This Redditor had an ongoing agreement with his company. However, when a new manager came around, he was suddenly accused of being “inflexible” and got fired for it! How is this acceptable?
Loyal for Seven Years
Years before this story was posted, OP (Original Poster) managed to land a high-paying IT networking job at a high-speed trading company in London. Though he said he got it by “sheer luck,” he still worked hard and stayed for the company for over seven years until his mother-in-law got diagnosed with cancer.
Being Strong for the Family
Because of this, OP’s wife wanted to move back to their home country to care for her. OP, however, stayed behind because he was allowed to work from home two days a week.
He believed this would help him support his family both morally and financially.
Productive Working Days
OP shared that he’d spend the first three days of each week in London, then spend the next four days in his home country.
He said, “The eight short flights a month were easily doable. This went on for half a year.”
Hotshot Manager
However, trouble started brewing when his company hired a new “hotshot MBA manager.” This manager deemed OP “not flexible enough” with his home office days.
All the Schemes up His Sleeve
His manager started organizing team-building activities and “all-hands meetings” on Thursdays and Fridays. Then, he’d point out that OP wasn’t there to be part of the team.
OP wrote, “My colleagues always had my back, but he was incessant.”
A Much-Needed Conversation?
One day, OP’s manager and someone from HR sat him down. They “forced” OP to explain the reason for his “inflexibility.”
The Specifics
Unfortunately, the next day, they explained that OP wasn’t in a “remote job.” They said, “Home office days meant he’d be available in the office—if needed.”
However, OP noted that none of this was written in his contract.
Getting Sacked!
The company offered to make OP “redundant,” as it would be “better” for him than firing him or him quitting. They said he’d ultimately get more money from the UK government.
OP wrote, “I was stunned by this because my contract—which predated his and HR lady’s by a few years—specifically stated that in this case, I’d get six months full pay!”
Well, Alright
OP didn’t fight back. He “tentatively agreed” and took the paperwork to a solicitor.
He then signed it a few days later. However, he noted that his story doesn’t end there!
A Backup Plan
It turns out that OP’s country’s unemployment support covers 90% of his average previous year’s salary for the first 3 months. Then, he’d get 60% for the following 9 months.
He wrote, “This amounted to truly ridiculous money, especially with the extra six months’ redundancy payment.”
Sweet Revenge
In the end, OP got a fully-paid one-year sabbatical. But this wasn’t the only good news he had to offer.
OP said, “My one-year sabbatical was only sweetened by the news that he was let go for getting rid of me—so expensively.”
The Community’s Two Cents
For users, OP’s manager only got what he deserved. They believed he tried to fix something when it wasn’t even a problem in the first place.
A top commenter wrote, “New manager flexing muscles by bullying underlings, starts ‘fixing’ things starting with the thing that needs fixing the least.”
Another said, “New Manager Disease is always a freaking nightmare to go through.”
Disgusting Power Play
For some, OP’s manager tried to show off the “power” he had in the office, which ultimately led to his own demise in the end.
“But how else are they going to show people they exist and have power if they can’t make giant waves? Issues be d*****,” said one user.
This person shared, “All the bullying, pressure adding, using fake-a** meetings to ‘motivate’ your team, blah blah. Just be f****** nice to people, and they will have your back! It’s that simple. One can read all the books one wants to on the management of people—if you are an a**, you will still be an a** after reading a book, possibly even more so, because you get more ideas on how to micromanage people. Micromanagement is the biggest fail ever!”
Not One and the Same
There were also some managers on the thread. They shared their thoughts on the issue, and thankfully, it seems they aren’t of a similar mindset to OP’s old boss.
This person wrote, “This is something I’ve never understood. I want my job as a manager to be as easy as possible, and my view is to make things as easy as possible for those I’m managing. Unless there’s a squeaky wheel needing attention, I’m hands off. If anything, I ask what they’re already doing so I can adjust to fit what’s already working. I’m just trying to get paid like everyone else, not working my way up to be CEO.”
“My number one advice to new managers is always this: the mark of a great manager is the ability to recognize what doesn’t need to be fixed,” commented another Redditor.
Do you think OP’s manager was unfair? How should he have handled things?
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This post first appeared as His New Boss Accused Him of “Not Being Flexible Enough” and Got Him Fired. It’s a Disgusting Display of Power, so He Made Sure to Teach Him an Expensive Lesson! on Quote Ambition.
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