Employee Shares A Meme And Gets Fired Over It, So He Shares The Text Exchange With The Boss
Do you have your bosses on social media? If so, you might want to reconsider after reading Cody Hidalgo’s unfortunate poop-meme story. It started on a Sunday. Cody was off work, minding his own business when he decided to post a mildly amusing and seemingly innocent meme onto his Facebook page.
Image credits: cody.hidalgo.1
“Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That’s why I poop on company time,” goes the caption, under a pic of Elmo sitting playfully on the potty.
Hardly controversial stuff, is it?
Image credits: cody.hidalgo.1
Now, we don’t know the full context or background to this story – perhaps Cody has been a truly awful employee? Maybe Andy, the boss, has put up with Cody’s slacking and ill-discipline for months now, and was itching for an excuse to pull the trigger?
Or it could be that Andy is just a big meanie who has no sense of humor and is on a massive power trip.
Either way, firing somebody for posting a meme in their free time and on their personal social media seems a little…harsh. Don’t you think?
Image credits: cody.hidalgo.1
Cody couldn’t believe what had just happened. He had just managed to get himself fired on his day off with a meme about pooping.
Image credits: cody.hidalgo.1
He continued to plead his innocence but his arguments fell on deaf ears. It does seem like this was the final straw in a sorry saga of workplace disappointment – Cody was clearly not a valued team member.
Image credits: cody.hidalgo.1
However, Andy’s point about the post ‘getting around’ would come back to haunt him as the story soon went viral, and people were taking Cody’s side.
Image credits: BlakeTapper
Memes are a powerful form of communication these days, and you don’t want to get on a meme maker’s bad side! People quickly found the company in question and began to stand up for Cody in the way they know best – leaving hilariously withering ‘reviews.’
Image credits: KyleOfFlorida
Image credits: Roman-Stone-Works
Image credits: Roman-Stone-Works
Image credits: Roman-Stone-Works
What do you think? Was Cody horribly mistreated here, or do you think there might be more to this story? Michigan is a state that has “at-will” employment, which means that both the employer and employee are free to terminate the employment at any given time, and for any legitimate purpose, unless bound by a legal contract. What are the conditions in your state/country? Let us know in the comments below!
Bored Panda has contacted both Mr. Hidalgo and Roman Stone Works for comment.
Even if Cody was a terrible employee, saying his child being dead is a good thing is extremely wrong and hurtful.
I think Cody can file a lawsuit for that can he?
Load More Replies...Wow. Just wow. His employer's behaviour is completely unprofessional and unacceptable. This guy needs to report him and have a tribunal. The comment about his dead kid is absolutely grotesque. He's the one who needs to be fired.
HAHAHAHAHA This is the U.S. I think. No tribunals here. Michigan is an at-will employer. They can fire you just because they feel like it.
Load More Replies...My boss is really nice and I basically know him as a friend at a big company in NZ, we buy each other coffee and we know each other as friends, but I can see that some people have not very nice bosses
Load More Replies...I have a strong feeling there is a lot more to this story than is being shared. This boss seems a lot more upset than can/should be caused by 1 meme, and the guy mentions he's on probation. I have a feeling this guy causes a LOT of drama at work. I'm not condoning firing an employee over a stupid meme, I'm just wishing we had more of the complete story.
You're right, but, "I'm glad your child is dead," is insane.
Load More Replies...For some reason I don't think Cody was a saint. But we don't know the whole story. Come to think of it, maybe BP should stop posting all these one-sided outrage stories.
Even if Cody failed to perform his job, he should be fired for this reason and this reason only. Outraging over some meme and inserting a dead child into conversation is totally unprofessional.
Load More Replies...Maybe there is more to the story, but I find it cowardly that they wait for a ridiculous reason to fire the guy. And then the crack about his dead kid speaks volumes about what kind of person Andy is.
The complete conversation is wrong. Why do you think you're allowed to comment on your employee's life Andy? Being "childish" is something he repeats, clearly wanting to hurt instead of offering some decent feedback to make him grow. All the negative stuff you pour over Cody's head, all the hurtful remarks, unwilling to listen to a word he says (every response cody gives gets shot down with bshit)... and THEN lol... "why won't you come over?" when YOUR OWN reaction bites you in the a*s. Suck it dude... even then you keep putting the fault on him.
Yet another reason why I have my FB settings on max private. You can't see me unless you're my friend. PERIOD. (Except for my Cover Photo, which is always public because THANKS FACEBOOK).
If it were me and he would talk about my dead child in that way, sure I would be fired, but that wouldn't be the only thing on fire. Damn what a low-level douche that Drew-person is.
Sounds like the Drewster has a full blown case of the "probably a sociopath" going on. Even if there was a fight going on we dont know about that dead kid thing is way over the line.
Load More Replies...Just shows to go you that what you post on social media - people see it. Some people may not like your sense of humour and believe that's your attitude towards the company. I actually thought it was funny. Think twice before you post.
I think you mean 'just goes to show you' :-p it's bizarre having your boss as a Facebook friend.
Load More Replies...Yep. Andy was way out of line. He's not only a poor excuse for a business owner, but a horrible human being for his reference to Cody's loss of a child. I hope he goes out of business and learns some humility.
Living in Austria it'snice to know, that you could sue the hell out of this employer for fireing you for that.
You could sue them here in the U.S. too, if you wanted.
Load More Replies...Did anyone else notice that one of the people who reviewed the company was named James Kirk? 😂🖖🖖
The Captain always was one for demanding justice. And alien women of course.
Load More Replies...To be fair, a LOT of companies have social media rules for their employees. In short, it's just best not to mention work, the company, or anything related to work at all. It avoids this situation. While the employer might have handled it better, they are within their rights (as in a lot of states in the US) to fire an employee at will. That means, they can fire FOR NO REASON at all. This employer has pointed out that the employee is lazy and not a good worker. I would imagine that a social media post would be considered the last straw. And while the employee might not have mentioned the company by name, those that know him know where he was working. And things do go viral, like the meme did. An employee needs to learn that you don't complain publicly about your work if you expect to keep your job. It can affect the company's bottom line. And that is always an actionable reason to let someone go.
Yeah, but now the company looks bad, so they're not the best employers either. No matter how bad they are, don't use someone's dead child to beat them up with.
Load More Replies...Cody should get a life time of free toilet roll and Andy should get a life time of a stiff bog brush up the a**e and be charged for the cost of the brush and the cost of labour
Oh man - you`re happy that you are not in Russia - we go to jail for liking memes that they interpret how they want.
God. Andy, u suck. I mean, firing an employee over a funny picture and rhyme posted on a MOTHER FRICKEN SUNDAY when there is NO WORK i repeat NO WORK HOURS, and then having the AUDACITY to comment on how it is a GOOD THING that his child has passed away. THE AUDACITY OF THIS ANDY FIGURE. Yah know, if I had Yelp, Roman Stoneworks would get a ONE STAR REVIEW
I think Andy should be relieved of his Manager position (didn't see that he was the owner). He clearly doesn't know how to deal with people/employees. Quite frankly, he was the one acting like and a*s. And to bring up a lost child? That's just cruel. The employee should take this further.
Andy kept talking about Cody being immature and childish when he was the one offended by a meme
So Andy's job was a product of nepotism? Undoubtedly the business is losing clientele. They need to put Andy behind the customer service area or have him work from home. Not only did he wrongfully fire an employee, but his reference to the man's son dying is completely out of bounds.
Regardless of what Cody did, Andy's language and energy in the texts is immature, improper, unprofessional and frequently STUPID.
Anyone from Bankers to Sandwich makers, can post that meme, and not be talking about their actual jobs. It is just sharing some meme that's humorous. Bosses can be very detached from trends sometimes. Be careful what you post out there y'all.
keep your social media closed, seriously. And never ever "befriend" anyone form work even if you like them ;p
Okay I do agree that the company handled this wrong and they should lose business for how they acted. Now here’s the truth ( as crappy as it may seem), nothing will happen. Cody will get a new job somewhere else, Roman Stone Works will carry on as nothing has happened and will continue to make money. Heck they might even hire a internet rep builder to eliminate the bad reviews, I’ve seen that happen multiple times. If you don’t believe me google the dentist that shot that lion on a Africa reserve, he still in business. Internet outrage only lasts so long and is easily forgotten.
"Michigan is a state that has “at-will” employment, which means that both the employer and employee are free to terminate the employment at any given time, and for any legitimate purpose, unless bound by a legal contract. What are the conditions in your state/country? Let us know in the comments below!" Was this article written by AI?
Aaaand...etc is wrong with everybody?? I'm glad I don't have social media. If I did I wouldn't have any bosses to spy on me. Just....whack.
Ok, It's America. In a civilised country the employer would have had hell to pay because of labor laws protecting employees from idiot employers.
Oklahoma is an at-will state also, but that doesn’t keep people from filing for unemployment, and complaints with the Department of Labor. IJS
It's irrelevant, really -- it wasn't something that kept him from being hired, or responsible for being fired -- the only thing that matters here is that he was fired for a silly Elmo meme about pooping on company time. If there were a legitimate reason for his being fired, the boss should have noted it in the text exchange.
Load More Replies...Don't know about the US, but I'm pretty sure over here, this would be illegal and Cody could sue Andy. Might wanna try that. Oh, and while we're at it, let's have a look if that sh*tty comment by Drew about Cody's kid isn't sueable. What a thing to say.
In the USA it's quite normal to be employed 'at will', i.e., "by the grace of my divine manager I do have a job"; in that situation you can be fired without reason at any time, no fault needed and no legal recourse.
Load More Replies...I think, people really need to stop writing bad reviews about laces they've never been to!! Andy is not only an a*s, he also has clearly no clue about social media. And a terrible character, if he indeed made a jibe at a child being dead (I'm hoping, he just didn't know Cody had one) BUT the work place probably has other employees and its not fair to bring down a whole company and destroy their jobs just because of a story someone reads online.
I think that Andy is being treated badly. They're overreacting. It's just a silly meme for the public.
continuation to let me know i no longer had a job this women tried for two years to fire me because someone who no longer worked there told her they didn't like me which happened to be one of her friends long story shortened if they want to get rid of you they will find away no matter what cody needs to go to unemployment and tell them what this guy fired him for because i really don't think that company has a leg to stand on i wish i knew what company it was i would avoid them oh and this store also had a policy that if you got robbed during your shift you also got fired they did this to one of the older people that worked there well they gave him his job back he ended up dying on guess where the toilet in thee store when they offered to put me back to work they made sure that the store was so far away i wouldn't be able to go back they tried to send me to a store that would have been a hundred mile round trip for me and at 725 an hour i would have been spending more to get there
I think Andy just didn't like cody and was looking for any reason to fire him i worked in a store i won't mention the name the district manager didn't like me she would go as far as yelling at me when i wasn't even on the clock yet for not wearing a name tag well i ended up getting seriously hurt at work blew out three disc in my neck and tore my router cuff it took them three months to approve the surgery on my shoulder they refused to pay to fix my neck i stayed working during those three months because well i had no choice they would not approve my comp time until the day i went in for surgery they were paying doctors off to say nothing was wrong with me after the first surgery before i went out on my comp time the district manager walked up to me and asked me if i think the surgery was going to do any good not good luck heal quick she knew it was going to do no good because they had my real diagnosis the day my 12 weeks hit after the first surgery they made sure to call me and let
Bad management and stupid bos is real. A lot of company fired competence people just because their Boss doesn't like them.
Load More Replies...After the article clearly states that nobody knows the whole story, you decided that you do know the whole story. Did you work at this place? Do you know Cody or Andy?
Load More Replies...Even if Cody was a terrible employee, saying his child being dead is a good thing is extremely wrong and hurtful.
I think Cody can file a lawsuit for that can he?
Load More Replies...Wow. Just wow. His employer's behaviour is completely unprofessional and unacceptable. This guy needs to report him and have a tribunal. The comment about his dead kid is absolutely grotesque. He's the one who needs to be fired.
HAHAHAHAHA This is the U.S. I think. No tribunals here. Michigan is an at-will employer. They can fire you just because they feel like it.
Load More Replies...My boss is really nice and I basically know him as a friend at a big company in NZ, we buy each other coffee and we know each other as friends, but I can see that some people have not very nice bosses
Load More Replies...I have a strong feeling there is a lot more to this story than is being shared. This boss seems a lot more upset than can/should be caused by 1 meme, and the guy mentions he's on probation. I have a feeling this guy causes a LOT of drama at work. I'm not condoning firing an employee over a stupid meme, I'm just wishing we had more of the complete story.
You're right, but, "I'm glad your child is dead," is insane.
Load More Replies...For some reason I don't think Cody was a saint. But we don't know the whole story. Come to think of it, maybe BP should stop posting all these one-sided outrage stories.
Even if Cody failed to perform his job, he should be fired for this reason and this reason only. Outraging over some meme and inserting a dead child into conversation is totally unprofessional.
Load More Replies...Maybe there is more to the story, but I find it cowardly that they wait for a ridiculous reason to fire the guy. And then the crack about his dead kid speaks volumes about what kind of person Andy is.
The complete conversation is wrong. Why do you think you're allowed to comment on your employee's life Andy? Being "childish" is something he repeats, clearly wanting to hurt instead of offering some decent feedback to make him grow. All the negative stuff you pour over Cody's head, all the hurtful remarks, unwilling to listen to a word he says (every response cody gives gets shot down with bshit)... and THEN lol... "why won't you come over?" when YOUR OWN reaction bites you in the a*s. Suck it dude... even then you keep putting the fault on him.
Yet another reason why I have my FB settings on max private. You can't see me unless you're my friend. PERIOD. (Except for my Cover Photo, which is always public because THANKS FACEBOOK).
If it were me and he would talk about my dead child in that way, sure I would be fired, but that wouldn't be the only thing on fire. Damn what a low-level douche that Drew-person is.
Sounds like the Drewster has a full blown case of the "probably a sociopath" going on. Even if there was a fight going on we dont know about that dead kid thing is way over the line.
Load More Replies...Just shows to go you that what you post on social media - people see it. Some people may not like your sense of humour and believe that's your attitude towards the company. I actually thought it was funny. Think twice before you post.
I think you mean 'just goes to show you' :-p it's bizarre having your boss as a Facebook friend.
Load More Replies...Yep. Andy was way out of line. He's not only a poor excuse for a business owner, but a horrible human being for his reference to Cody's loss of a child. I hope he goes out of business and learns some humility.
Living in Austria it'snice to know, that you could sue the hell out of this employer for fireing you for that.
You could sue them here in the U.S. too, if you wanted.
Load More Replies...Did anyone else notice that one of the people who reviewed the company was named James Kirk? 😂🖖🖖
The Captain always was one for demanding justice. And alien women of course.
Load More Replies...To be fair, a LOT of companies have social media rules for their employees. In short, it's just best not to mention work, the company, or anything related to work at all. It avoids this situation. While the employer might have handled it better, they are within their rights (as in a lot of states in the US) to fire an employee at will. That means, they can fire FOR NO REASON at all. This employer has pointed out that the employee is lazy and not a good worker. I would imagine that a social media post would be considered the last straw. And while the employee might not have mentioned the company by name, those that know him know where he was working. And things do go viral, like the meme did. An employee needs to learn that you don't complain publicly about your work if you expect to keep your job. It can affect the company's bottom line. And that is always an actionable reason to let someone go.
Yeah, but now the company looks bad, so they're not the best employers either. No matter how bad they are, don't use someone's dead child to beat them up with.
Load More Replies...Cody should get a life time of free toilet roll and Andy should get a life time of a stiff bog brush up the a**e and be charged for the cost of the brush and the cost of labour
Oh man - you`re happy that you are not in Russia - we go to jail for liking memes that they interpret how they want.
God. Andy, u suck. I mean, firing an employee over a funny picture and rhyme posted on a MOTHER FRICKEN SUNDAY when there is NO WORK i repeat NO WORK HOURS, and then having the AUDACITY to comment on how it is a GOOD THING that his child has passed away. THE AUDACITY OF THIS ANDY FIGURE. Yah know, if I had Yelp, Roman Stoneworks would get a ONE STAR REVIEW
I think Andy should be relieved of his Manager position (didn't see that he was the owner). He clearly doesn't know how to deal with people/employees. Quite frankly, he was the one acting like and a*s. And to bring up a lost child? That's just cruel. The employee should take this further.
Andy kept talking about Cody being immature and childish when he was the one offended by a meme
So Andy's job was a product of nepotism? Undoubtedly the business is losing clientele. They need to put Andy behind the customer service area or have him work from home. Not only did he wrongfully fire an employee, but his reference to the man's son dying is completely out of bounds.
Regardless of what Cody did, Andy's language and energy in the texts is immature, improper, unprofessional and frequently STUPID.
Anyone from Bankers to Sandwich makers, can post that meme, and not be talking about their actual jobs. It is just sharing some meme that's humorous. Bosses can be very detached from trends sometimes. Be careful what you post out there y'all.
keep your social media closed, seriously. And never ever "befriend" anyone form work even if you like them ;p
Okay I do agree that the company handled this wrong and they should lose business for how they acted. Now here’s the truth ( as crappy as it may seem), nothing will happen. Cody will get a new job somewhere else, Roman Stone Works will carry on as nothing has happened and will continue to make money. Heck they might even hire a internet rep builder to eliminate the bad reviews, I’ve seen that happen multiple times. If you don’t believe me google the dentist that shot that lion on a Africa reserve, he still in business. Internet outrage only lasts so long and is easily forgotten.
"Michigan is a state that has “at-will” employment, which means that both the employer and employee are free to terminate the employment at any given time, and for any legitimate purpose, unless bound by a legal contract. What are the conditions in your state/country? Let us know in the comments below!" Was this article written by AI?
Aaaand...etc is wrong with everybody?? I'm glad I don't have social media. If I did I wouldn't have any bosses to spy on me. Just....whack.
Ok, It's America. In a civilised country the employer would have had hell to pay because of labor laws protecting employees from idiot employers.
Oklahoma is an at-will state also, but that doesn’t keep people from filing for unemployment, and complaints with the Department of Labor. IJS
It's irrelevant, really -- it wasn't something that kept him from being hired, or responsible for being fired -- the only thing that matters here is that he was fired for a silly Elmo meme about pooping on company time. If there were a legitimate reason for his being fired, the boss should have noted it in the text exchange.
Load More Replies...Don't know about the US, but I'm pretty sure over here, this would be illegal and Cody could sue Andy. Might wanna try that. Oh, and while we're at it, let's have a look if that sh*tty comment by Drew about Cody's kid isn't sueable. What a thing to say.
In the USA it's quite normal to be employed 'at will', i.e., "by the grace of my divine manager I do have a job"; in that situation you can be fired without reason at any time, no fault needed and no legal recourse.
Load More Replies...I think, people really need to stop writing bad reviews about laces they've never been to!! Andy is not only an a*s, he also has clearly no clue about social media. And a terrible character, if he indeed made a jibe at a child being dead (I'm hoping, he just didn't know Cody had one) BUT the work place probably has other employees and its not fair to bring down a whole company and destroy their jobs just because of a story someone reads online.
I think that Andy is being treated badly. They're overreacting. It's just a silly meme for the public.
continuation to let me know i no longer had a job this women tried for two years to fire me because someone who no longer worked there told her they didn't like me which happened to be one of her friends long story shortened if they want to get rid of you they will find away no matter what cody needs to go to unemployment and tell them what this guy fired him for because i really don't think that company has a leg to stand on i wish i knew what company it was i would avoid them oh and this store also had a policy that if you got robbed during your shift you also got fired they did this to one of the older people that worked there well they gave him his job back he ended up dying on guess where the toilet in thee store when they offered to put me back to work they made sure that the store was so far away i wouldn't be able to go back they tried to send me to a store that would have been a hundred mile round trip for me and at 725 an hour i would have been spending more to get there
I think Andy just didn't like cody and was looking for any reason to fire him i worked in a store i won't mention the name the district manager didn't like me she would go as far as yelling at me when i wasn't even on the clock yet for not wearing a name tag well i ended up getting seriously hurt at work blew out three disc in my neck and tore my router cuff it took them three months to approve the surgery on my shoulder they refused to pay to fix my neck i stayed working during those three months because well i had no choice they would not approve my comp time until the day i went in for surgery they were paying doctors off to say nothing was wrong with me after the first surgery before i went out on my comp time the district manager walked up to me and asked me if i think the surgery was going to do any good not good luck heal quick she knew it was going to do no good because they had my real diagnosis the day my 12 weeks hit after the first surgery they made sure to call me and let
Bad management and stupid bos is real. A lot of company fired competence people just because their Boss doesn't like them.
Load More Replies...After the article clearly states that nobody knows the whole story, you decided that you do know the whole story. Did you work at this place? Do you know Cody or Andy?
Load More Replies...
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