I’m Trying to Get Fired Here!
I worked 50+ hours a week, went out of my way to make sure they were set when I went on maternity leave doing a lot of my work in advance and training my replacement for two weeks.
I was the director’s assistant but essentially I did the entire position (he was often “in the field” and much of this consisted of “observing”).
I broke my back for this company often going in on days off or getting out long after my shift ended. I used my car and gas with no compensation.
I took company calls outside of work and off the clock. Well, I went into labor, went into work to wrap things up and finished out a 8 hour day before I went home to get ready for the hospital.
I was beyond a team player. A month to the date out on maternity leave, I was contacted by my employer asking me to return from maternity leave (I still had 2 months of leave left and the company doesn’t provide insurance for the time so this time was out of my pocket).
I stated I could not as I had complications and medical procedures coming up. I was told a few days later the amount of work that came up and my declining to return two month early left them no choice but to hire for my position.
I knew my rights so I wasn’t worried and took the remainder of my leave. When I returned they gave me only two four hour shifts a week, work was 15 miles outside city limits so I was essentially working for a babysitter and gas.
I complied because I was painfully aware they were trying to get me to quit so they could avoid a unemployment insurance payout. It was time to play check mate and at this point with my rights violated, I had the upper hand.
They were a small company and didn’t have a HR department, they often outsourced questions to the company lawyer in California. Because the laws were different by state and his speciality was not employment claims, the lawyer’s advising was very limited.
Well, they weren’t aware that by cutting my hours (by 46 hours a week), my employer just handed me the unemployment they were trying to avoid (In New Mexico, if your employer cuts you from full time to part time hours, they are responsible for providing an insurance payout to compensate the difference in wages temporarily).
I knew this wasn’t going to sit well with the arrogant director who thought him cutting my hours was going to be the shove I needed to exit the company.
I patiently waited for them to receive my paperwork for my claim. They did and boy did the director let me know he was angry, the state was considering my claim should there be no attesting by the company.
The director called me into his office requesting that we discuss my job duties, he emphasized how little work we had coming in and how financially inconvenient it had to be for me.
He was so sympathetic to my situation and the anguish as a single mother it must be causing me.
When I stated I didn’t mind, I was more than happy to be there (my conditions of unemployment is I had to comply to my employers work schedule and duties showing that I’m actively trying to be employed).
This didn’t sit well with him, his manipulation wasn’t working as he planned. He then turned serious as he casually mentioned my unemployment claim and proceeds to pull out my documents requesting a response.
He tries to convince me that if I proceed with my claim and receive payment, if at any point I am terminated for my performance I would lose all source of income (unemployment and the company).
He was trying to threaten me, I knew this not to be true and called his bluff by informing him I wish to proceed. He stated to me that if I resigned right then and there, he would provide me a reference in the future moving forward.
(If you’re terminated, you can’t use them as a reference depending on the circumstances of termination. But if he fired me, as long as I was complying, I would then receive the full amount of unemployment).
At this point he realized his tactics to intimidate me weren’t working and I wasn’t budging. He tried to level with me and ask what was needed to get me to leave the company and I simply stated, “fire me.” Shocked, he asked me if I’m sure that’s what I want, I reassured him.
I walked out that afternoon with all my belongings and a letter of termination from my employer. I started receiving unemployment insurance the following week as he didn’t contest my payouts.
I had a new baby I was able to stay home with a year on my employers tab.
Reddit user: DubbMcLuvin8885