Toxic manager questions worker’s ‘no notice’ resignation, only to explode when he calls her out
On his way out, she instructed him not to 'talk to anybody' about his feedback.
Oftentimes, serving a notice period is criticized, as it’s never required when an employee is fired. When efforts are undervalued, people choose to quit; however, many bosses take offense at the reaction. In a similar toxic work environment, an employee (@zerxtonin) on October 20 shared a secretly recorded conversation with his manager, who lashed out at him for not serving the notice period. However, the employee’s response, coupled with online users’ support, called out the manager’s toxic behavior.
Zerxtonin, a former employee at a restaurant (not revealed), decided to quit his job owing to a "toxic work environment." In a video recorded by the Instagram content creator, @zerxtonin was seen talking to his manager, informing her that it was his last day at work, explaining that he would not be serving a notice period either. "Today we have to do my last day of work," he said. The manager, who was clueless about her employee quitting, questioned why he was "not serving notice." While the manager initially agreed to clock the employee out soon, she soon got agitated by the fact that he refused to serve the notice period. Visibly frustrated, the manager questioned, "I published the schedule, you're not even gonna give me two weeks' notice?"
The employee expressed his dissatisfaction working there and responded, "I can't, it's too much. It's legit like, it's money-wise, all that wise, it's a lot, I do a lot to like get here." But the manager interrupted him and questioned why he refused to serve the notice. "I'm not contesting why you quit. I'm contesting this being your last day," the manager said. The employee explained to the manager that he "doesn't feel appreciated as a worker." Unfortunately, the manager did not pay heed to the employee's reasoning and continued expressing her frustration. The employee called out her toxic behavior, citing how her treatment "doesn't sit right with him." When the manager realized that the employee was calling her out, she asked him to leave and said she "isn't worried about the feedback."
On his way back, she instructed him not to "talk to anybody" about his feedback and criticized him for not serving the notice period. "You'll know about how you handle yourself in business when out, because this stuff is you jumping on a bandwagon and acting like you know something," as the employee cut in and responded, "I'm not jumping on a bandwagon." The manager got defensive about the whole situation and sarcastically wished him "best of luck" on his way out. In a 2014 study authored by Nathanael J. Fast, Ethan R. Burris, and Caroline A. Bartel, the reasons why some managers resist feedback from employees were explored. The researchers found that managers with low self-efficacy, those who doubt their own managerial competence, are more likely to feel ego-threatened when subordinates offer suggestions or criticism.
When the manager asked Zerxtonin about his reason for quitting, she did not accept his reasoning since her behavior was being called out. The manager's defensiveness led her to avoid, dismiss, and devalue the employee's feedback, which the researchers described in the study as "managing to stay in the dark."
After the video went viral, many online users rallied in support of the employee and called out the manager's behavior. @dangnicebutt wrote, "As someone in HR, she reacted horribly and could be liable for retaliation. Look into potential compensation." @eis4evan commented, "She is literally proving your point for why you quit in the first place." @s1mpl1y.k4y shared, "Imagine questioning someone on why they are leaving without 2 weeks notice and them giving you the answer to your question and because it's not what you want to hear your going to say, 'I'm not going to speak to you about this,' then continue to berate them as they are leaving... Yea you were entirely too nice."
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