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Boss Fires Valuable Employee, Stunned When She Refuses To Train Cheaper Replacement For Free
Employee refuses to train replacement without pay after being laid off, while boss threatens reference in office setting.

Boss Fires Valuable Employee, Stunned When She Refuses To Train Cheaper Replacement For Free

Interview With Expert

46

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Sadly, the world has no shortage of toxic bosses as we keep hearing stories about how they try to ruin the perfectly good lives of their employees. They think that they are more important to the company and treat others miserably, then wonder what went wrong.

Speaking of toxic bosses, just look at this one, who fired a woman and got a cheap replacement for her. What’s shocking is that he demanded she train the new hire for two months, without pay, and threatened her when she refused! Here’s what actually happened…

More info: Reddit

RELATED:

    The corporate world can be full of toxic drama if you end up with awful managers who don’t care about you

    Employee refusing to train replacement without pay while packing belongings after being laid off in an office setting.

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The poster was fired due to “budget cuts”, but a cheaper employee was hired in her place, and her boss asked her to train the new woman for 2 months, without pay

    Text excerpt about employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off, boss threatens reference.

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    Text message describing an employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off due to budget cuts.

    Text excerpt discussing an employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off, facing reference threats.

    Text excerpt about employee refusing unpaid training and employer threatening reference during transition period after layoff.

    Image credits: Turbulent-Slide9833

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    Two women in an office, one frustrated employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off.

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    When she refused to work for free, her manager threatened to not give her a good reference, but then, she insisted on leaving in a week instead of 2 months

    Text excerpt showing employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off, discussing work and free labor.

    Text excerpt showing employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off, citing fairness.

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    Text message conversation about employee refusing to train replacement without pay while boss threatens reference.

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    Employee refuses to train replacement without pay after being laid off, threatening boss on job reference and notice period.

    Image credits: Turbulent-Slide9833

    Man refusing to train replacement without pay, raising hand in disagreement during office conversation with woman.

    Image credits: zinkevych / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    Then, the manager backtracked and said that if she didn’t help train the new hire, it would show her poor professional judgment

    Text conversation showing employee demanding pay for training replacement during transition after layoff.

    Screenshot of an employee’s email discussing refusal to train replacement without pay amid layoff and employer threatening reference.

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    Employee refuses to train replacement without pay after being laid off, facing threats from their boss over job reference.

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    Employee refuses to train replacement without pay after being laid off, facing threats from boss over reference concerns.

    Image credits: Turbulent-Slide9833

    However, the poster’s friends advised her not to work for free since she was fired, but this just confused her about what she should do

    In today’s story, the original poster (OP) tells us about the toxic drama that took place at her office. She had been working for this company for the past 4 years, but suddenly, she was fired due to “budget cuts.” However, when her boss asked her to train the new hire, she found out that they were just replacing her with someone using a cheaper salary.

    The twist is that her last day is in two months, but after that, the manager expects her to wait another two months, just to train the replacement employee. When she inquired about the salary during that time, he expected her to “be a team player” and do it for free. Obviously, this annoyed her, and she straightaway refused to do free labor, but the man got triggered.

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    He threatened that if she didn’t do it, then he couldn’t give her a good reference. Well, our lady also stood her ground and retorted that she would leave at the end of the week if he did that. That caught him off guard, as he didn’t expect her to fight back, but all he said was that “he will see what he can do.” He didn’t make any promises, so it all sounds very doubtful.

    Now, the poster got an email from the new hire (Jessica), asking her about the training. Well, OP’s coworker said that it’s not the woman’s fault, so she should just do it, but her roommate pointed out that she shouldn’t do it for free. Meanwhile, her boss said that it would show her poor professional judgement if she didn’t. This left the poster super confused, so she vented online.

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    Stressed employee refusing to train replacement without pay after layoff, facing boss threatening negative reference.

    Image credits: drobotdean / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    Netizens said that she definitely shouldn’t do it for free, and it was actually illegal what the guy was demanding. To get better insights, Bored Panda got in touch with Apoorva Kale, an industrial and organizational psychology practitioner. She claimed that the situation involved a severe breach of the psychological contract. 

    “This unfair treatment jeopardizes the morale of the remaining staff. Witnessing their manager demand free labor and threaten their future will inevitably cause other workers to lose trust, reduce their organizational commitment, and increase their own desire to leave. They can clearly see that loyalty and hard work are not valued during separation,” she narrated.

    Our expert believes that the manager’s request for unpaid consulting reveals an exploitative culture that prioritizes cost-cutting over integrity and respect. It shows incompetence, as a professional manager would have budgeted for proper knowledge transfer, rather than resorting to threatening a good reference to secure free labor, she added.

    Basically, he is sabotaging the company’s reputation by having a toxic working environment. Apoorva noted that not only is it unprofessional, but this behavior is also ethically appalling. “It’s a huge misuse of managerial power that shows a lack of integrity,” she concluded. Well, it definitely sounds like the boss was on a power trip, trying to exploit the poster.

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    Do you think she should just leave immediately or sue him like a few Redditors suggested? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

    Folks online claimed that she didn’t owe anything to the toxic manager, whose demand sounded completely illegal

    Screenshot of an online comment discussing employee refusal to train replacement without pay after layoff.

    Screenshot of a Reddit comment refusing to train replacement without pay after layoff, highlighting worker rights concerns.

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    User discussing how an employee refuses to train replacement without pay and boss threatens negative reference after layoff.

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    Comment explaining legal rights when an employee refuses to train replacement without pay after being laid off.

    Screenshot of an online comment discussing employee refusal to train replacement without pay after being laid off.

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    Reddit comment discussing employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off and boss threatening reference.

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    Screenshot of a forum comment discussing employee refusal to train replacement after being laid off and boss threatening reference.

    Comment criticizing a boss for threatening a reference after employee refuses unpaid training post layoff.

    Comment on forum discussing employee refusing to train replacement without pay after being laid off and boss threatening reference.

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    Poll Question

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    Rutuja Dumbre

    Rutuja Dumbre

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. I have a strange love for words, and I mostly survive on coffee which is the driving force behind my writing. I enjoy working on articles that purely entertain our readers. When am not writing or trekking, you can find me staying up late and watching all the matches of Football Club Barcelona!

    Read less »
    Rutuja Dumbre

    Rutuja Dumbre

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Hey, am Rutuja! A storyteller at heart and a writer at Bored Panda. I have a strange love for words, and I mostly survive on coffee which is the driving force behind my writing. I enjoy working on articles that purely entertain our readers. When am not writing or trekking, you can find me staying up late and watching all the matches of Football Club Barcelona!

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

    Read less »

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

    What do you think ?
    Ace
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This whole scenario is unimaginable to Europeans.

    tori Ohno
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unfortunately, it's legal. They laid off my brother (they couldn't fire him, he'd done nothing wrong), then replaced him with a kid at half the wage. He called the legal sector of our state's employment department, and was told they had every right to do it. It's just sickening.

    Load More Replies...
    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the UK, you can only make positions redundant, not people, and thus you cannot hire someone in the same role for a minimum of 6 months, or you can be sued for unfair dismissal. The first time I was made redundant, I was asked back for one specific task, and charged them the equivalent of the salary that I earned 30 years later (more than double what I'd been on, and what they initially offered). When I retired, I did help the person who took over from me for a few months - but only because she happened to be my best friend and I didn't have another job. Certainly I would never be on call for nothing if I'd been let go.

    Sofia
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    in italy you can fire someone if the position is no longer necessary but you cannot hire someone in the same position for I dont remember if 6 months or 2 years. That's why usually they hire someone else for another position and then...

    Load More Replies...
    James016
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The new hire's onboarding and training is not your concern, they should have thought of that when they decided to get rid of you

    Load More Comments
    Ace
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This whole scenario is unimaginable to Europeans.

    tori Ohno
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unfortunately, it's legal. They laid off my brother (they couldn't fire him, he'd done nothing wrong), then replaced him with a kid at half the wage. He called the legal sector of our state's employment department, and was told they had every right to do it. It's just sickening.

    Load More Replies...
    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the UK, you can only make positions redundant, not people, and thus you cannot hire someone in the same role for a minimum of 6 months, or you can be sued for unfair dismissal. The first time I was made redundant, I was asked back for one specific task, and charged them the equivalent of the salary that I earned 30 years later (more than double what I'd been on, and what they initially offered). When I retired, I did help the person who took over from me for a few months - but only because she happened to be my best friend and I didn't have another job. Certainly I would never be on call for nothing if I'd been let go.

    Sofia
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    in italy you can fire someone if the position is no longer necessary but you cannot hire someone in the same position for I dont remember if 6 months or 2 years. That's why usually they hire someone else for another position and then...

    Load More Replies...
    James016
    Community Member
    2 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The new hire's onboarding and training is not your concern, they should have thought of that when they decided to get rid of you

    Load More Comments
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