Boss plans to fire workers for discussing colleague's death: 'F*ck the bosses, support strikers'

The Midwest People's History Project, an ongoing chronicle of moments when ordinary people got organized and made history, took to Twitter to share an appalling email a group of workers received from their boss. In the email, the business owner announced the death of a colleague and warned that employees found discussing their death would be fired. Additionally, they asserted that it would be against the late colleague's wishes to "let productivity slide." The email has come under fire on the social media platform, where Twitter users criticized the boss' authoritative and unempathetic approach to the tragic incident, Bored Panda reports.

"I am sorry to inform those that have not heard already that our dear friend and coworker has recently passed away," the email from the boss reads (the name of the employee was undisclosed to protect their identity). "To mourn the death of someone so dedicated is only natural. If you need a moment to grieve, please feel free to clock out and spend some time in the break room. While it may sound insensitive, it is important that we do not let our productivity slide. I think it is fair to say [our colleague] would not have wanted that."

The business owner continues, "And also please do not clock out while the store is busy as this will add undue stress on the team. If there are any issues with this, please contact me directly and do not discuss these issues with coworkers as it may cause undue stress. Discussing this may result in immediate dismissal." To make matters worse, the boss decided to sign off with a rather ominous statement: "Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality." Since it was first posted, The Midwest People's History Project's tweet has gone viral, with over 84,000 likes and 10,800 retweets. Despite the boss' (admittedly poor) attempts to remain sensitive about the issue, Twitter users criticized their approach to their employee's passing.

One person responded, "Remember: Your job opening will be posted before your obituary." Another added, "I’m fascinated by the concept of 'insubordination,' not gratefully accepting that you are of a lower order than some other adult you work with in a f*cking office." Meanwhile, other Twitter users shared their own experiences. One user recalled, "My husband passed 'suddenly' and his employer who refused to give him a sick day to go to the doctor posted his position before I was able to post his obituary." "I worked with a woman who was on medical leave and our employers posted her job because they were hoping to push her out," another Twitter user mentioned. "She found the listing while helping her daughter look for a job. Not the same, but it's good to remember to value yourself because not everyone will."

The last statement resonated with The Midwest People's History Project. The account reminded followers and other Twitter users about the importance of organizing their workplaces. Sharing news about how employees of the largest freight railroad network on the continent just declared a strike, they affirmed, "Anyway, f*ck the bosses, support your local strikers."