General manager

[calicojade8435]

Today I was approached by my assistant mgr and asked to step to the back. Keep in mind I am the general manager. She proceeds to tell me to turn in my keys. I asked her for what? She says the owner of the company is firing me. When I asked her why she tells me " I don't want to get into all that with you!" Myself being in management for 7 years I tell her I have the right to know. She says the prior day I was a no call no show. Which is false, shift was covered , and the owner notified. 2nd she tells me that she called my previous employer because she wanted to find out if this was a habit of mine. I've been employed there for 2 months and my assistant manager decides to call them?keep in mind I'm her boss? So back to my story, she tells me I'm fired and refuses to tell me specific reason's. So I quietly leave and call the owner. The owner will not answer the phone, or respond to me at all. So I've been terminated by someone below me and not told why, and the owner is too afraid to be a boss and give me a proper reasoning.

Confused and Angry

 

[Proserpina]

Today I was approached by my assistant mgr and asked to step to the back. Keep in mind I am the general manager. She proceeds to tell me to turn in my keys. I asked her for what? She says the owner of the company is firing me. When I asked her why she tells me " I don't want to get into all that with you!" Myself being in management for 7 years I tell her I have the right to know. She says the prior day I was a no call no show. Which is false, shift was covered , and the owner notified. 2nd she tells me that she called my previous employer because she wanted to find out if this was a habit of mine. I've been employed there for 2 months and my assistant manager decides to call them?keep in mind I'm her boss? So back to my story, she tells me I'm fired and refuses to tell me specific reason's. So I quietly leave and call the owner. The owner will not answer the phone, or respond to me at all. So I've been terminated by someone below me and not told why, and the owner is too afraid to be a boss and give me a proper reasoning.

Confused and Angry

Is there a question in there?

You need to list your US state, too.

 

[calicojade8435]

My question, Is termination by mgmt staff below me doesn't seem right? And to not be told why as well as being ignored by the owner when I ask for a reason. And not having any performance issues prior to termination? I live in Indiana. I know its at will law but shouldn't my exit come with some kind of reasoning?

 

[Proserpina]

My question, Is termination by mgmt staff below me doesn't seem right? And to not be told why as well as being ignored by the owner when I ask for a reason. And not having any performance issues prior to termination? I live in Indiana. I know its at will law but shouldn't my exit come with some kind of reasoning?

Nothing illegal about it and they don't need to give you a reason for the decision.

 

[LeeHarveyBlotto]

Nothing illegal about it and they don't need to give you a reason for the decision.

Nothing at all illegal about it, but I would not leave until a superior told me personally that I was indeed fired.

 

[cbg]

Even if you manage to get hold of the owner and he confirms that you are fired, he is not obligated to give you a reason.

 

[Chyvan]

She says the owner of the company is firing me.

File for unemployment.

 

[calicojade8435]

Next question is, can the owner or manager blatantly ask me if I suffer from depression? A few mornings prior to my termination I wasn't peppy enough when she walked in the door. So her response was " Do you suffer from depression?" My response was to play it off by saying "no, my coffee just hasn't kicked in". But that really concerned me simply because I do have anxiety depression and have been properly medicated for years now. But that's information I didn't think my team or my boss needed to know. My previous job was a manager for 7 years and to me I would never approach my employees like that.

 

[Proserpina]

Next question is, can the owner or manager blatantly ask me if I suffer from depression? A few mornings prior to my termination I wasn't peppy enough when she walked in the door. So her response was " Do you suffer from depression?" My response was to play it off by saying "no, my coffee just hasn't kicked in". But that really concerned me simply because I do have anxiety depression and have been properly medicated for years now. But that's information I didn't think my team or my boss needed to know. My previous job was a manager for 7 years and to me I would never approach my employees like that.

Yes, they can ask.

You have no case here - none. Just move on.

 

[cbg]

It's rude. It's not illegal.

 

[commentator]

The unemployment process will shake out what's going on with the "reason for termination." Or not. In either case, you are fired, legally. File for unemployment, which will be based on your last two years worth of employers if you have had them, and they'll determine whether or not they think the employer had a valid job related reason to terminate you. Or they may not want to respond to the inquiries of the unemployment system, will not even tell them the reason you were terminated. This will make it perhaps easier for you to prove they did not have a good reason, but there's never any obligation to give you that specific reason.

 

[Dave1952]

I disagree with the other posters. If you have not been notified by a "superior" then I do not believe that you have been fired, officially. If you fail to show up for work then you will have quit. This will be important when you file for unemployment compensation.

 

[cbg]

Perhaps you will identify the law that prohibits an employer from designating a lesser leveled employee from delivering the "you're fired" message.

I agree that the OP should verify that they got the correct message, but nothing that the poster has described in in violation of any laws.

 

[LeeHarveyBlotto]

Perhaps you will identify the law that prohibits an employer from designating a lesser leveled employee from delivering the "you're fired" message.

I agree that the OP should verify that they got the correct message, but nothing that the poster has described in in violation of any laws.

I wish I would have thought of it. I had a couple of bosses I would have fired.

If it were me, with no one in charge making themselves available to confirm my termination, I'd show up for work as scheduled and see what happens.

 

[commentator]

The idea that no one but the boss of bosses or company owner can fire you is right up there with the old chestnut about 'you aren't the one who hired me, so you can't fire me!"

Actually in small businesses, where the owner is directly involved and there aren't many employees, and when the employer is sort of a conflict avoider, this situation is fairly common. They want to give the dirty work to someone else, and I bet this guy is now the general manager, don't you?

And the OP doesn't need to worry. If he was told to leave by someone who says they were acting as a representative of the employer, and he is not able to reach the employer directly despite his good faith efforts to do so, the unemployment claims taker will not just say, "Oops, he quit, no unemployment." They'll check, after taking statements from both parties and see who's the most believable. There's a big difference between another employee, particularly a subordinate who's just jacking with you by telling you that you're fired (great fantasy, by the way!) and someone who's been officially designated to tell you this and then the owner won't follow up and has made himself unavailable. A reasonable person will be able to figure it out.