Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
I was employed by a large corporation that makes roughly $600mill annually.
I was a full time employee (salary employee). First let me state that I've had constant problems with a co-worker who was almost my age and it was I think a dicrimination. The co-worker constantly would ignore me, make fun of my accent (English was not my frist language) and she'd also say something like "what would people in your country _______ (name of country removed)". Like she'd always pin point me and always remind me of my national background and make me feel insecure. At confereces she'd ask me out of blue to make a presentation and it would be first time I'd hear about it and she's say out loud in room "sorry everyone, it seems our co-worker_______(name removed) was not prepared". Like in that movie "indecent proposal with Dami Moore when she tried to make Michael Douglas look bad about the product line presentation).
I got to the point that it got out of hand. I had such horrible arguments with her on daily basis I had suffered severe migranes and was under a lot of stress. Going to work every day was like going on a death row. Every day as I was driving I was thinking "what would she do today?". At one time the argument with her got so bad she was screaming at me in conference room on top of her lungs. I rashed out in tears and went straight to my superior. I told him everything but I did not see any actions taken at all. So I decided to put everything in writing and went to my manager's superior who was almost like CFO of the corporation. He listened to me and after my writing, that co-worker was permanently terminated (reason unkown).
Same day when she was fired, my manager came to me and told me "don't you ever, ever go to my superior"..... I was puzzled. What was the big deal? If I don't see a problem being solved I was seeking higher power within that organization.
Well to get in revange with me, our department was disassambled. Like 3 people went into 1 department, 4 others went into another and I remained under the wing of my manager, even tho our fields of expertise didn't exactly relate to one another.
Time came to move to another building. The corp owns many buildings in town. So we moved to a building with a waterfront view and state of the art facility. Well guess what? Out of 30+ empty cubicals I was assigned to sit in a cubical between TWO toilets. I complained to my manager, at least I wanted to sit in mid row and he ignored me. Lights were broken in my cubical and my manager was every day absent and I could not contact him sometimes for weeks. I felt like 5th wheele in wagon when we moved. So I asked his superior the CFO if I could switch the cubical there were many to chose from and he said "sure". So my manager comes back from a meeting or lunch and storms into my cubical he had red face, angry steaming out of anger and says to me "I thought I've told you NOT to go to my superior". He calls me into his office.......I tell him I can't work under such conditions, he says "ok write a letter of resignation" - I said "I'll think about it", he said "No! You write it right now!" so in tears and being all upset he forces me to write a letter of resignation (he was standing next to me while I was writing it). He then says "pack up your things". In tears, walking to my cubical crying I pack up my stuff while being watch in silence by others.
The managers escorts me out of the building on an elevator and out of building's door. At that time I cry non stop. He walks me outside and closes a door and goes inside the building.
A week later I receive a check in the mail. The check was for large sum amount that I did NOT earn at all. I pretty much received that check for nothing. I called him and told him that the corp did not owe me that much money. His reply was "I want you to have it". I said ok. Being at the time 27-years-old I was naive and accepted the payment.
I did not complain nor contacted anyone in the corporation about my forced termination. Wondering was it legally done? Can a superior force an employee to write a resignation letter?
Also I was a very good employee and my work was praised by many people in different departments.
Re: Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
It is a very, very bad idea to go over your boss's head, particularly when you've already been told not to do so. It is also a very, very bad idea to give your employer an ultimatum.
No laws have been broken here.
Re: Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
Just wondering, why is it a very bad idea to go above my boss's head, if my boss isn't acting on an issue? Don't we have freedom of speech?
If the problem wasn't solved, what should I had done? Quit?
Re: Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
Ah, the old freedom of speech argument again. The right to freedom of speech granted to you in the First Amendment says that the government cannot restrict your speech. It does not mean that you are free to go over your boss's head, when you have been told not to, with no possible repercussions.
In putting an ultimatum in front of your boss, you essentially said, "Give me what I am demanding or I quit". He took you at your word.
Was this handled well? Not even remotely, by either you or the manager.
Did the manager violate any laws? No, again not even remotely.
Re: Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
Agreed.
Every time someone has told me "do THIS or I quit!", I have accepted their resignation.
Re: Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
All I asked was for another cubical transfer. Cubicals were all free on the same floor. Why did they have to assign a cubical for me between TWO toilets? Would you work an 8 hour work day next to two toilets where there's traffic all the time men and women come and go this was a large work place 200+ people on floor. I think you would not like it.
If you were to ask your manager "hey, can I switch my cubical?" and got no reply, would you continue sitting in cubical with broken lights between 2 toilets and tolerate it or would you go to higher management for the help?
If as you say I gave him an ultimatum, why then he'd send me a check AFTER I signed my resignation letter? People don't hand out money out freely out of nothing. Either it's "take the money and shut up" or "I feel guilty for what I've done here's some money for you"?
So if a manager ignores your request, you suggest to keep tolerating whatever it is you have and not go for help to higher managment. Basically you are saying, eat crap and be quiet about it.
Re: Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
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Why did they have to assign a cubical for me between TWO toilets?
Sounds like your manager didn't like you. But neither the company nor your manager owes you an explanation, legally. It's even possible that your manager did it on purpose to make you unhappy, hoping you'd leave. Perfectly legal.
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If you were to ask your manager "hey, can I switch my cubical?" and got no reply, would you continue sitting in cubical with broken lights between 2 toilets and tolerate it or would you go to higher management for the help?
Having already been reamed by this manager for going over their head? It would depend on how bad I needed my job. For me personally, I'd bite my tongue and start looking elsewhere or try to get transferred to another area of the company (because no matter HOW happy OTHER departments were with you, your manager is apparantly the one with authority to terminate you). As noted by other posters, when your supervisor has already told you that action A pisses them off, choosing to take that SAME action later is asking for the snake to bite you.
It isn't about what anyone else would like or wouldn't like. Circumventing your chain of command can result in unpleasant consequences, up to and including termination. Some managers REALLY dislike that - just as yours told you. Unless there is a contract or CBA that says otherwise, then yes, an employer can terminate you for ANY reason that isn't protected under law (race, color, etc.). This is a case of choosing your battles wisely - you wanted to battle, and your manager, didn't.
Unless your final pay check was a personal check from the manager, then the cutting of that final corporate check means that the company chain of command supported the termination. Final paychecks usually include amounts for things like sick or vacation time not used, possibly severance according to company policy, etc. - it's HIGHLY unlikely that the manager who terminated you had the will or even the ABILITY to just "gift" you funds in a final check. Check your final pay report carefully - it should outline exactly how the figure was determined.
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So if a manager ignores your request, you suggest to keep tolerating whatever it is you have and not go for help to higher managment. Basically you are saying, eat crap and be quiet about it.
No one is suggesting one way or the other, only pointing out that LEGALLY, the employer can terminate you for ANY reason not otherwise protected by law. Some companies and their managers are really open to hearing and working on employee grievances. Others are not. Your company apparantly was not, and your particular manager, appointed by the company as your supervisor, made this pretty clear. MORAL realities are one thing....but the LEGAL reality is that yes, sometimes if you want to keep a job, you eat crap, or they'll find someone who will.
Re: Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that no one promised you that there would not be consequences when you ignore your boss's instructions, and that such consequences are legal.
You have, I trust, applied for unemployment?
Re: Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
No, you dont have to write a termination letter. You let him bully you into doing it .. if you felt like you were going to be injured physically if you did not then you need to file a police report ASAP for assault.
Now, you dont state what state you are in but in most states, if you quit, you get zero for unemployment. (thats why they ask for termination letters..ie you quit, we did not fire you)
On the positive side, if you did quit it would look better to your next potential employers as opposed to being fired (unless your firing had nothing to do with your performance-loss of business, out of business, etc.).
You can threaten to quit & say that these work conditions are too bad to work under but these are not statements of quitting - just complaints & threats of quitting.
If he said your fired, write a letter of termination, then its up to the unemployment commission to determine if you were fired or quit (a police report would help in this assessment).
If you think it was because you are an immigrant, then you can file an EEOC complaint. From the facts stated, it doesnt look like it but you are not a mind reader so you dont know why you were really fired. A civil suit is an option .. you may file an EEOC complaint & wait for a result of their investigation before filing a civil complaint. Some attorneys will talk to you for nothing too, so you should seek one out to talk to (I am not an attny).
I have been asked to write termination letters & I refuse every time .. they yell etc but I just walk out the door.
Forget people who say you need to talk to your boss all the time about working conditions - you can speak to HR too .. its only a job not a life & death situation.
Get a new job with nicer people and enjoy life. Forget about these dopes. I have worked for people who seemed nice & ended up being complete jerks - I walked out of several jobs because of that; life is too short to deal with jerks 8 hrs of every day.
Re: Employer Made Me Write a Resignation Letter
Nope, I was stupid enough I never applied for an unemployment because right after termination I had my own business. The business was more of a joke, I could barely make $6,000 a year! But even with such income I don't think I would've qualified for an unemployment.
It's sad that managers have full power and pretty much do whatever they want. I was and still not the type of person who lets others walk over me and I don't eat crap. Of course I ended up empty handed losing good salary job.
Is it also legal if a manager wrote a bad recomendation later for me in company's data base so I won't get hired by that company even if I'd continue to apply for other positions?