The employee had no idea that the management was planning to fire them when they had gone on their vacation.
Workplaces usually become home away from home, mainly because of the amount of time people spend in that environment. But a Reddit user, u/Vanderlyley, wants to remove this misconception and inform employees that the establishments they work for do not warrant undue investment from them. Their story shows how these establishments are willing to turn on anyone, even their loyal employees, for any petty reason. They shared their own story to prove that they were used incessantly by the company, made to work beyond their contractual obligations and then left out to dry after returning from a break.
The employee began their Reddit post by explaining their present situation with the company. They returned to rejoin after being away for two weeks and were handed out devastating news as soon as they entered the office. According to the manager, they reviewed the employee's performance during the leave and concluded that the employee would be terminated. The employee was sure that their performance was not the reason. They knew there was some other force at play here, but their hands were tied, as in this power dynamic, their opinions did not matter.
At the start, everything was fine with the company when they were hired. But, when their manager got replaced, the whole thing took a worse turn. The employee joined in September last year and the next April, their employers incorporated tools to "monitor productivity." In meetings, the employers, for the sake of pacifying the employees, stated that the step was taken for them to keep a tab on their progress in work and for them to know if there are areas where they can improve. The implication was that the management was not using the tool to hover anything over the employees. It turned out to be false.
The said tool was used by the manager to keep a check on the employees and their tasks. Even the smallest of things were brought forth as complaints. The employee was progressively getting irritated by the culture. They felt that the manager had a personal agenda against them. Despite decent productivity rates, in their own words, "there was always something my manager would complain about." It deeply impacted their mental health and increased their stress levels.
The work environment at hand made them look forward to the leave, as they wanted to regain their motivation and energy. The break worked wonders, as they came back more inspired than ever when suddenly they were handed the news. It felt humiliating because the given reasons made no sense. As someone who had been chosen by the manager specifically for many important projects, they were sure they did not provide "low work quality." The complaints made by the manager had no basis to them and had personal agenda written all over it. The Reddit user knew that being let go was a result of office politics, which they could not partake in.
Though the employee was feeling down, the comment section encouraged them to move on and fight back. u/Desperate_Set_7708 had something to share with the employer, "I hope your successor wildly underperforms and your former manager regrets the decision every day." u/Insequitur gave the employee some suggestions to navigate the situation, "OP, you should speak to an employment lawyer ASAP. What they did can constitute discrimination/retaliation. Depending on the size of the corporation, you can file federal claims as well as state claims against them. The timing of the termination, you should get a decent settlement (if they're smart, which clearly they aren't, they won't want to litigate this)."