TikTok declared more than 250 employees in Ireland redundant on Friday, The Journal reports. 

According to the newspaper, the layoff drew backlash from affected staff, who criticized the criteria used to determine redundancies and the company’s communication approach as insensitive. 

Reports first emerged in February that the social media company would potentially lay off up to 300 workers in Ireland as part of a restructuring its Training and Quality team.

Employees say a November test purportedly to assess “policy proficiency” was later used to help select who would be laid off without their knowledge at the time. “We weren’t allowed to review the results, they just gave the result, and that was it,” one laid-off employee told The Journal. Another stated they would have studied intensely had they known the test’s importance.

TikTok defended its decision, with a TikTok spokesperson saying such tests occur regularly and that staff should have strong policy knowledge. While not initially tied to restructuring, the company stated it later decided to use test scores as one criterion.

Some staff have expressed their discontent, citing the timing of certain communications and events as insensitive. This includes a March 28 email that said “still active” employees would receive a supplemental bonus on April 25, and celebrations at TikTok’s Dublin office the day details on redundancies were emailed.

According to The Journal, TikTok employed around 3,000 in Ireland prior to the restructuring. The job cuts come despite its parent company, ByteDance, announcing a record $25 billion in profits for 2022, up almost 80%.