The CEO of a baby clothing brand, Ying Liu, has issued two sincere apologies after initially denying an employee’s request to work remotely while caring for her adopted premature son. Marissa Hughes, a former worker at Kyte Baby, was fired after requesting to work from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a Texas hospital. Liu went to TikTok to express her remorse and posted her first apology on Wednesday.
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In her apology, Liu acknowledged that she mishandled the communication and handling of Hughes’ parental leave while adopting and starting a family. She expressed her utmost respect for the adoption community and admitted that her good intentions were not effectively communicated. Hughes and her husband Rawley, from Dallas, decided to adopt after experiencing the loss of three pregnancies, undergoing IVF, and facing life-threatening surgery. They adopted their son Judah in late December, who was born premature and weighed only one pound. Due to Judah’s health concerns and the need for an extended hospital stay, Hughes requested to work remotely from the NICU, as reported by the Daily Mail.
However, Hughes claimed that she was only offered a two-week leave and was informed that she would lose her position if she did not return to in-person work after that period. Liu’s initial apology received criticism from internet users who doubted its authenticity, leading her to post a second apology on Thursday.
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In the second apology, Liu acknowledged that the first video was scripted and admitted that the comments criticizing it were valid. She took responsibility for vetoing Hughes’ request to work remotely and acknowledged that it was a terrible decision. Liu recognized her insensitivity, selfishness, and failure to consider the possibility of remote work.
‘I want to hop on here to sincerely apologize to Marissa for how her parental leave was communicated and handled in the midst of her incredible journey of adopting and starting a family. I was the one that made the decision to veto her request to go remote while she has to stay in the NICU to take care of her adopted baby,’
Liu stumbled over her words but emphasized the importance of setting the record straight as a human being, a mother, a female business owner, and particularly someone in the baby business. She confessed that she had not spoken to Hughes about the situation until that day, despite claiming in the first video that she had attempted to reach out to her personally.
‘And when I think back, this was a terrible decision. I was insensitive, selfish and was only focused on the fact that her job had always been done on site and I did not see the possibility of doing it remotely.’
Liu concluded the video by praising Hughes as a fantastic woman with a big heart. She assured Hughes that if she chose not to return to work, she would continue to be paid as if she were working remotely for the proposed hours until she was ready to return. Liu also promised Hughes’ original position would always be open for her.
‘I understand if you don’t want to come back to work anymore, but we will continue to pay you as if you were working remotely for us for those hours that you proposed until you’re ready to come back. And your position, your original position, is always open for you when you come back.’
Hughes had previously shared that Judah was facing health challenges, including a blockage in his intestines and holes in his lungs and heart. The couple announced their adoption journey on Facebook in October and created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the expenses associated with adoption, including legal fees and the birth mother’s medical costs. The campaign had received significant support from prominent figures in the baby care industry, with donations from companies like Kate Quinn and Legendairy Milk.
Hughes and Rawley expressed their gratitude for their support and confidence that Judah would overcome his challenges.
