Listen to a CEO firing 900 employees by Zoom 1:42
New York (CNN Business) --
The CEO of Better.com, known for laying off 900 employees over Zoom just before Christmas, is back at work.
Vishal Garg is returning to "full-time duties" as CEO, according to a letter sent to employees Tuesday by the company's board of directors.
The letter notes that Garg used leave to "reflect on his leadership, reconnect with the values that make Better great, and work closely with an executive coach."
'A surreal moment': Fired employees share what the mass layoff was like at Zoom
The mortgage company's letter to employees, obtained by CNN Business, also said an outside law firm reviewed Better's workplace culture.
The company is implementing changes, including adding more managers and a human resources director.
In December 2021, Garg held a video call in which he fired 9% of Better's workforce.
"If you're on this call, you're part of the unlucky group that's getting fired," Garg said.
"Your employment here is terminated, effective immediately."
The CEO had promised a follow-up email from HR, but a former employee told CNN Business that he immediately lost access to his company's computer, phone, email and messaging, including Slack channels.
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Garg left shortly after the call.
At the time, Better said it was hiring an outside company to conduct a "cultural and leadership assessment," whose recommendations "will be taken into account to build a long-term positive and sustainable culture at Better."
"Anguish, Distraction and Embarrassment"
Vishal Garg fired more than 900 employees via Zoom conference
In his own letter to employees, Garg wrote: "I understand how difficult these last few weeks have been. I am deeply sorry for the anguish, distraction and embarrassment my actions have caused. I have spent a lot of time thinking about where we are as a company and the kind of leadership Better needs...and the leader I want to be."
It's a big change from a post he wrote a few weeks ago on the professional network Blind, in which he accused laid-off employees of "stealing" from colleagues and clients by being unproductive and working just two hours a day, according to Fortune, which he confirmed those sentiments in a later interview with the CEO.
Garg previously apologized for how he handled the layoffs in a Dec. 7 letter to employees, saying it made "a difficult situation worse."
He added: "I didn't show the right amount of respect and appreciation for the people affected and for their contributions to Better. I own the decision to make the layoffs, but in communicating it I made a mistake in execution. In doing so, I embarrassed you."
Better.com is valued at $6.9 billion.
The company ranked first on LinkedIn's list of best startups in 2021 and 2020. The Softbank-backed mortgage lender has been trying to go public, though it has delayed those plans due to fallout from handling layoffs for part of Garg, according to Bloomberg.
Tuesday's letter also said that Raj Date and Dinesh Chopra had resigned from the board of directors, and that "while we did not comment on the individuals' determinations to leave the board, Raj and Dinesh did not resign due to any disagreement with Better."
Ramishah Maruf of CNN Business contributed to this report.
