One Friday I had to go into to the office for an early meeting. Walked in the, saw my boss, my boss’ boss, HR, and an owner. I just said Fuck out loud and was immediately reassured that it is not what it looks like. They were laying people off, some of which were my friends. IT will always know before hand, we have to deactivate people’s access in a way they don’t notice until they get their meetings/calls. It does not feel good.
Oh yeah, had to do this shit quite often as well. Also I sometimes knew that someone will be let go beforehand because I already had to prepare the onboarding for the next guy. Had to keep quiet for weeks towards the first guy. Went to lunch with him and stuff. Definitely my least favorite part of this job.
I would find some way to let them know it’s coming and ask them to not let anyone know I told them. Weeks is crazy.
I’ve only had this happen one time. I didn’t enter my time in our time tracker on time over 90 times in a year. We have till 1 the following day before we get a ding for it. Pretty deserved chat. I had already had a chat with my bosses boss before the meeting with HR and my boss so I was expecting it.
My boss also had to get the same chat, and I think his boss did too.
I’ll take it in the shower, with automated screen effects linked to key words.
It amazes me that calling people resources survived the language-policing trend of the past 15 years.
Because the language policing trend didn’t happen naturally but was another angle of the divide and conquer, deflecting people to waste time policing language instead of useful endevors while alienating not only people who disagreed about the underlying values but also people tired of people bitching about their use of language.
They needed all of the stops to pull off the elections and one of them was amplifying the most obnoxious aspects of the left, which also affected their credibility, which was important to get the opposition to ignore the warnings about the obvious signs of fascism.
And right now, that same strategy is being used to keep the disillusioned from joining up with the left by amplifying the “fuck you, you’re irredeemable” responses to the ones starting to see Trump for who he is.
It all started clear as day right when the Occupy Wall Street movement dissolved.
Yuuuuuuup.
Invite also shows up in your inbox an hour or less before meeting time, and is completely irregular from your normal schedule.
Protip: BACK EVERYTHING UP NOW if this happens. There’s a chance that IT hasn’t shut down your access to systems yet.
Ooohhh, I’ve been there!
The CTO couldn’t keep his grubby hands of his employees, loved to “tickle” everybody because it was suuuuch a positive experience for all involved! None of the employees dared to say anything
So anyway, I started blasting. I reported the fucker immediately, the branch where I worked for went ballistic, the one in Malta where he was stationed… Suggested I talk it out with him.
So the Americas branch where I worked started a shit show while I went on my (already planned) vacation. All the VPs said they’d have my back!
When I came back, my first meeting with my devs was replaced with a meeting with HR and the CTO who immediately dumped my ass.
The very next day, the CTO himself was fired and he committed suicide shortly after (no joke)
Moral of the story: fuck corporate environments, they’re fucking toxic as hell and promote this behavior and for all the “we got your back!!” Nobody showed up when I got axed because they were all scared for their jobs, except me.
No. Regrets.
Oof i’ve walked into this before. Worked for one of the Big 4 banks in Australia. They start with “How was your morning? Good? Excellent opens folder now lets talk about the drugs in the carpark”. Can’t believe i survived that lol
So… Tell us about the drugs in the carpark. That’s definitely a story.
Lol it was basically a “trade” in the carpark with some higher ups and someone ratted. Turns out all they cared about was “how compromised you were”. Once they investigated and found it was just one person who “witnessed” and reported it, everything was over in a few days.
I remember going to work for a large Australian company tripping balls.
My boss was like you’ve been glued to your computer all day bud, good work.
Did everything I could to avoid looking him the eye so he wouldn’t see my massively dilated eyes.
Ahhhh those were the day.
Holy shit! I’m sorry, but you guys sound like the worst employees in the world. Drug deals in the parking lot? Coming to work whacked out on LSD? Wow.
That sounds like a horrible use of a trip
It was the first and last I tripped at work.
And yes it was a horrible waste. My computer screen was one big magic eye with text turning into strange forms (little dragons).
I used to work the phones as well. I have no idea how I managed to tech support tripping balls.
Acid has been known to confer wisdom upon its users, in your case it seems the wisdom was to not use acid at work
Hahahaha and getting the pat on the back lol. I haven’t been that high but ice was massive on the sales floor and you’d end up having some pretty intense convos with customers lol
What happened to that person?
They ended up leaving the business about a month later but i never found out why or heard anything. I obvs didn’t like them so never asked
Ahh yes, September '24. I got my email notice about the “Teams” appointment.
I sent a pre-emptive reply and notified them of my diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Kept my job. Enrolled in counseling.
Still pluggin’ along.
Some union agreements have rules against that, so that they’re obliged to inform you in advance if the meeting has potential consequences for your employment.
Or, it can be more subtle, that they are obliged to inform you of your right to bring an observer to the meeting.
It won’t save you from getting sacked, but it might give you a better chance of getting compensated when the company inevitably forgets to do it right…
Union observers rock. They keep everybody above board, honest, and fair. You still might get fired, but it’s not without reason
From experience it’s a surprise meeting with your boss - and then HR joins - they’re not on the invite.
And they have statement on why the senior engineer had to be involved in your maintenance job.
If I’m getting fired, I’m not listening to their bullshit. It’s happening sooner, not later.
I’m not listening to their bullshit
Not even if it includes a severance package?
Lol, what severance package? Those don’t exist anymore.
They are there just rare. I lost my job last year and they gave me 3 months worth salary and insurance as the package. Even I was surprised by it cause I never got one before and didn’t even know WTF those were.
In Spain the law says you get 1 month salary for every year worked at the company. Last year my shit company fired me after 11 years. It wasn’t shit when I joined but at the end everyone who worked there for couple of years was hoping they will get invited to a meeting like that.
Horrible for all involved.
I’ve been the boss in this situation, and it sucks.
And a year later I was there with HR and my boss.
And a year later my boss was there with HR and his boss.
Fuck HR.
Oh N-
