Bad Bosses Beware
Nobody likes a bad boss. They are condescending and rude, and they take their best employees for granted. It’s safe to say nearly everyone has had a terrible boss at one point or another. What is one to do when one encounters a workplace bully? Well, nobody knows how to handle bad bosses better than our good friend, “Jake.”
Jake worked at a company for fourteen years. The dedication was real, folks! His job was in sales, and he excelled in nearly every aspect of the job. He loved his boss, the company owner, his co-workers, and the clients he met on a day-to-day basis. Needless to say, many clients stuck around with the company solely because of Jake’s extensive product expertise. Nice work!
In Jake’s last two years at the company, a new owner bought the office. This left Jake with two options; either move offices and quadruple his daily commute time or stay in his office and work with the new owner. Jake figured the new owner couldn’t be too bad, so he chose option two.
Unfortunately for Jake, his new company owner was terrible! The owner, “Brenda,” was evil and manipulative. She did everything in her power to cut costs, fire valuable employees, and run the once-booming business into the ground. Sounds terrible, right? Well, it was nothing Jake and his co-workers couldn’t handle!
When Brenda attempted to fire Jake only to cut costs at the company, he knew he needed to step in, take legal action, and get the revenge he and his co-workers deserved. Jake’s genius plan would leave Brenda completely humiliated and scrambling to save the company’s ruined reputation. Getting even has never been sweeter!
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Jake’s Career Conundrum
Jake worked at his company for fourteen years, and he loved working there up until the last two years of his employment. At his job, he had two priorities. The first priority was to handle product sales. This was Jake’s favorite aspect of his career, as he got to travel and speak to customers face-to-face. Jake’s business approach was the reason many of the company’s clients stayed, despite the product being more expensive than the competition. Nice work, Jake!
The second part of Jake’s career was on the office side. Office work was Jake’s weaker side, and he didn’t particularly enjoy cold-calling “potential customers” by skimming through numbers in the phone book. I don’t blame him!
Jake’s boss knew he didn’t like making calls, so instead, he prepared and designed products, plus trained new hires. Jake was the chief problem solver in the office, and he strived to help others whenever and wherever he could. All in all, Jake took pride in his career and the work he accomplished.
Just as all was going well, the owner decided to sell a portion of the company. The portion sold happened to be where Jake’s current office was located.
The owner explained to Jake, “I would love for you to continue working here. However, you will have to work from a different office. If it isn’t possible, you are welcome to stay at your current location and work with the new owner.”
If Jake worked at the new office, his daily commute would nearly quadruple. Oof! Instead of moving, Jake chose to work with the new owner. He figured he was a personable employee, and working with a new owner couldn’t be too bad.
Little did Jake know, his decision to work with the new owner would be detrimental to his career.
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Bitter Brenda’s Arrival
Before the new owner, Brenda bought Jake’s company, she worked alongside the staff for a couple of weeks. As far as everyone knew, she was just another new employee. When the sale of the company was announced and Jake discovered Brenda was the new owner, he was shocked.
On Brenda’s first day as owner, she made drastic staffing changes at the company. Jake’s current manager found a different job, as Brenda would now act as the owner and manager. Many of Jake’s co-workers were laid off, and only a couple of new hires, the secretary, and Jake were kept on.
The shadiest part of all? The employees Brenda kept at the company made the lowest wages, and they were not salaried employees. Jake was the only salaried employee left by the time Brenda’s tirade was over. Sketchy!
The next few months after Brenda’s arrival, Jake’s job was to train the remaining employees to replace the experienced staff members who were let go. Jake recommended a couple of new hires to Brenda, one being his best friend, and another being his girlfriend. Both his friend and girlfriend were qualified and more than willing to work at the company, and they were immediately hired at minimum wage.
Over the next two years, business at Jake’s company began to decline. Brenda hiked up product prices while decreasing the quality. Long-time clients took note, causing the business to lose profits. In turn, Brenda increased prices once more. Most of the company’s loyal clientele halted business with the company and complaints skyrocketed.
Worst of all, the employee turnover rate was awful. Jake’s girlfriend left the company, and his best friend stayed while searching for a new job.
Jake knew he needed to stop Brenda before she made his co-workers’ lives any more miserable.
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Minimum Wage, Maximum Problems
Just as Jake began planning to confront Brenda, he received a phone call. It was from Brenda, and she needed him to come into the office. This was unexpected, as Jake had just finished an on-location job with a client. He had another client in a few hours, and the office was nearly an hour away. Despite the inconvenience, Jake traveled back to the office to meet with bossy Brenda.
When Jake walked into the office, Brenda handed him a letter informing him of a disciplinary action meeting to take place in the next few days. Jake was dumbfounded. He was the best employee at the company, and he wasn’t sure what he did wrong.
When the day arrived, Jake recorded the entirety of the meeting. Every point Brenda raised about Jake’s “misconduct,” he could counter.
She first argued, “You were unable to work for a week in August!”
Jake replied, “I booked a week’s vacation so I could attend my cousin’s wedding.”
She stuttered and replied, “But you were late to work one day in May!”
“Wasn’t that the day my car broke down and I called to let you know?” Jake questioned.
Brenda shrugged, and Jake handed her the receipt from the mechanic dated the exact day in May.
Brenda, grasping for a way to fire Jake, then accused him of gross misconduct for breaking health and safety laws at work. Jake had been at the company for over a decade, and he knew he hadn’t done such a thing.
Brenda told Jake, “You can either sign a zero-hours contract and work at minimum wage, or I will fire you with two weeks’ notice.”
“You have to give me twelve weeks’ notice,” Jake explained, “My contract guarantees one week’s notice for every year of employment, up to twelve years.”
“Well, you’ve only been my employee for the past two,” Brenda countered.
Jake informed Brenda of the law and code to back up his continuous employment status, and Brenda responded, “Let me think about your offer.”
Jake sat patiently while Brenda went into her office. If he wanted to keep his job, he would have to fight just as petty as Brenda.
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The Ultimatum
When Brenda walked out of her office, she snottily told Jake, “Since I’m firing you for gross misconduct, I don’t have to give you notice at all. I can move you to a zero-hours contract, but if you don’t agree, you are fired. But since I’m a nice person, I’ll give you a two-weeks notice.”
Jake went home to think about his options. He knew exactly why Brenda wanted him to stay another two weeks. One of the company’s few remaining important clientele was set to have a product delivery from Jake during this time, and they refused to work with any other employee. Jake was simply the best.
Jake called Brenda back and explained, “I don’t want the zero-hours contract. I’ll be resigning, and I don’t want your two-weeks notice. If you’re firing me for gross misconduct, surely I cannot be relied on to safely deliver the product.”
Brenda panicked and responded, “But I need you for the next two weeks!”
“Maybe you will rethink the gross misconduct allegation,” Jake countered, “If you do, then I’ll work for my twelve-weeks notice.”
Brenda agreed, and Jake worked the next twelve weeks the same way he had for the last fourteen years. All the while, he contacted a lawyer who was a specialist in employment law.
Through the remainder of Jake’s employment, Brenda barely spoke to him. She deeply resented how Jake knew his legal rights and didn’t succumb to her blatant lies. As a result, Brenda’s petty games continued. She “accidentally” dropped Jake’s coffee mug in the kitchen, shattering it. Worst of all, she invited every staff member to a company spa day, all except for Jake. He didn’t necessarily care, but Brenda made herself look awful!
As Jake’s final two weeks of employment approached, he trained his best friend to take over his position. However, Jake and his friend had a surprise planned for Brenda that she never saw coming.
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Brenda’s Dreadful Demise
When Jake’s last day of employment arrived, the owner had nothing planned after his fourteen years of dedication to the company. No card, nothing. I would be livid! Luckily, the assistant office manager brought Jake a couple of presents as a parting gift. How sweet!
To Brenda’s surprise, Jake and his best friend got her a couple of gifts. Jake’s friend, who was planning on taking over his position after he left, quit his job on the spot! What a thoughtful first gift! Jake’s friend was on a zero-hours contract, so he wasn’t required to give any notice. Well played!
Brenda’s second gift was a letter from Jake’s lawyer. The letter informed Brenda that Jake was bringing legal proceedings against her for unfair dismissal. While Brenda read the letter, she went pale and began crying before leaving to call her lawyer.
Brenda tried to argue against Jake’s claim of unfair dismissal and tried to think of more reasons for firing Jake. But the truth was, the company was struggling and making less income. Jake had the highest salary, and Brenda wanted him gone so she could pocket more money. What a shady lady!
Once Jake’s lawyer provided Brenda’s lawyer with a transcript of the meeting and a copy of the recording, Brenda knew she had been caught. She let the case drag on for a year until she caved and settled out of court.
After the mishap, several of Jake’s co-workers quit, including the office manager. Former clients contacted Jake personally to ask why he was no longer with the company, and they moved their business elsewhere. The company tanked, and it was all thanks to Brenda. Everyone give her a round of applause!
At the end of the day, Brenda learned to never mess with the wrong employees, and Jake finally was able to take down his bad boss once and for all.
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