Bad day at work

[alice202]

For the most part I'm happy with my job, although I don't like the managers. They are sarcastic and unhelpful. They always tell us "reach out if you need anything" but having done that once, I'll never do it again. They only make things worse.

We work in teams of two, and this week they decided to fire my partner. The signs were there all week, but he didn't pick up on them. Then today one of the managers told me to call him up and tell him to cancel all of the meetings on his calendar so I could take them over. My manager told me not to let him know he was being fired and to just bullshit my way through it. Those were his exact words. So I did what I was asked to do, because if I didn't I could have lost my job.

Whenever my partner questioned something, I didn't answer him. I just kept telling him to cancel meetings until it was done. I felt like crap for doing this. Its not like we are best friends, but we are work friends and we do text each other. I do feel bad for him.

I feel like I was used to do my manager's dirty work. After I got it done I felt nauseous. Then later in the day the manager was contacting me about rescheduling all the meetings. This affects my job big time. More work.

I think what my manager did was completely unethical. But I'm a contractor and there's not a damn thing I can do about it except find another job.

Alice

 

[spiderplant]

Your manager was totally unethical to make you do that. He/she should have contacted your partner directly to cancel the meetings

Look you were put in a no-win situtation and it sounds like really need this job otherwise you woulld not have done this. It is better that you have a job, some cash flow and you can start to look for another position in a better environment.

 

[KM76710]

I call your manager's move in making you do the deed is as much a chickenshit move as anything else.

 

[alice202]

My work partner texted me to tell me he was fired. He asked me if I knew what was happening and I told him the truth. He was not mad about it. I think I understand the reasons why he was fired - he asked me if I knew - but I said I didn't know. There's nothing he can do about it now, and it would only make him feel worse. I've been in his shoes and it feels awful.

I call your manager's move in making you do the deed is as much a chickenshit move as anything else.

Chickenshit indeed.

Your manager was totally unethical to make you do that. He/she should have contacted your partner directly to cancel the meetings

That's what I think too!

 

[Waves]

Thank you for sharing this. It is validation that people are not paranoid and suspicious when they feel screwed over by workplace. There are bad bosses out there for real.

 

[AvidFan]

Sorry to hear work caused you issues.

 

[Acy]

@alice202 — what a horrible position you were in! Your manager was so unprofessional and unethical! I’m sorry you had to deal with that!

 

[BarryW]

I hear what you are saying about being a contractor. Sometimes you just don't have as much of a vote as you would like in how things are done.

I don't know what calendar system your team is using, but I agree there had to have been a better way to do this. If the calendar is 'digital', usually when a company fires someone, either IT or the manager gets control of the fired employee's account. This means the manager/IT can view all meeting details and either add another employee as a participant, or just cancel them and have a new invite sent out by a new 'organizer'.

Firing someone is often a mess.. you'd think companies would be better at, after having so much practice.

 

[UrbanRose]

For an employer to tell a person's coworker that the person is about to be fired really is highly unethical. It seems almost like it should be illegal. When termination occurs, that's supposed to be between the employer and that particular employee. Nowadays, when one employer calls another past employer to check on the person's history, the past employer is usually very careful not to disparage the person. I've been told that, usually, they simply give the dates of when the person worked there. Some employers call an employee in and give them the opportunity to resign, so that, technically, the person is not fired. (They do that in healthcare venues.) Then the person has the option to say, "We mutually agreed that the job was not a good fit for me." An employer is supposed to keep confidential the basis on which termination occurred. (Even though coworkers may be able to guess on it.)

You did what you had to do. Nothing would have been gained by you getting angry and blowing your own job. But this is an employer you can never trust. Get whatever experience you can get. Then shop around for a better employer.