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Company Fires “Easily Replaceable” Employee, Ends Up Losing Biggest Client To Them

Company Fires “Easily Replaceable” Employee, Ends Up Losing Biggest Client To Them

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Being fired from a job is never great. Especially when you feel it wasn’t justified. In a perfect world, where companies follow procedure and labor law properly, everyone would get a fair chance to state their case and a thorough investigation would be conducted before an employee is unceremoniously given their marching orders. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

One guy recently shared how he was accused of harassment and fired without any evidence being presented. HR simply let him know that he was easily replaceable and that the company would be moving on without him. What they didn’t know was just how irreplaceable he was. It didn’t take long for them to find out though, and the lesson ended up costing them a cool $60,000 a month.

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    If you’re planning to fire the person who handles your biggest client, you should probably have a solid backup plan in place

    Image credits: Agustin Farias / unsplash (not the actual photo)

    When an arrogant HR manager went ahead and let go of a crucial team member, it backfired in spectacular fashion

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    Image credits: Mohamed hamdi / unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: BeaconIcon

    Harassment in the workplace is a serious offense that requires a thorough investigation before termination

    Harassment can take on many shapes and forms. Whether it’s bullying, racial discrimination, or verbal or physical misconduct, harassment is basically unacceptable behavior.

    The Cornell Law School website defines harassment as “words or behavior that threatens, intimidates, or demeans a person,” adding that it is “unwanted, uninvited, and unwelcome and causes nuisance, alarm, or substantial emotional distress without any legitimate purpose.”

    Cornell notes that in employment law, harassment is defined as “offensive, unwelcome conduct based on a victim’s protected characteristic, that is so severe or pervasive that it affects the terms and conditions of the victim’s employment.”

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    A 2021 study conducted by AllVoices found that 44% of employees polled had experienced harassment at work. It ranged from personal harassment and bullying to discriminatory harassment and bias, and online harassment and cyberbullying.

    53% of respondents said their workplace immediately addresses harassment. But 12% reported seeing no action whatsoever. Just over half of those who had filed harassment complaints had had their issues fully resolved.

    Harassment is a serious offense that can result in someone not only being fired but in some cases, having criminal charges laid against them. There are certain steps that companies are meant to take before firing someone for harassment. Suspicion is not enough.

    The Lacy Employment Law Firm warns that terminating an employee for harassment is a serious disciplinary action. “[It] typically involves the employer conducting a thorough investigation into the allegations,” notes the firm’s site. “In many cases, an employer must also issue a written reprimand or warning before terminating the employee for harassment.”

    While the former employee decided not to take the matter further after being fired, there are steps he could follow. The Lacy Employment Firm advises those fired for harassment to seek expert legal advice, and to find out whether there is an internal process to appeal against the decision.

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    The firm says it’s also important to check your employment contract. There might be a clause that could help you dispute your termination or seek financial compensation.

    Image credits: Austin Distel / unsplash (not the actual photo)

    The former employee gave some more info in the comments

    “Instant corporate karma”: netizens congratulated the former employee

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    “Without me… it collapsed”: a surprising number of people had similar stories to share

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    Robyn Smith

    Robyn Smith

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    Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

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    Robyn Smith

    Robyn Smith

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

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    Gabija Saveiskyte

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    Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

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    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

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    Ron Man
    Community Member
    17 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Everybody's replaceable. I've heard so many people say something like, this place will fall apart without me, when they get fired. It's never happened.

    BlackestDawn
    Community Member
    3 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While technically true that everyone is replaceable it's more an inference to how easy or hard it is to replace you. As in how easy it is to find and employ someone with a good enough skill set and how fast they get up to speed on the tasks that position had.

    Load More Replies...
    Trisec Tebeakesse
    Community Member
    5 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hah! I did that, but on a lesser scale. I drove for a tour company that did charters as a sideline. Literally rage-quit and stormed out. Wound up driving for a college campus that was a client of my previous job - I was hired partly because I used to dispatch and drive most of the charters on the campus at my previous gig. Said tour company also lost a high-profile annual charter (With the BSO) that I used to do, and nobody else wanted it.

    Load More Comments
    Ron Man
    Community Member
    17 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Everybody's replaceable. I've heard so many people say something like, this place will fall apart without me, when they get fired. It's never happened.

    BlackestDawn
    Community Member
    3 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While technically true that everyone is replaceable it's more an inference to how easy or hard it is to replace you. As in how easy it is to find and employ someone with a good enough skill set and how fast they get up to speed on the tasks that position had.

    Load More Replies...
    Trisec Tebeakesse
    Community Member
    5 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hah! I did that, but on a lesser scale. I drove for a tour company that did charters as a sideline. Literally rage-quit and stormed out. Wound up driving for a college campus that was a client of my previous job - I was hired partly because I used to dispatch and drive most of the charters on the campus at my previous gig. Said tour company also lost a high-profile annual charter (With the BSO) that I used to do, and nobody else wanted it.

    Load More Comments
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