Workers turned up to their office as normal this week after believing an email about the company going out of business was a 'practical joke'.
Around 450 people are reported to have lost their jobs after telemarketing company Amvoc entered administration this week.
Staff received an email late on Tuesday night from the CEO Damian Brockway which informed them that the company's offices in Harrogate, Leeds and Manchester would close immediately.
The company's closure was a result of being unable to pay back "Covid debts", according to the email. It came as a shock to many as the company only recently hired a group of new employees - including one woman who worked there for only two days.
The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed she along with numerous other staff only discovered that her job had vanished when she reached the office in Leeds and found a notice on the door.
Speaking to LeedsLive yesterday, she said: "The email was sent at 10pm last night.
"People start coming in to work at around 8.30pm, so many didn’t see it as they were already asleep and turned up to work as usual only to find the building locked with a notice on the door.
"There was no indication that the business was about to close
"I had no idea about the closure until I was literally at the door. There was a large amount of staff gathered outside who had either not received the email or hadn’t seen it, and quite a few seemed to have suspected it was some sort of practical joke and came anyways because of how abrupt the closure was.
She added she was "absolutely furious" as she had turned down "multiple other jobs" to take the role, and had now been left unable to pay her rent for next month and would also be left in bill arrears.
The email from Amvoc's CEO which broke the news of job losses said: “We have appointed administrators with immediate effect who will now be responsible for paying wages this week and all outstanding bonuses. I am gutted. Words fail me.
“Unfortunately our covid debts were too high and repayments not high enough. We have been issued with immediate request to pay all outstanding within seven days which is impossible.
“I cannot tell you how upset this makes me.”
A notice placed on the Leeds office window informing employees that the company had ceased trading claimed the "struggling economy" and "issues caused by covid" meant the business was left with no option but to close.
It said: "We would like to thank all our staff, clients and suppliers who have worked tirelessly with us for many happy and successful past years."
Amvoc was first set up in 2010 from a small office in Dacre, North Yorkshire.
The business opened a new head office in Harrogate in 2015, a Leeds office in 2018 and an office in Manchester last year, while there were also plans to open a London office.
The Mirror has contacted Amvoc for comment.
