Ask a Manager

This update is from the reader who was fired but five months later was still being contacted by the former employer to answer questions. Here’s the update:

First of all, the former employer eventually stopped contacting me about the passwords. Interestingly, it took the company nearly six months to hire my replacement, meaning that all of the other employees had to pick up what would have been my duties. From what I heard from my friends who still work there, a big chunk of the staff was either fired, demoted or left for other opportunities. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who decided that the place was toxic, as even the people who left not on their own accord have found much better opportunities.

As is the case with most situations after losing a job, the transition from constantly working to sudden inactivity was tough. I spent a solid four weeks sitting on a bed applying for jobs. I collected unemployment for the first time in my life. But after awhile, I managed to connect with at least five different companies for freelancing work. I’m basically working part-time for one of the companies while doing contract work elsewhere. It’s a busy existence, but I am much more fulfilled on a professional and personal level. Despite the nasty way the prior job ended, I can say I am profoundly happy to be out of there.

I will note that I did end up reading comments after the blog post went live. Some people were questioning why I had been so accommodating to a company that didn’t exactly return the favor. That’s a fair question. I suppose my answer to that is I didn’t want to spark conflict with a company that I had no interest in dealing with anymore. The choice for me was just turning over the passwords and getting on with my life or getting in a protracted battle. I agree that some things are worth fighting for, but passwords for a company’s Facebook page does not reach that threshold.