Sometimes, the best thing for your business is to fire someone. Sometimes the worst thing for your business is to fire someone.
I got an email from Kelli, who worked for a small start up. The boss was somewhat volatile and erratic. His business partners had even hired a counselor to try to smooth the relationships over between this guy and the other employees. Kelli often felt undermined and under appreciated by this guy, but stuck it out because the money was good and she enjoyed the work, which she was good at.
Until, one day, her boss threw a temper tantrum directed at her. Kelli gave her two weeks notice on the spot, with full plans to transition all her work. The boss? Continued his temper tantrum into the next day and said she couldn’t quit, because he was firing her. Right now. As in, hand me your badge and your keys and get out of the office immediately.
To keep reading, click here: You Can’t Quit, You’re Fired
And then there’s the opposite issue from the same type of bad boss. Before I started a position at toxic-company I informed them, verbally and in writing, that I had a one-week vaction that I had already paid for that would happen in six months. They agreed and I was then hired.
Six months later when it came time for the vacation, toxic-boss said “if you take that vacation I’ll fire you.” I informed her that I would be taking my vacation since it was paid for and she, along with HR had approved it as part of the final job negotiations.
On the Monday morning after the vacation, toxic-boss said “You’re fired” and I said “You can’t fire me, I quit.”
At the unemployment hearing, toxic-company didn’t bother to show up, so I got unemployment by default.