How to get fired from your job

Water Cooler
#1

So, I’m back with the third (and final) part in my series of “Greenie’s job sucks and he’s going to quit.” For reference, here are the other two threads.

http://www.analystforum.com/forums/water-cooler/91355343

http://www.analystforum.com/forums/water-cooler/91355637

So, as most of you know, I gave two weeks notice on Friday. I found another job that was more similar to the way I want to structure my practice (once I get there), working for somebody I like and have a lot in common with, and for a 30-40% raise.

On Friday, in a panic over 1/3 of his workforce leaving, Old Boss asks me to stay on all the way until the 31st. He says that he really really needs me until the 31st, and he practically begged me to give him “good time”, which means 50 hour weeks and 100% focus during those 50 hour weeks. I said, “Let me see, because the new boss wants me to start on Monday the 30th. Nonetheless, I’ll be in tomorrow morning (Saturday) to finish up some stuff that I need to do.”

Well, when Saturday morning came around, I just didn’t feel like going to work. While I understand the professional courtesy of giving two week’s notice, I didn’t think that I needed to let this guy bend me over for another two weeks at the expense of my family and new job. So on Saturday morning, I sent him an e-mail that said, “I’ll give you three options for my two week’s notice. Option #1 - Our employment ends on Sunday, Jan. 15th, and I’ll come in and give you a free day on Monday, while we tie up some loose ends.” (Option 2 and 3 aren’t important.)

So this morning, I ask him if he had looked at the e-mail, and he said, “Yeah, I glanced at it, but I didn’t really take a lot of time to look at it. Let’s get together a little later so we can discuss it in detail.” So I went about my normal business of tying up loose ends, passing off all my work to my successor, etc.

About 4:30, he asks me to come into his office. First, he berates me for not coming in on Saturday when I told him I was going to. Then he proceeds to tell me that by not being dependable, “these three options mean nothing. This whole e-mail is invalid.”

He spends a few more minutes telling me what kind of shtty employee I was, and how I never committed to him and never devoted the number of hours that it takes to succeed in this business. After about five minutes of this, I say (literally), “Time out. If all you’re going to do is chew my ass, then I’ll just pack up my stuff and leave.” He says, “No, I’m not chewing your ass. I just want to give you some positive feedback so you don’t make the same mistakes at your next job.” Really, buddy? Don’t insult my intelligence.

He then says, “Well, I saw your e-mail, and I don’t know why you didn’t come in and actually discuss this in person. You could have written it down and given it to me.” I said, “I did. I sent it to you in an e-mail.” Then his bitch assistant piped up, “Well, you should have been man enough to come in and talk to him about it in person.” I shut her up by cutting her off and saying, “Are you the boss here? Or is he the boss?” (Tempers were starting to flare at this point.)

Old Boss comes back and says, “Nonetheless, we can’t have employees who are unreliable during our busy season. And since you have proven yourself to be unreliable, we have decided to terminate your employment as of the 15th, yesterday.” Really? I almost came back with, “So you’re taking Option #1, then, right?” And I almost said, “No, if you’re going to fire me, you need to pay me for the day that I spent here, because not paying salary is against the law.” In fact, I said neither of those things, but rather just moved on to “Okay, so we have a couple of housekeeping items, like…[a bunch of technical crap].” I wasn’t interested in a big dick competition at that point. I just wanted to leave.

All in all, it doesn’t really bother me. Actually I find it amusing that this guy is such an egomaniac that he literally told me “These oprtions are not valid,” then proceeds to take Option #1 verbatim. I think if we had a video camera and could play it for you, you guys would actually laugh out loud at it.

Anyway, effective today, Old Boss fired me. Darn the bad luck. It’s a good thing New Boss wants me start at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

#2

I was going to pipe in in the second thread but you sent the email already so it was too late.

Greenie, as much as I’m on your side, that email was some silly passive aggressive crap. I get it, you’re underpaid, underappreciated, all that i can sympathize with but what is this option 1 2 3 BS? A professional courtesy of 2 weeks means you help with the transition, you show up to work, and you give a decent effort for the employment contract you signed until contract termination. That’s professionalism in my neck of the woods. You signed the contract to be underpaid, he didn’t fulfill his promises but they were not on the contract paper were they?

Now if you don’t work 50 hours a week for two weeks, that’s fine, the worst is people talk shit behind your back but they can’t do anything because you’re leaving. But at least do the 40 and don’t leave on such shit terms and have a bad reference and a possible bad reputation on the street. I’m sorry buddy but I think you shat the bed on this one. You had the moral high ground and literally drilled a hole to the core.

I’m glad you’re landing on your feet and getting better comp but this is really a lesson on how not to handle a bad situation.

#3

Wow!! Run like the wind and don’t look back!!! yes

#4

Well, I guess that whole thing ended in a fitting manner.

I am also a CPA in Texas, but in a larger metro area, The information flow about the local firms is generally good here, from what I can tell. For example, several years ago I was considering going (back) into public accounting with a local firm, and a friend (CPA) gave me the rundown on literally dozens of firms and what they are like. Guys like your Old Boss would earn a reputation.

That said, after your ‘three option’ letter, you deserved to be fired. Your Old Boss would be a total p***y if he let you stay on after that. Fitting ending. Good luck at your new job

#5

The thing I will miss most about your old job is the drama you had with your boss. Should have made a reality show outta of it, that’s where the real money is.

When you count the hours you spent at work, I hope you are not including your time spent on AF.

#6

I’m with you Greenman. They treated you like crap at the old place. The new firm is lucky to have you. Cheers to a new start and working hard with rewards.

#7

the first book i read after college is called how to get fired

https://smile.amazon.com/How-Get-Fired-Employees-Unemployment/dp/0984302204

i think you should send the author your 3-option email story so he can add it to the book.

#8

ps…I don’t think I could go from all that drama to a new job at 9AM the next morning. Maybe I need more zen

#9

dude he’s a marine - it’s not like this is a life or death situation - and if it was … he’s a marine

#10

I’m positive it would have not ended that way if the Cowboys won last night. Doesn’t help coming in on a Monday morning after such a heartbreaking loss. Even STL took a day to mourn his Chiefs.

#11

i disagree. I think that coming out and telling him that he wasn’t getting 50 hour weeks for the next two weeks was 100% appropriate. I’ll give him the standard 40.

Telling him to expect 50 hour weeks and delivering 40 is not the moral high ground. That would be dishonest, at best.

And to be fair, this is the first employer that I have ever felt so demoralized and unappreciated that I left on these kind of terms. With my last employer, I worked 60 hours per week my last two weeks, because I thought he deserved my best.

#12

Yeah exactly it’s about respect

#13

You were not going to get anything out of that two weeks except a good recommendation and its clear that was not going to happen anyway. He did you a favor by firing you in that sense. Go kill it at the next gig.

#14

Sup G. I am not saying that your letter was not justified, because clearly, the boss has some kind of issue. However, in general, it is a good idea to express this sort of thing in person. Over email, things tend to appear more blunt than they should be, often leading to a confrontation, as you experienced.

Anyway, that’s not important any more. Hopefully, the new place is a bit less dysfunctional.

#15

I’m just saying, if you are the boss and some guy who’s resigned comes up to you with 3 options (one of which is to pay a flat fee per hour worked), or to stop working right away with no transition, lastly to work reduced hours for the same job he’s occupied for 6 months, I’m just not sure there’s any dignified way to respond to that.

I think this tear-the-bandaid off approach you’re all cheering for works for smaller companies with small HR teams, but getting fired in a bigger corporate job could prevent you from getting a job since HR teams do call other teams for reference checks. The law on what they can ask varies from place to place but I don’t like dishonourable discharges or loose ends. Just my opinion.

#16

Ok, so here’s my $0.02.

Greenman, I’m glad to see that you moved on. I really, really wish you had avoided the last passive aggressive series of interactions. Hopefully this next stop works out, because if it doesn’t, your boss just played you. This isn’t just about a reference.

You now have a resume that may raise questions do to how quickly you moved jobs and potential future employers are going to ask if you’ve ever been fired point blank in many cases. You will either have to lie and say “No” and hope they don’t check with the firm you had a quick turn around time on (many will check) or you will have to say “Yes”, then explain this saga. Doing so will most likely see you be eliminated from contention as nobody wants to risk trusting your side of the story. IMO, it would have been best to simply quit immediately without giving the two weeks and leave this one lie. Technically, however, you may be able to say “No” and simply provide proof (hopefully you have an email copy) that says you gave notice first.

#17

What a shitshow. Here’s a philosophical question: if someone is fired for quitting were they really fired?

I say no, because the inverse cannot be true. If you are fired, throw a tantrum and say “you can’t fire me, I quit!” Then you were still fired. Same goes the other way around.

G, you weren’t fired, but you may need to settle somewhere long term asafp.

#18

I haven’t read everything – but I wouldn’t sweat the pettiness of your old boss. It’s a reflection on him – not on yourself.

Best to move forward and don’t look back.

#19

Some people are fired then get the option to resign. This girl I was dating last year was a disaster - she was about to get canned and I stressed to her the importance of resigning vs getting fired. Sure enough, she got ‘fired’ but I already coached her on not to blow up, ask her boss to respectfully resign, and she was able to part ways and get a new position in a different company without completely trashing her career.

This happens pretty frequently as well when people are ‘asked to resign.’ Yeah, they got fired on reasonable terms.

#20

Green man, you f-d this up and I’m now on the side of your old boss. You’re a drama queen and sending your boss 3 options just screams spineless. Put your notice and do the best you can during the transition; it’s that easy!