No, there is nothing so good about the job to make him want to stay. It is his first job other than his free lance so he is wrestling with whether to simply quit or test his worth to the employer by simply standing his ground (as apparently his immediate supervisor has done by continuing to free lance). They do not seem to be applying their policy uniformly. It then comes down to whether they want to retain him or not. If they play hardball then he'll need to decide whether to quit or allow them to terminate him. Since he has a good following on his free lance he is probably not eligible for unemployment benefits anyway.