Striving to be a good employee is always good. It satisfies both the company the person is working for and themselves because they can feel good about their accomplishments. However, it isn’t so good when it is the only thing a person’s self-esteem is built on.

Just like today’s story’s OP. They were falsely accused of misconduct and fired. That made them spiral into absolute chaos. Fortunately, the story didn’t end here.

More info: Reddit 

Getting fired from a job never feels nice. And it hurts even more when you love the job and the people there

Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)

This person felt completely destroyed after they were harshly fired from a job they loved

Image credits: ANTONI SHKRABA production (not the actual photo)

Image credits: kiki-to-my-jiji

After their fantastic employee reputation was ruined by being falsely accused of misconduct, the person appealed the firing and won

The story started when the OP was fired for “misconduct” even though they were a fantastic employee. The “misconduct” was the OP asking the employer why a new hire, who was still in training, was making more than them. The employer fired the OP on the spot after they asked this question. The OP considered the employer a second dad, so the firing was extremely hurtful.

This hurtful dismissal took a toll on the OP’s mental health. And poor mental health took a toll on their life. They maxed out their credit card just to pay for a living, as they couldn’t collect their unemployment money. They weren’t given that money because they had been fired for “misconduct.”

So, the OP filed an appeal with the labor board over unjustifiable firing. And they received the news that the court had ruled in their favor.

And that improved the OP’s self-worth majorly. Getting back the good reputation of their character brought them back mentally too. However, after reading the story, some netizens expressed that such intense self-esteem dependency on a job was not healthy, and it was only a matter of time before such mental disarray took place.

If you’re just like the OP and you lost a beloved job, but don’t want to end up in emotional hell like they did, there are a few steps you can take to bring your career back on track. First of all, you need to identify your emotions and do the inner work to deal with losing a job that you love. And then start doing outer work – telling people what happened and not keeping it hidden. Without sharing this news, you won’t be able to find a support system, so you must swallow your pride and just tell others about getting fired. 

Of course, it would be good to file for unemployment. And if you’re just like OP, who was falsely accused of misconduct, you can appeal being fired under these circumstances. And maybe, again, like the OP, you will be successful in winning the appeal.

After you have done inner and outside work, and figured out your finances and the firing appeals, you need to start crafting your path to the next job. For this step, you can start learning new skills, update your resume, evaluate what career path you want, and apply for new jobs. And one day you’ll be able to fully move on from the job you loved but lost.

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To broaden the understanding of termination from one’s job, Bored Panda has reached out to the employment lawyer Milana Dostanitch. She agreed to share her knowledge but noted that none of her answers were legal advice, just educational comments. Check out her Instagram and TikTok!

When asked to describe the process of appeal of termination, Milana said that processes can vary due to different jurisdictions, different appeal types, work with unions, and various other reasons. “It is useful to know for all employees facing an unfair termination that ‘appealing’ the termination decision internally or through a union or another agency is not always necessary and does not always lead to optimal results.”

She added “Here, the OP got a good result but it took them many months and it is unclear what compensation they will get. Because not all agencies, organs or processes are equal and some do not have the power to make the employee whole.” 

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)

For employees who suspect they were falsely accused of misconduct and fired, Milana offers several paths: “It depends on the state and the jurisdiction, but if we were to put it into three broad categories, they are 1) negotiations with the employer before filing any official complaint in Court or another type of government body; 2) filing a complaint with a government body; 3) filing the complaint in Court and going through the litigation process. If an employee has an arbitration provision in their contract, then they would file an Arbitration Demand with an arbitration organization stated in their contract.”

Then she expressed her opinion that finding legal and trustworthy legal representation is the best way to move forward in such a situation. “If you find a good attorney, they should be able to advise you what is the best action plan for you because they know the law and will be able to maximize the protection of your rights. This stuff is also very time-consuming, so it is good to be able to outsource it to a professional.” 

And if you suspect that soon you might get unjustly terminated from your work, Milana says, “I would speak to an attorney in your jurisdiction and try to identify why it is happening and if you have any remedies. This will help you analyze the bad behavior and patterns you may be going through, feel validated, and know what you should document or how to navigate this tough situation.”

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The lawyer added that a person could start documenting what is happening. “Write down the dates and what happened. You should do this on your personal devices or a notebook, never on work electronics or work email. This is because eventually, you may forget what happened. Even people with the best memories do not remember after stress hits them and keeping track of details may make it easier for you to bring claims against the employers later if something does go wrong.

Similarly, without breaking any policies, you could document or make copies of any discriminatory or unfair comments, emails, or other writings. You can also make sure that you have all your performance reviews and metrics available to you and in your possession. This is going to help show that you were objectively performing well.”

And if things go bad, Milana suggests, “do not sign any agreements while employed or right after termination that say you have no rights or you waive your rights. Always remember that you are not under any obligation to sign anything and sometimes waiving your rights too early is what makes (bad) employers terminate you on the spot.”

Lastly, if a person’s appeal for wrongful termination prevails, a person can be entitled to several things, depending on jurisdiction: “1) recovery of lost wages; 2) value of lost benefits; and 3) emotional distress.”

Circling back to the Reddit story, folks in the post’s comments could not have been happier for the OP. They were angry at the boss for treating them this way and wishing that in the future, the OP would not base their whole self-esteem on their work. After all, everyone is more than their employment status.

People online celebrated the OP’s win and trash-talked their ex-boss

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Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

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