the grinch who stole tolerance

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today i was escorted from my office. it was my last day with the company though technically i am employed until wednesday. they just didn't want me in the office, so they found an easy (albeit, illegal) way of disposing of someone with a "disability":

during the 3 days i was working from home, my laptop (back from repairs), video card (sent by a friend), and some other packages came in. i had asked my coworkers to make sure they were left on my desk.

i came in this morning (in a blizzard) like a diligent employee to finish up some work. packages/laptop were nowhere to be found. i called my coworker, and he told me that my boss has taken everything and locked it in his office, holding it ransom to make sure he gets the keys and passcard back (which somehow he thought i was interested in keeping?). i had previously discussed that i would bring them back, yet he decided to do the illegal thing. i called the labour board who told me to call the police if these things were not returned.

NT a**hole lesson 1: do the illegal thing and steal someone's possessions/mail and hold it ransom for a $65 passcard because after knowing them for 14 months, they must be shifty.

when my boss arrived, he screamed at me and told me to go f**k myself, and that i would never be able to work because people would not put up with me... which started with my jaw dropping, and by the end i was in tears.

NT a**hole lesson 2: yell at the person with the "disability", about how "disabled" and/or different they are, and make sure you emphasize that they have no future in society because they are "disabled".

i walked out of his office because i knew i was about to a) shutdown or b) meltdown and go ballistic on him, and he told me to "get (my) s**t and get out of (here)".

NT a**hole lesson 3: make sure you kick their ass on the way out the door (something they are doing to avoid a confrontation/situation with you) because it makes you look like a man and in control of the situation and your employees.

Sounds like you're better off without that place. No job is worth putting up with abuse like that.

It also sounds like you might be able to take legal action against them if the laws in Canada are anything like those in the States.

Good luck.

I have to say the cruelty of humankind never fails to amaze me. Of all my jobs, the one where I felt most like 'family' is the one that dealt the hardest below-the-belt kick.

You definitely need nicer people to work for. I for one would rather work for minimum wage in a pleasant environment than stellar pay working with a**holes.

Well, that's relative. There are a**holes in every workplace. The relative scale becomes how big and how badly they stink.

Good luck...

- Jo

I had to let someone go, and it was eerily similar to what you described - minus the blizzard conditions and the fact that the former employee had shown up drunk while driving a company vehicle (grounds for instant dismissal, by contract and corporate policy). While he was down in the security section, I packed up all of his personal belongings and locked them in my office. Then I informed HR and Security of what I had done, in accordance with the law and corporate policy. This prevented even the possibility of his co-workers from "swooping in" and "accidentally" flying off with his possessions by mistake. I also had the DPC immediately change the password on his workstation.

He staggered in, flanked by security guards, called me every name he could think of, took a swing at me, was restrained by the guards, and then was politely requested to sign a receipt for his belongings. He refused to sign anything, so the security guards and I counter-signed for each other and he was escorted out of the building, cursing and screaming all the way (his wife picked him up).

A week later, I get a notice from his lawyer claiming theft, assault, et cetera ... and demanding a settlement.

I insisted on a trial.

When his lawyers and my lawyers (with a corporate lawyer for good measure) got together, the former worker's entire case was shot so full of holes that that his lawyers insisted he drop his case, which he did in exchange for a written apology. Of course, the apology was so full of "ifs" and "buts" - as well as containing no admission of wrong-doing - that it did not carry any legal weight whatsoever.

Last I'd heard of him, he was selling real-estate somewhere in the Midwest.

yeah, i just showed up with aspergers.

Do you have a good lawyer?

It's cases like yours that illustrate why I never reveal being an Asper to anyone at work.

I really wish I knew the whole story

I still maintain that some people are, in addition to, and not because of, their aspergers, are not completely suited for the jobs they are in.

Having a meltdown at work is rarely conducive to continued employment.

i don't. i could file a complaint with the labour board (the easiest and cheapest way to handle this type of stuff i'm told), but i wasn't recording the conversation so it's his word against mine basically. i've documented everything but i don't know if that is enough.

You will never know until you try! Sometimes, the mere threat of a possible lawsuit against a former employer is enough to inspire a settlement.

The question I have now is why are you considering a complaint? Want an apology? To get someone fired? Something else? Seems like a waste of time since you were quitting anyway.

I also don't see anything illegal about the events since you got your stuff back.

You see nothing wrong with having abuse screamed at you then, t0? You see nothing wrong with being ridiculed and humiliated in front of everyone else?

I must say I think the boss could and should be reported for their behaviour.