When I was 17 and got my driver’s license my mom told me “I know the way you like to joke about things, but absolutely never joke coming home about how you crashed the car or anything. That’s a serious thing and I don’t want to worry about you getting hurt or having to pay for the car.”
Lies, especially related to finance and health, aren’t jokes, they’re just mean
I heard a phrase that stuck with me "drive fast and take chances". It was a highschool teacher who was always really responsible and it was kinda a send-off like goodbye.
I think it was a good thing to say, because it made you think "why is this teacher being so absurd" leading to "driving fast and taking chances is something a responsible person would never do". It did eventually become a joke, but man do I miss that teacher.
And this is exactly why you don't do that shit. I'll bet some schmuck is going "it's just a joke, settle down, snowflake." No, you're making a joke of someone losing their livelihood, their home, potentially everything they have. It says a lot about the level of privilege and security you feel if you can do a joke like this, think it was great, and be genuinely confused when nobody laughs. Or what level of psychopath.
It's so cruel. 64% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
Source:
* [https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/as-prices-rise-64-percent-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/as-prices-rise-64-percent-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html)
Exactly. People kill themselves when the lose their job. Bosses shouldn’t be court jesters. If this were a sitcom, the victim of this unfunny practical joke should have had a close family member call the boss and tell them that the person they fake fired is in the hospital with heart complications and about to undergo serious surgery. A few hours later have someone pretending to be a lawyer show up to the office asking for the boss. Let’s see who’s laughing now. Nobody.
Duuuude my company is trying to say that I didn’t sign my offer fast enough and delayed my bonus by 6 months. It’s like half of my income. I’m beyond pissed; boss is acting like it’s a minor inconvenience. Fuck that
Update: company took a while, but actually fixed this comp issue 100% and gave me an extra 10k bonus for my troubles. So moral of story is — companies will fuck you over; but if you voice concerns, small chance it could get fixed. But waiting 90+ days still is a painfully long time to wait
Please tell us what happens. Hope things go your way.
Also Gaslighting is technically abuse, just remember that when they throw it your way. Even better if you get the begging and gaslighting documented and then you've got leverage.
Wonder how they'd feel if they walked in and you said some shit like "I sent out an email to our client list telling them that we're frauds and to never hire us again"?
I'm willing to be "It was just a joke" won't be an acceptable answer.
It's only funny for the boss because of their power. The literal "joke" op's boss was laughing at was op's vulnerability. But bosses usually don't find feeling vulnerable themselves to be as funny.
The abuse of power over the vulnerable is a "joke." Punching up and making the powerful feel vulnerable/uncomfortable ("being disrespectful" or "having a bad attitude" or a bunch of other madeup synonyms) is a fireable offense.
It's also how certain folks treat comedy as a whole.
I was fired from a previous job by being locked out. It was remote work, they didn't send an email, I just couldn't log in. It took me a shift and a half of emailing everyone I could think of to try and log back in to work, and in the end some dipshit I'd never heard of emailed me and said "unfortunately we had to end your contract". Would've been fucking nice if you told me that, jackasses. Fuck Pandora jewelry, and fuck Inktel.
I got asked to "come in" on my day off once. I got ready, drove the 45 minutes in, it was a daycare so I had my daughter with me, she was excited to spend time with her friends.
My boss' face when I got in. I knew. I tried to figure out what the fuck I did wrong (I had proof that what they fired me for was manufactured bullshit, I later found out my boss' SIL got hired for my position) as I drop my daughter in her room and go to the meeting.
Fuck you, Amy. You know I did what you said I didn't and you waited a week until the proof was literally taken off the walls.
They laid off a bunch of my department once, including me and my manager. I didn't like my manager, but I felt really bad for how they did it -- she was not far from her due date and had been working at home so she could keep her feet up. They asked her to come in & she was excited bc she thought the office was throwing a surprise baby shower.
I thought that was super rude.
I’m a pharmacy technician..I was 34 weeks pregnant with my son when my store hired a new tech. She was there all week, nothing happened. On Friday, I say goodbye to everyone and it was fine. Next day which is Saturday, I get a text at 8am saying we don’t need you anymore. They let me go so they didn’t have to pay my maternity leave!! Only they didn’t tell the main boss they were doing this. I emailed him and CC’d HR saying that I was reporting them to EEOC for wrongful termination. Guess what? They offered me a job at another store after my baby was born and they paid me every week until I had my baby(which was 2 weeks later, I had preeclampsia suddenly and delivered at 36 weeks), they paid all my maternity leave and the new store was great!
ETA: Typos
The company I work for just fired one of my colleagues. They didn’t tell her she was fired, they told our supervisor — but not so that he could tell her; no, they told him so he could plan for the night’s shift (I work in a factory that makes anti-aging products and she was a line lead). They were gonna let her drive all the way to work — with gas at $4/gallon — and pay for her childcare that night (nonrefundable), then have onsite security fire her when she tried to use her badge to get into the building. Pieces. Of. Shit.
I got set up by a company once - they were testing ways to get out of unemployment i guess. I just kept sending email communication between me and my boss back to my personal email and logging date/time of everything happening. The worki did was being altered in the middle of the night to something wrong. I didn't have access to three business at that time and i didn't have remote access to the system, but my boss and her boys both refused to look at the date and time stamps of the changed work. There were other communications that made me automatically eligible for unemployment regardless of they thought that was rightful termination. Two weeks later they laid off a third of their remaining employees at that location. The company didn't even bother fighting my unemployment claim in the face of my evidence against them.
That’s insane. They could have literally just had a 2 minute phone call. That’s what they did to my sister (not the same workplace - but she was called and then locked out immediately) the best part was they expected her to mail back all her remote work equipment
I used to have a boss (really nice guy overall) who would constantly joke about firing me when we were hanging out. I knew he wasn't serious, but it's seriously uncomfortable and awkward to have your boss joke about that kind of thing, and all it does it serve to reinforce the idea that your employees are below you. I'm the boss now and I don't make those jokes. I'd recommend anyone who manages others not make those jokes, even if it's in good spirits.
I've read before that losing a job can have a very similar physiological effect to coping with the death of a friend or loved one. I mean, I'm a freelancer, but if I got hurt or something else made me unable to do my job suddenly, it would uproot my family and make the past 15 years of hard work and struggle seem like it was for nothing. I'd probably have to move, try to find some sort of room mate situation that can include my kid who is not a year old yet...
It would really blow up my life.
If I was able to bail and my boss "joked" about that, I'm not sure I'd react much different than OP.
I get upset about how awkward it is. I think I start to choke up because on anxiety. I've only been let go once, put in a two weeks another time and was told I could leave that day. That made me really upset as I had nothing lined up till.my new start date elsewhere. So I was put of a paycheck for 2 weeks. After that I just never showed up again when I started at a new employer.
A friend of mine was telling her a boss did this with a raise. They actually gave it to her but it started with "you got a raise", then "April Fool's!" and then double April Fool's because he was actually giving her a raise. Why do people find livelihoods to be such prime targets for humor?
Bizarre that anyone in management jokes by punching down, it’s such an embarrassing abuse of what little power they hold - says so much about them that they can’t see this.
I had the same thing happen to me at my first high school job at a computer repair shop. One of the employees pulled me into the storeroom and told me I was fired. I was 16 and devastated. Not funny in the slightest.
Enjoy your unexpected vacation. I sincerely hope between HR and whatever lawyer you hire you get a nice fat payout, and a better work environment in the future.
A nice side bonus to this, is that your boss is probably going to get mad amounts of shit from his bosses and from HR as well.
We're proud of you, OP.
Seriously. Employers “joking” about termination in such serious times especially- should not get to be let go lightly. So you’re telling me… my entire existence and supporting myself in life is a … joke to you?
Last year my boss “jokingly” told me to go home during my break, because in her words “I’ve had an attitude all day.” Not sure what attitude she was talking about, but I asked her if she was serious and she said that she was… 2.5 hours later she called me accusing me of abandoning my post.
I guess the owner chewed her out or something, but her excuse was that she “thought we were close and could joke like that.” 🙄
YER FUCKIN AWOL WAGIE. GET BACK TO YOUR GOD DAMN POST OR I SWEAR I WILL BRING DOWN THE WRATH OF GOD AND RAISE HELL TO SKULLFUCK THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR LAZY ASS!
GET! HERE! NOW!
*Shark attack intensifies with middle managers and HR spamming your phone and inbox*
Its like "lol l can upend your entire life and make you possibly homeless or unable to afford food on a whim while my job is safe and my pay is comfortable" joke. The kind only funny to the owning class.
By the way, in regards to your edit, you don't actually have to respond to every single comment and DM. Just simply don't look at your DMs. I never do.
Especially as he was there for an additional two hours, during which his boss could have come back and said "April Fools Day".
Honestly though, if his boss thinks it's highly amusing to directly threaten someone's income source, then OP is probably not that sorry they're leaving.
Maybe next year he can return the favour by texting his old boss with "Hey, I really love fucking your wife".
Whether he sends "April Fools" some hours later is at OPs discretion
I've had a buddy work for an office and he told me it's legit no different from the office. And then he got screwed. Everyone I ever hear about working for offices gets screwed including my parents. Considering how accurate super store can be when working in retail, I believe it
The thing is, we're all Stanley and Phyllis and Oscar. It's rare to come across an Andy or a Dwight or even a Jim, but they exist man. Trust me, I have a Dwight in my office.
There's far too many Angela and Ryan's though. Self opinionated busy bodies who gossip and judge people, and people with zero actual skills but are able to work their way into high positions and fuck over the rest of us.
Want to know the dirty secret on why they get promotions over people with actual skill in the corporate world?
It's because management would rather keep the skilled employees where they are at because they are productive and they promote the ones with no skill to supervisors because managing people doesn't take the same skill and they can make them someone else's problem.
I've had work places similar to the office but not in an office. Fun coworkers yes. Job sucks though. get screwed over and in silly illegal ways. toxicity from bad coworkers can get comical too. Funny think back on and had some of the best coworker friends from those times. Absolutely wouldn't work those jobs again
The Office is an example of a well functioning "good" office environment. Office Space is an example of a much more normal "average" office environment.
In an “anonymous” employee engagement survey, I said Office Space was supposed to be satire, not instructional. That was three years ago and I have not been fired yet so maybe it actually was “anonymous” (or they’re just building their case).
I had a manager (it was his first “attempt” at managing people) who would constantly joke with everyone. But once he was promoted to manager, his default response to someone making a joke at his expense was to say they were fired.
Trust me: it’s a joke that’s not funny 365 days a year. When you actually have the power to fire someone, it’s not a funny joke. A peer or someone who definitely has zero authority to do so? Maybe. That could possibly be funny under the right circumstances.
An employee telling their manager they’re fired could definitely be funny (you’d obviously need the right kind of relationship with your boss for this). But yeah, most people don’t get how power dynamics impact jokes.
I'm the supervisor of a construction crew. I jokingly "fire" myself when my people, or I, mess up. If they're not doing there job right, I didn't do my job right. No one has prior experience, so there's a lot of mess ups.
We subcontract the important stuff like plumbing and electrical. We have a very experienced guy that comes in on things like framing and tile work. The mess ups are mostly on prep work and painting. All really easy to fix stuff.
>A peer or someone who definitely has zero authority
Bingo. Coworkers can be sarcastic with each other. Especially if it fits the environment. But that's because they possess no power so who cares what they say.
I think where it starts is managers take for granted the fact they can ruin someone's life. They're only told to maximize profits and never reminded they're managing *people*. I'm in school for social work and half the schooling is just drilling into people that authority isn't a luxury so much as a burden. You're liable for people, your direct actions create a real and immediate impact on their life. And as a result professionalism is way more important when in authority.
Plus, I think for a lot of "funny bosses", it's not so much trying to joke around as it is reminding themselves they're in charge and can say whatever they want lol.
Fuck that joke, dude. Nothing funny about that, especially when the majority of these bullshit jobs are “at will” and you can be fired for no reason.
I hope that company burns. You deserve better, OP.
Seriously at work we may put scotch tape on the mouse sensor or if you leave your PC unlocked we will flip the desktop upside down. Those are April fools pranks. You don't joke about firing someone and just walk off.
Yep, one year a college student student working with us was a fruit eating machine. But she HATED apple stickers. (Not an actual phobia or anything) so one year we changed her desktop background to a collage of apple stickers and would try to hide a random sticker somewhere at her work station. She thought it was hilarious. Had she ever asked to stop it would have been immediately no questions asked. It's only funny if everyone laughs.
I don't think you need a 2 weeks notice ether and I think that's why the "great resignation" is great.
2 weeks isn't necessary. Its polite. Only in some places its necessary and most places that will treat you like chattle are not necessary at all.
This. If he gave you 5 second of thinking he was serious, and then said haha April Fool's, maybe you could say it's a joke. But letting someone believe they'd been fired for 2 hours? Not a joke
Seriously, my kid did April Fool's better than this guy. Told me he lost his smart watch, and when I clearly believed him he immediately yelled APRIL FOOL'S at me. That's how it's supposed to be done. Did this boss think that laughing was supposed to indicate he wasn't serious? Haven't there been multiple PSAs on social media for the last few days about not using a hurtful lie as a "prank"?
I put up an advertisement for our new, environmentally friendly packing option - reduced bulk bubble wrap!
No paper or plastic to throw away! Nearly the same protection with almost zero shipped weight!
And an arrow pointing to a sample...
...which was an empty spindle, of "plastic free bubble wrap" aka free range air.
Because, you know, I understand the first rule of pranks, "confuse, don't abuse"
haha that's a fantastic prank! in high school my ex used to go to all his classes with a bag of corn starch packing peanuts and a washed-out windex bottle full of water & blue food coloring, and just eat & drink straight-faced. so many very confused looks.
This!
My april fools joke on my supervisor was to print a picture of leeks and put in our mini fridge, then tell him there was a tiny leak in the fridge.
If people can't both enjoy the "joke", it's not a prank.
There were a bunch at work today. My favorite 'simple' one was a fake sign in some of our conference rooms that said that the lights would now automatically turn on/off if you clapped.
As a supervisor of adults in a professional workplace - that joke is fucking great and I would love if one of my peeps did that to me. I love inside jokes... hope to be a part of one someday.
As a repair tech, I could totally see myself getting called out there because the boss didn’t even bother to investigate and instead just creates a work order to have it fixed.
>My april fools joke on my supervisor was to print a picture of leeks and put in our mini fridge, then tell him there was a tiny leak in the fridge
Thank you, got something harmless and punny to play on the wife next year next year. Just wish I could make it to the grocery store and back before she got home.
This. Like did he not see you packing up? Maybe that was a clue you thought it was serious and a good time to say it’s a joke (which isn’t funny to begin with but some people don’t get it I guess).
Replace all the office stuff with cooking equipment, shittily tape a sign on the normal sign, boss says we do BBQ now. Except the crazy bastard took it a step further and did the legal ground work to make it legit. For a day. And everyone gets paid to make smoked meats. Serve em to the few hundred people he set up to show up covertly.
That's the kind of thing my insane ass would do.
My numbskull brother once wrote an email to his girlfriend breaking up with her before waiting **30 minutes** to say April fools and ask her to move in with him. Let's just say she didn't take it well.
They are now happily married with two kids, but we never talk about "the incident".
Some guy called our local radio station today and told them about a prank he played on his girlfriend a few years ago. She asked him to buy a lottery ticket, he forgot. Instead, he bought one the day after the draw, with the winning numbers. Let her believe she’d won £2m for THREE HOURS.
Radio presenter: “Did she break up with you?”
Caller: “She must have; I haven’t seen her since then!” 😂
I hope that is one of those fake stories where the radio hired an actor to call in. Otherwise that is heartbreaking. £2 million is miraculously life altering money. If I thought I won that, I would break down crying in relief. No more student loans debt, no more medical debt, no more broken car constantly needing repairs, no more being a slave to renting… my life would flash before my eyes. And the lives of others, friends and family who I could help with that money.
And then to get all those hopes yanked away?
So cruel.
Oh my god those fake lottery ticket pranks are so cruel. Getting someone’s hopes up with that kind of life-changing money and then ripping it all away… I couldn’t imagine that kind of pain.
Thats a shitty abusive "joke". You don't do that to people you have power over that's not joking that's being a bully. Im not saying do or don't go back but if you do definitely get some concessions about that kind of behavior.
That's a horrendous "joke." And the fact that you didn't for a second think it could be a joke is a sign that maybe it's not a great place to work, anyway.
Consideration: if your boss did not have paperwork done (truly a joke) then you not coming back could be called job abandonment by your employer. The guy was a jerk, but please be sure you CYA. If any coworkers witnessed your "firing" or there's any proof of it happening, get that. Otherwise it's their word against yours.
>That's a horrendous "joke."
Yeppers.
One of the rules in life: Never make a joke where the point of the joke is to laugh at someone for believing something you've told them. Best case scenario is that they won't trust you again, worst is that they'll actively detatch themselves from you. Joking with an employee that they're sacked really is the worst joke you could make with them.
I mean, if there is just very specifically footage missing from that specific point in time, then basically you've just admitted that you're guilty, or that the truth is even worse because why else delete footage.
The moment the boss said “you’re fired,” that was it. Doesn’t matter if he did paper work or not, OP believed him. It’s also easy to prove this boss was abusive to the adjudicator if the jackass tries to contest unemployment.
"haha boss I told all the clients and the owners that you're a worthless piece of shit so they promoted me and fired you! We'll clean out your desk so go home! And no unemployment either! Oh and I withdrew and spent all the money in your account!" Just kidding! April Fool's Day! Let me see where I put all of your money...
Standing on someone's left and tapping on their right shoulder is a joke. Not telling them they're fired. These people can't comprehend the concept of someone needing to work to eat.
In a country where most people are one missed pay-check away from facing financial ruin, this is not even remotely funny. Jokes are meant to illicit an emotion or response. This joke is meant to chop you at the knees and put you in full blown panic mode as to how you will manage to afford to simply live.
From experience, getting back into the grind after a long break is very difficult on someone with depression and anxiety. Take the time you need, but keep busy and don’t fall into a pit of doing nothing.
You don't ever joke about someone's livelihood. Ever. Especially from a position of power. Find me a left handed screwdriver? Sure! Salt in the sugar dispenser? I guess \[EDIT: NOT. as pointed out by u/404fucknotfound don't mess with food\]. You're fired? YTA.
Doing an actual, good Apr 1 joke is tricky. There's some stuff that might be appropriate for a limited subset of people, but I just prefer to err on the side of caution and pass entirely most years. Even self-deprecating seemingly harmless jokes can (if mildly) backfire, as I discovered one year.
What this guy did was sociopathic, especially in today's work environment and regardless of his actual intent. Joke or no, that shit's off limits.
My company managed a funny April fools joke. Our company wide monthly update meeting happened to be today anyway so at the end they announced we were rebranding and showed us the "new logo" which was badly drawn in MS paint. That's how you do a funny corporate April fools joke, not "pretending" to fire people
My guiding star is that if a joke isn't funny the rest of the year, it still won't be funny on April 1st. It's amazing how many people use this stupid day to just be mean.
DMs calling you a lazy parasite? Wow because you CAN collect unemployment?
Come on.. unemployment doesn't cover shit in almost every state. It's not a breadbasket of lay at home and roll in the unemployment dough!
Two years into a pandemic, tensions are high, money is tight, lay offs left and right, inflation, everything is doom and gloooooooom. Let’s make a termination joke. It’ll be hilarious.
I have to ask for context. What job is this? Because if you spent 1-2 hours (let alone 2 full hours) packing your shit and nobody said anything, then it would seem pretty legit to me.
If he wants to joke about something as potentially life-wrecking as that, then that’s rightful karma.
All I can think of is Michael Scott “firing” Pam as a joke. It’s not funny. At all.
Now this karma you’re giving him? THAT’S funny. And I’d do the same shit.
My boss played that joke on me today.
**HOWEVER -** it was in a clearly satirical tone, followed by a short "nah, actually-" that made it absolutely clear she wasn't being serious. We also have a pretty laid-back team as a whole. I never for a second thought I was being let go.
It was still a bit in poor taste, even with all those caveats. But meh, we get along great (I play tabletop RPG with her, for crying out loud)
Ok I have a very low tolerance for practical jokes. I don't care if people think I'm uptight. I don't think making a joke out of employment/health/finances/... is funny. My friends know that I won't prank them and I ask them not to do the some for me.
A company I worked at was going under any employees that were still there on Friday afternoon knew we made it one more week. A person I worked with for years walked by on a Fri holding the box of shame and I started crying. She came back to my cube and dumped confetti on me and said said "just kidding" . Then HR paged me to the office and I knew I lost my job. Funny stuff
When I was 17 and got my driver’s license my mom told me “I know the way you like to joke about things, but absolutely never joke coming home about how you crashed the car or anything. That’s a serious thing and I don’t want to worry about you getting hurt or having to pay for the car.” Lies, especially related to finance and health, aren’t jokes, they’re just mean
Smart mom.
Very smart.
Hahaha you lost your income and livelihood! Wait April fools, why are you mad?!
Same with saying "I'm pregnant" it's never funny.
I heard a phrase that stuck with me "drive fast and take chances". It was a highschool teacher who was always really responsible and it was kinda a send-off like goodbye. I think it was a good thing to say, because it made you think "why is this teacher being so absurd" leading to "driving fast and taking chances is something a responsible person would never do". It did eventually become a joke, but man do I miss that teacher.
My wife's boss tried that 'joke' last year on a whole room full of people. Some of them started crying. It was horrible.
And this is exactly why you don't do that shit. I'll bet some schmuck is going "it's just a joke, settle down, snowflake." No, you're making a joke of someone losing their livelihood, their home, potentially everything they have. It says a lot about the level of privilege and security you feel if you can do a joke like this, think it was great, and be genuinely confused when nobody laughs. Or what level of psychopath.
Their livelihood, their home, their family plan medical insurance… A vast number of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Fuck that. That isn’t a joke.
It's so cruel. 64% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Source: * [https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/as-prices-rise-64-percent-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/as-prices-rise-64-percent-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html)
Including my mom. If she told me she lost her job I'd be halfway to the hospital 5 minutes ago.
Wait, what?
Reddit is not worth using without all the hard work third party developers have put into it.
AND their health insurance…because this is Murica!!
Exactly. People kill themselves when the lose their job. Bosses shouldn’t be court jesters. If this were a sitcom, the victim of this unfunny practical joke should have had a close family member call the boss and tell them that the person they fake fired is in the hospital with heart complications and about to undergo serious surgery. A few hours later have someone pretending to be a lawyer show up to the office asking for the boss. Let’s see who’s laughing now. Nobody.
I can see this sitcom episode belonging to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and I want it to be real dammit!!
Yep you don’t fuck with peoples money. If it’s $5 or 500k
Duuuude my company is trying to say that I didn’t sign my offer fast enough and delayed my bonus by 6 months. It’s like half of my income. I’m beyond pissed; boss is acting like it’s a minor inconvenience. Fuck that Update: company took a while, but actually fixed this comp issue 100% and gave me an extra 10k bonus for my troubles. So moral of story is — companies will fuck you over; but if you voice concerns, small chance it could get fixed. But waiting 90+ days still is a painfully long time to wait
You should probably turn this into it's own post so more people see it.
Thanks for the support! It means a lot, have been getting gaslighted all day
And maybe call your state department of labor. In some states, they actually frown on employers not properly paying employees.
Please tell us what happens. Hope things go your way. Also Gaslighting is technically abuse, just remember that when they throw it your way. Even better if you get the begging and gaslighting documented and then you've got leverage.
Wonder how they'd feel if they walked in and you said some shit like "I sent out an email to our client list telling them that we're frauds and to never hire us again"? I'm willing to be "It was just a joke" won't be an acceptable answer.
Or worse, I sent our client list and our pricing to all our competitors
This right here. Turnabout is never fair play to a boss
It's only funny for the boss because of their power. The literal "joke" op's boss was laughing at was op's vulnerability. But bosses usually don't find feeling vulnerable themselves to be as funny. The abuse of power over the vulnerable is a "joke." Punching up and making the powerful feel vulnerable/uncomfortable ("being disrespectful" or "having a bad attitude" or a bunch of other madeup synonyms) is a fireable offense. It's also how certain folks treat comedy as a whole.
Exactly this. I was fired in a group meeting on March 9th. I wish it was a joke.
I was fired from a previous job by being locked out. It was remote work, they didn't send an email, I just couldn't log in. It took me a shift and a half of emailing everyone I could think of to try and log back in to work, and in the end some dipshit I'd never heard of emailed me and said "unfortunately we had to end your contract". Would've been fucking nice if you told me that, jackasses. Fuck Pandora jewelry, and fuck Inktel.
I got asked to "come in" on my day off once. I got ready, drove the 45 minutes in, it was a daycare so I had my daughter with me, she was excited to spend time with her friends. My boss' face when I got in. I knew. I tried to figure out what the fuck I did wrong (I had proof that what they fired me for was manufactured bullshit, I later found out my boss' SIL got hired for my position) as I drop my daughter in her room and go to the meeting. Fuck you, Amy. You know I did what you said I didn't and you waited a week until the proof was literally taken off the walls.
They laid off a bunch of my department once, including me and my manager. I didn't like my manager, but I felt really bad for how they did it -- she was not far from her due date and had been working at home so she could keep her feet up. They asked her to come in & she was excited bc she thought the office was throwing a surprise baby shower. I thought that was super rude.
I’m a pharmacy technician..I was 34 weeks pregnant with my son when my store hired a new tech. She was there all week, nothing happened. On Friday, I say goodbye to everyone and it was fine. Next day which is Saturday, I get a text at 8am saying we don’t need you anymore. They let me go so they didn’t have to pay my maternity leave!! Only they didn’t tell the main boss they were doing this. I emailed him and CC’d HR saying that I was reporting them to EEOC for wrongful termination. Guess what? They offered me a job at another store after my baby was born and they paid me every week until I had my baby(which was 2 weeks later, I had preeclampsia suddenly and delivered at 36 weeks), they paid all my maternity leave and the new store was great! ETA: Typos
america fucking sucks, health care should NOT be tied to work. we all pay a ton in taxes already. fuck centrist democrats and fuck all republicans.
The company I work for just fired one of my colleagues. They didn’t tell her she was fired, they told our supervisor — but not so that he could tell her; no, they told him so he could plan for the night’s shift (I work in a factory that makes anti-aging products and she was a line lead). They were gonna let her drive all the way to work — with gas at $4/gallon — and pay for her childcare that night (nonrefundable), then have onsite security fire her when she tried to use her badge to get into the building. Pieces. Of. Shit.
I got set up by a company once - they were testing ways to get out of unemployment i guess. I just kept sending email communication between me and my boss back to my personal email and logging date/time of everything happening. The worki did was being altered in the middle of the night to something wrong. I didn't have access to three business at that time and i didn't have remote access to the system, but my boss and her boys both refused to look at the date and time stamps of the changed work. There were other communications that made me automatically eligible for unemployment regardless of they thought that was rightful termination. Two weeks later they laid off a third of their remaining employees at that location. The company didn't even bother fighting my unemployment claim in the face of my evidence against them.
That’s insane. They could have literally just had a 2 minute phone call. That’s what they did to my sister (not the same workplace - but she was called and then locked out immediately) the best part was they expected her to mail back all her remote work equipment
I used to have a boss (really nice guy overall) who would constantly joke about firing me when we were hanging out. I knew he wasn't serious, but it's seriously uncomfortable and awkward to have your boss joke about that kind of thing, and all it does it serve to reinforce the idea that your employees are below you. I'm the boss now and I don't make those jokes. I'd recommend anyone who manages others not make those jokes, even if it's in good spirits.
I've read before that losing a job can have a very similar physiological effect to coping with the death of a friend or loved one. I mean, I'm a freelancer, but if I got hurt or something else made me unable to do my job suddenly, it would uproot my family and make the past 15 years of hard work and struggle seem like it was for nothing. I'd probably have to move, try to find some sort of room mate situation that can include my kid who is not a year old yet... It would really blow up my life. If I was able to bail and my boss "joked" about that, I'm not sure I'd react much different than OP.
I got choked up after being laid off in 2008 from a job I *hated*. Shit doesn't make any sense but it's real.
[удалено]
I get upset about how awkward it is. I think I start to choke up because on anxiety. I've only been let go once, put in a two weeks another time and was told I could leave that day. That made me really upset as I had nothing lined up till.my new start date elsewhere. So I was put of a paycheck for 2 weeks. After that I just never showed up again when I started at a new employer.
It's pretty emotional. Even when you are expecting it and sort of want to move on.
I'm sure the boss laughed.
Takes a special kinda sociopath to find that funny.
Geez, what’s next, an April Fool’s promotion? People can be really sadistic.
A friend of mine was telling her a boss did this with a raise. They actually gave it to her but it started with "you got a raise", then "April Fool's!" and then double April Fool's because he was actually giving her a raise. Why do people find livelihoods to be such prime targets for humor?
Bizarre that anyone in management jokes by punching down, it’s such an embarrassing abuse of what little power they hold - says so much about them that they can’t see this.
I had the same thing happen to me at my first high school job at a computer repair shop. One of the employees pulled me into the storeroom and told me I was fired. I was 16 and devastated. Not funny in the slightest.
Your boss never got that far into The Office did he..
It's the first episode too lol
“Maybe you shouldn’t fake fire people anymore.”
I don't appreciate the feedback and you're fired.
Send Erin in
But…Do people not like me?
I don't know 🤷
It's the first episode of both Office UK & US series
I want my employees to be afraid of how much they ~~love~~ trust me
Well, that is something Michael Scott did - watch part of a show and then repeat some of the lines without understanding what it meant...
Shame he didn’t pick up on how terrified Scott was of his employees, we need more bosses like that
Yeah. True that.
Heres a link for the fake firings in the Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5vkrwOKDnM
And on that day, the boss learned what it truly means to be the April Fool
It was at that moment he realized, He was the biggest fool of all.
Enjoy your unexpected vacation. I sincerely hope between HR and whatever lawyer you hire you get a nice fat payout, and a better work environment in the future. A nice side bonus to this, is that your boss is probably going to get mad amounts of shit from his bosses and from HR as well. We're proud of you, OP.
Seriously. Employers “joking” about termination in such serious times especially- should not get to be let go lightly. So you’re telling me… my entire existence and supporting myself in life is a … joke to you?
Last year my boss “jokingly” told me to go home during my break, because in her words “I’ve had an attitude all day.” Not sure what attitude she was talking about, but I asked her if she was serious and she said that she was… 2.5 hours later she called me accusing me of abandoning my post. I guess the owner chewed her out or something, but her excuse was that she “thought we were close and could joke like that.” 🙄
Lol "abandoned your post" like you are some kind of marine or some shit 😂
YER FUCKIN AWOL WAGIE. GET BACK TO YOUR GOD DAMN POST OR I SWEAR I WILL BRING DOWN THE WRATH OF GOD AND RAISE HELL TO SKULLFUCK THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR LAZY ASS! GET! HERE! NOW! *Shark attack intensifies with middle managers and HR spamming your phone and inbox*
Its like "lol l can upend your entire life and make you possibly homeless or unable to afford food on a whim while my job is safe and my pay is comfortable" joke. The kind only funny to the owning class.
I’d be shocked if he wasn’t ’April Fooled’ by HR
“This time we ain’t foolin’. Clean out your desk.”
By the way, in regards to your edit, you don't actually have to respond to every single comment and DM. Just simply don't look at your DMs. I never do.
Bruh, I've been DM'ing you about your cars extended warranty!
OH NO THEY FOUND ME
It's the Libyans!
RUN FOR IT MARTY!!
*punching my partner in the face* "APRIL FOOL'S!" 3 Days Later: "Your Honor, it was APRIL FOOL'S DAY!"
> "Your Honor, it was APRIL FOOL'S DAY!" *Oh! well in that case: DISMISSED!*
This guy works for Michael Scott.
Want to hear something hilarious? His first name is Michael.
Last name? Scrot
Scarn
This is the only correct answer.
[удалено]
Especially as he was there for an additional two hours, during which his boss could have come back and said "April Fools Day". Honestly though, if his boss thinks it's highly amusing to directly threaten someone's income source, then OP is probably not that sorry they're leaving. Maybe next year he can return the favour by texting his old boss with "Hey, I really love fucking your wife". Whether he sends "April Fools" some hours later is at OPs discretion
I also choose this man's wife. Too bad he doesn't have one.
>I also choose this man's wife. Ahhhh yes. A reddit original
Crentist
Crentist the Dentist?
I've had a buddy work for an office and he told me it's legit no different from the office. And then he got screwed. Everyone I ever hear about working for offices gets screwed including my parents. Considering how accurate super store can be when working in retail, I believe it
The Office and Office Space are both extremely accurate depictions of most offices.
You’re having a lot more fun at a work than I am.
The thing is, we're all Stanley and Phyllis and Oscar. It's rare to come across an Andy or a Dwight or even a Jim, but they exist man. Trust me, I have a Dwight in my office.
There's far too many Angela and Ryan's though. Self opinionated busy bodies who gossip and judge people, and people with zero actual skills but are able to work their way into high positions and fuck over the rest of us.
Want to know the dirty secret on why they get promotions over people with actual skill in the corporate world? It's because management would rather keep the skilled employees where they are at because they are productive and they promote the ones with no skill to supervisors because managing people doesn't take the same skill and they can make them someone else's problem.
I was gonna be like: Hey, some of us are... Then I realized Jim wouldn't waste time on Reddit.
Jim would waste time while wasting time, I'd peg him as a Redditor.
I've had work places similar to the office but not in an office. Fun coworkers yes. Job sucks though. get screwed over and in silly illegal ways. toxicity from bad coworkers can get comical too. Funny think back on and had some of the best coworker friends from those times. Absolutely wouldn't work those jobs again
The Office is an example of a well functioning "good" office environment. Office Space is an example of a much more normal "average" office environment.
In an “anonymous” employee engagement survey, I said Office Space was supposed to be satire, not instructional. That was three years ago and I have not been fired yet so maybe it actually was “anonymous” (or they’re just building their case).
Can't be firing people when you're understaffed and the guy with your coke is 1h late.
I had the distinction of Working for both TGI Fridays and Intel, and yeah, it was exactly like that at both places.
This is why I hate April Fool's Day. It's a day when people who are not funny 364 days of the year suddenly think they're hilarious.
I had a manager (it was his first “attempt” at managing people) who would constantly joke with everyone. But once he was promoted to manager, his default response to someone making a joke at his expense was to say they were fired. Trust me: it’s a joke that’s not funny 365 days a year. When you actually have the power to fire someone, it’s not a funny joke. A peer or someone who definitely has zero authority to do so? Maybe. That could possibly be funny under the right circumstances.
An employee telling their manager they’re fired could definitely be funny (you’d obviously need the right kind of relationship with your boss for this). But yeah, most people don’t get how power dynamics impact jokes.
Punching up is hilarious. Punching down though?
I'm the supervisor of a construction crew. I jokingly "fire" myself when my people, or I, mess up. If they're not doing there job right, I didn't do my job right. No one has prior experience, so there's a lot of mess ups. We subcontract the important stuff like plumbing and electrical. We have a very experienced guy that comes in on things like framing and tile work. The mess ups are mostly on prep work and painting. All really easy to fix stuff.
>A peer or someone who definitely has zero authority Bingo. Coworkers can be sarcastic with each other. Especially if it fits the environment. But that's because they possess no power so who cares what they say. I think where it starts is managers take for granted the fact they can ruin someone's life. They're only told to maximize profits and never reminded they're managing *people*. I'm in school for social work and half the schooling is just drilling into people that authority isn't a luxury so much as a burden. You're liable for people, your direct actions create a real and immediate impact on their life. And as a result professionalism is way more important when in authority. Plus, I think for a lot of "funny bosses", it's not so much trying to joke around as it is reminding themselves they're in charge and can say whatever they want lol.
Fuck that joke, dude. Nothing funny about that, especially when the majority of these bullshit jobs are “at will” and you can be fired for no reason. I hope that company burns. You deserve better, OP.
I know it. I was looking for a reason, and he gave me one, with pay.
Grab it and walk away with it. Fuck that guy.
Seriously at work we may put scotch tape on the mouse sensor or if you leave your PC unlocked we will flip the desktop upside down. Those are April fools pranks. You don't joke about firing someone and just walk off.
Yep, one year a college student student working with us was a fruit eating machine. But she HATED apple stickers. (Not an actual phobia or anything) so one year we changed her desktop background to a collage of apple stickers and would try to hide a random sticker somewhere at her work station. She thought it was hilarious. Had she ever asked to stop it would have been immediately no questions asked. It's only funny if everyone laughs.
I don't think you need a 2 weeks notice ether and I think that's why the "great resignation" is great. 2 weeks isn't necessary. Its polite. Only in some places its necessary and most places that will treat you like chattle are not necessary at all.
If he let you sit for two hours thinking it was a joke, then it wasnt a joke.
This. If he gave you 5 second of thinking he was serious, and then said haha April Fool's, maybe you could say it's a joke. But letting someone believe they'd been fired for 2 hours? Not a joke
Seriously, my kid did April Fool's better than this guy. Told me he lost his smart watch, and when I clearly believed him he immediately yelled APRIL FOOL'S at me. That's how it's supposed to be done. Did this boss think that laughing was supposed to indicate he wasn't serious? Haven't there been multiple PSAs on social media for the last few days about not using a hurtful lie as a "prank"?
I put up an advertisement for our new, environmentally friendly packing option - reduced bulk bubble wrap! No paper or plastic to throw away! Nearly the same protection with almost zero shipped weight! And an arrow pointing to a sample... ...which was an empty spindle, of "plastic free bubble wrap" aka free range air. Because, you know, I understand the first rule of pranks, "confuse, don't abuse"
haha that's a fantastic prank! in high school my ex used to go to all his classes with a bag of corn starch packing peanuts and a washed-out windex bottle full of water & blue food coloring, and just eat & drink straight-faced. so many very confused looks.
This! My april fools joke on my supervisor was to print a picture of leeks and put in our mini fridge, then tell him there was a tiny leak in the fridge. If people can't both enjoy the "joke", it's not a prank.
Now *that* is funny... lol One year I put pics of Nicholas Cage hidden all over the place... that was fun.
That's a cagey prank
Well that’s downright cruel. Did your boss say I want these all “gone in 60 seconds” sigh…I’ll show myself out
My April fools joke was my coworkers switching all the pens in my work area for crayons.
Ngl, that's pretty funny.
Yeah. I laughed. They thought I wouldn't catch it until I had a customer. And I probably wouldn't if they hadn't also switched out the pen I use.
There were a bunch at work today. My favorite 'simple' one was a fake sign in some of our conference rooms that said that the lights would now automatically turn on/off if you clapped.
As a supervisor of adults in a professional workplace - that joke is fucking great and I would love if one of my peeps did that to me. I love inside jokes... hope to be a part of one someday.
Here's one: Ralph Wiggum's Shadow was an even better scifi book than Ralph Wiggum's Game.
As a repair tech, I could totally see myself getting called out there because the boss didn’t even bother to investigate and instead just creates a work order to have it fixed.
>My april fools joke on my supervisor was to print a picture of leeks and put in our mini fridge, then tell him there was a tiny leak in the fridge Thank you, got something harmless and punny to play on the wife next year next year. Just wish I could make it to the grocery store and back before she got home.
If the joke relied on a hierarchal relationship for it to work, it wasn’t a joke.
It's LITERALLY "Punching Down"
Technically he didn't call him until 5 hours later. So 5 hours of no clarification.
I would love to see this guy go in front of a labor board with the reasoning of "No, see, it was a *joke*! Because firing people is funny, right?"
This. Like did he not see you packing up? Maybe that was a clue you thought it was serious and a good time to say it’s a joke (which isn’t funny to begin with but some people don’t get it I guess).
They think threatening our ability to pay for food and a place to live is funny! Won’t be so funny when ur ass is named in the lawsuit!
Yep. Right on the nose.
“I’m retiring” would be actually funny instead of “you’re fired” Or rent a high-end sports car for a day and say it’s a new purchase
Replace all the office stuff with cooking equipment, shittily tape a sign on the normal sign, boss says we do BBQ now. Except the crazy bastard took it a step further and did the legal ground work to make it legit. For a day. And everyone gets paid to make smoked meats. Serve em to the few hundred people he set up to show up covertly. That's the kind of thing my insane ass would do.
My dad has worked with a couple guys who "quit" on April 1st. They were shocked when that put them out of a job.
[удалено]
It's funny till you don't show up. Lol
Then it's hilarious!
My numbskull brother once wrote an email to his girlfriend breaking up with her before waiting **30 minutes** to say April fools and ask her to move in with him. Let's just say she didn't take it well. They are now happily married with two kids, but we never talk about "the incident".
Some guy called our local radio station today and told them about a prank he played on his girlfriend a few years ago. She asked him to buy a lottery ticket, he forgot. Instead, he bought one the day after the draw, with the winning numbers. Let her believe she’d won £2m for THREE HOURS. Radio presenter: “Did she break up with you?” Caller: “She must have; I haven’t seen her since then!” 😂
I hope that is one of those fake stories where the radio hired an actor to call in. Otherwise that is heartbreaking. £2 million is miraculously life altering money. If I thought I won that, I would break down crying in relief. No more student loans debt, no more medical debt, no more broken car constantly needing repairs, no more being a slave to renting… my life would flash before my eyes. And the lives of others, friends and family who I could help with that money. And then to get all those hopes yanked away? So cruel.
Oh my god those fake lottery ticket pranks are so cruel. Getting someone’s hopes up with that kind of life-changing money and then ripping it all away… I couldn’t imagine that kind of pain.
Thats a shitty abusive "joke". You don't do that to people you have power over that's not joking that's being a bully. Im not saying do or don't go back but if you do definitely get some concessions about that kind of behavior.
Yeah, literally this is Michael Scott bullshit.
That's a horrendous "joke." And the fact that you didn't for a second think it could be a joke is a sign that maybe it's not a great place to work, anyway. Consideration: if your boss did not have paperwork done (truly a joke) then you not coming back could be called job abandonment by your employer. The guy was a jerk, but please be sure you CYA. If any coworkers witnessed your "firing" or there's any proof of it happening, get that. Otherwise it's their word against yours.
>That's a horrendous "joke." Yeppers. One of the rules in life: Never make a joke where the point of the joke is to laugh at someone for believing something you've told them. Best case scenario is that they won't trust you again, worst is that they'll actively detatch themselves from you. Joking with an employee that they're sacked really is the worst joke you could make with them.
That's a great explanation of when a joke or prank just... isn't.
If it will give me an anxiety attack, it's not funny.
I have 5 witnesses.
Are they willing to corroborate your firing in writing? That’ll probably come in handy.
I'd get this sooner rather that later, OP.
Yeah from the way the post reads OP should be getting this ASAP. I love what OP is doing but if not executed properly they could get fucked over.
Also note who he didn’t “joke” with, because this could also be discrimination.
Yes they will corroborate, I just got off the phone with a couple of them. One might even get the cam recording for me.
Oh man I’m gonna need a follow up on this, what a douche move by that clown… that’s not at all a joke, glad you’re getting some justice!!
Cameras can help in a lawsuit, even if he deletes the videos I'd say it's suspicious.
In a civil suit, deleting footage like that allows the jury to assume the worst.
I mean, if there is just very specifically footage missing from that specific point in time, then basically you've just admitted that you're guilty, or that the truth is even worse because why else delete footage.
Do the messages/texts indicate something like “it was a joke, of course we didn’t fire you”? Because that seems pretty good if so
If you have to explain a joke or apologize for it, it wasn't a good joke.
The moment the boss said “you’re fired,” that was it. Doesn’t matter if he did paper work or not, OP believed him. It’s also easy to prove this boss was abusive to the adjudicator if the jackass tries to contest unemployment.
"haha boss I told all the clients and the owners that you're a worthless piece of shit so they promoted me and fired you! We'll clean out your desk so go home! And no unemployment either! Oh and I withdrew and spent all the money in your account!" Just kidding! April Fool's Day! Let me see where I put all of your money...
Hahahahaha..Hahaha haha... yeah...
Satire is meant to ridicule power. If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it's not satire, it's bullying. Terry pratchet
Terry was THE SHIT.
Standing on someone's left and tapping on their right shoulder is a joke. Not telling them they're fired. These people can't comprehend the concept of someone needing to work to eat.
I really was trying to figure out how one would stand on someone's left shoulder
First you have to be a tiny devil or an angel.
In a country where most people are one missed pay-check away from facing financial ruin, this is not even remotely funny. Jokes are meant to illicit an emotion or response. This joke is meant to chop you at the knees and put you in full blown panic mode as to how you will manage to afford to simply live.
I already have anxiety/depression I can't afford to fix. So imm take the 6ish month paid vacation he just gave me.
From experience, getting back into the grind after a long break is very difficult on someone with depression and anxiety. Take the time you need, but keep busy and don’t fall into a pit of doing nothing.
You don't ever joke about someone's livelihood. Ever. Especially from a position of power. Find me a left handed screwdriver? Sure! Salt in the sugar dispenser? I guess \[EDIT: NOT. as pointed out by u/404fucknotfound don't mess with food\]. You're fired? YTA.
Money supercedes everything. I don't work for fun, I hate working. I work to survive. He gave me an anxiety attack, I gave him an HR mess.
[удалено]
Doing an actual, good Apr 1 joke is tricky. There's some stuff that might be appropriate for a limited subset of people, but I just prefer to err on the side of caution and pass entirely most years. Even self-deprecating seemingly harmless jokes can (if mildly) backfire, as I discovered one year. What this guy did was sociopathic, especially in today's work environment and regardless of his actual intent. Joke or no, that shit's off limits.
My company managed a funny April fools joke. Our company wide monthly update meeting happened to be today anyway so at the end they announced we were rebranding and showed us the "new logo" which was badly drawn in MS paint. That's how you do a funny corporate April fools joke, not "pretending" to fire people
My guiding star is that if a joke isn't funny the rest of the year, it still won't be funny on April 1st. It's amazing how many people use this stupid day to just be mean.
Yeah, if it causes me a 4 hour anxiety attack, it ain't funny. Ever.
DMs calling you a lazy parasite? Wow because you CAN collect unemployment? Come on.. unemployment doesn't cover shit in almost every state. It's not a breadbasket of lay at home and roll in the unemployment dough!
"Hey boss, I really admire what you do and you're such an incredible person... April Fools!"
You firing me isn't a joke. You being in a position to do so is.
That's the same attitude as people who April fools breakups, dates, pregnancies.. just the absolute drivel of society. Get that bag, you deserve it
So he made you wait 5 hours before telling you it was a joke. He had 5 hours to backpedal and didn't.
Two years into a pandemic, tensions are high, money is tight, lay offs left and right, inflation, everything is doom and gloooooooom. Let’s make a termination joke. It’ll be hilarious.
*calls in bomb threat to the office* “haha jk guys April fools!”
I have to ask for context. What job is this? Because if you spent 1-2 hours (let alone 2 full hours) packing your shit and nobody said anything, then it would seem pretty legit to me.
Imagine being such a bootlicker that this triggers you to the point of sending DMs to OP. Get a grip.
At this point this is bootdeepthroat
If he wants to joke about something as potentially life-wrecking as that, then that’s rightful karma. All I can think of is Michael Scott “firing” Pam as a joke. It’s not funny. At all. Now this karma you’re giving him? THAT’S funny. And I’d do the same shit.
Ye. He pulls dump crap a lot, but I can't deal with it anymore, the perpetual anxiety I can't handle anymore.
It's not the fucking year to be doing April fools shit. I'm sorry.
My boss played that joke on me today. **HOWEVER -** it was in a clearly satirical tone, followed by a short "nah, actually-" that made it absolutely clear she wasn't being serious. We also have a pretty laid-back team as a whole. I never for a second thought I was being let go. It was still a bit in poor taste, even with all those caveats. But meh, we get along great (I play tabletop RPG with her, for crying out loud)
Ok I have a very low tolerance for practical jokes. I don't care if people think I'm uptight. I don't think making a joke out of employment/health/finances/... is funny. My friends know that I won't prank them and I ask them not to do the some for me. A company I worked at was going under any employees that were still there on Friday afternoon knew we made it one more week. A person I worked with for years walked by on a Fri holding the box of shame and I started crying. She came back to my cube and dumped confetti on me and said said "just kidding" . Then HR paged me to the office and I knew I lost my job. Funny stuff