rohan that my parental responsibilities were a ‘burden on team morale,’ which was solidified in the email, I have felt very uncomfortable in my team. I don’t think anyone should be spoken to like that, especially about such an important part of their life.”
In the second email screenshot, a person named Lauren confirmed Melissa’s resignation and assured her that her entitlements, including any unpaid salary, payment in lieu of notice, and remaining annual leave, would be provided within seven days. Lauren also mentioned that the concerns raised by Melissa would be investigated internally.
“We confirm that you resigned effective 16th May and you will not be required to work out your notice period. We confirm you will receive your entitlements, including any unpaid salary, payment in lieu of notice, and remaining annual leave within seven days of your last day of employment,” Lauren wrote. She added, “We noted your comments and these will be investigated internally and any outcomes will occur as we deem appropriate. We would have wished you had brought these concerns forward to the HR department during your employment.”
On June 13, 2024, Ed Craven, co-founder of Kick, responded to Melissa’s accusations via an X post. Craven apologized for not getting to know Melissa better during her tenure and expressed sadness over her departure on “bad terms.” He acknowledged the need for consistent company policies while expressing regret if these policies were poorly communicated by management.
“Mel, I am sorry I didn’t get to know you better during your tenure. It’s sad to see you leave on bad terms. I wish that further working flexibility could have potentially been organized for you, but consistent department and broader company policy is also important to us as we aim to hold everyone to the same standard of work. I’m sorry if this was badly communicated by any layer of management,” Craven wrote
Ed Craven also assured that Kick would reflect on its policies, especially for caretakers, and invited Melissa to share specific examples of the issues she faced. “We’ll certainly reflect on this policy & how it was handled. Especially for caretakers such as yourself. Would you kindly be able to send me through some examples of the problems you are facing with what people are saying regarding your resignation? My DM’s are open and you also have my Email. HR is also always available to all ex-staff to address any of these kinds of problems as well,” he added.
Melissa responded to Craven’s post the same day, asserting that he was only interested in “damage control” and had not shown interest in her concerns before. She claimed that despite sitting just three meters away from each other, Ed Craven was not genuinely engaged in addressing her issues.
As this situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how Kick will address these serious allegations and whether the internal investigation will lead to any meaningful changes within the company.