People rally around man who got fired after requesting remote work to care for his sick wife

Hardships are part of our lives and there are times when we expect people around us to be a little empathetic towards it. However, it looks like this company lacks every ounce of empathy as they didn't think twice before terminating an employee who was already going through a rough phase in his life. Dan Goodman, a CEO and employee advocate on LinkedIn, shared a heartbreaking story on his feed about a young man named Kevin who was treated like dirt by his employers when he needed their support the most.

Before starting the story, Goodman warned people that they might not want to read this due to how shocking the whole situation is. Then he shared how an employee named Kevin was terminated from his job when he asked to work remotely in order to care for his wife who was battling cancer. "I consulted with a young rep named Kevin. He was offered no severance after 3 years of strong work," the post stated, "Having been promoted with great performance reviews, Kevin and his wife celebrated the birth of their second child. But months later she was diagnosed with a rare and severe case of cancer."

Kevin's wife's condition required their family to move out of the state for treatment and the fellow in his late 20s hoped to save the mother of his two young children. "Can you imagine Kevin’s world? In his late 20s. Happily married. Welcoming the birth of his second child and hit with this news. Kevin shared the tragic news with his employer and the need to move to be able to support his wife and young family in their time of need," Goodman's post continued.

"He requested to work remotely for 6 months. His employer told him that would be okay and would work out the details. Three days later, Kevin was terminated with no severance. He was offered two months of healthcare if he signed a release of liability. This might be the most heartless action I have ever heard from an employer. He performed well and sold hundreds of thousands of dollars for the company," Goodman wrote, "His employer was late in providing COBRA information. Kevin’s wife had to postpone her cancer treatment while it was sorted out."

Goodman worked together with Kevin to put up a sincere document to sum up his current situation but it turns out his former employers were more than just heartless. "I came to tears several times myself helping him write it up and edit it. I was moved, but sadly the monsters at his former employer were not. Shockingly, they denied him a request for any severance. They apologized for the delay in getting him the COBRA information, letting him know the offer of 2 months of healthcare still stands," the post continued.

Goodman encouraged Kevin to bravely put out his story to the world so he could warn others of his company's behavior toward their employees. "This employer has crossed the line of decency and humanity through anyone’s eyes," Goodman condemned them through his LinkedIn post. "It is the employer’s actions that are disparaging to themselves. It is Kevin’s legal right to share his truthful and factual experience. If that truth disparages the company, that is on them. I just learned Kevin’s employer is contesting his unemployment claim."

In addition to sending Kevin his non-disparagement agreement from three years ago, they also reminded him of his obligations when he joined the company. "He has no obligation to hide his employers’ sins against humanity. They have no right to attempt to silence Kevin’s truth with threats. Have they not already done enough for Kevin and his family?" Goodman concluded. Kevin's story got strong reactions from people. The post was also reshared on Reddit by u/MadameTrashPanda where it got a lot of engagement before getting deleted.

u/ New-Height5258 wrote: "They delayed her treatment, and fired him? I’d be gathering my buddies and burning the place to the ground. There’s no need for such a place to exist." u/mastimama0722 added: "Corporate America sucks, pure and simple. Absolutely hate it." Goodman also shared a GoFundMe link for Kevin and his family in case anybody was eager to help the poor man in a dire situation. "Many incredible people on this thread have asked how they can help Kevin and his family. Several have suggested a GoFundMe be set up. One of his relatives has done so and the link is below for anyone who would like to help," Goodman wrote under his main LinkedIn post.