'I just did what she had asked me to do: Boss insists on detailed meeting notes, used as evidence to get them fired

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Dec 30, 2023 9:00 AM EST

If you're doing something wrong, you normally wouldn't want evidence that you're doing something wrong, and you certainly wouldn't want to order someone to—no, demand that someone—record evidence of your misdeeds. Well, beware of the power of the pen… when meticulous records are kept detailing your "leadership" and just the type of operation you're running: a toxic work environment rife with dismissive attitudes and unwillingness to acknowledge critical issues. Little did this boss know that the detailed notes they were insisting upon, which were supposed to be a means of enforcing their authority, would actually expose their behavior and lead to a chain reaction, which would force their departure from the company. 

There's a certain sweet justice in being ensnared by a web of your own weaving. Such poetic justice rarely occurs… But in this story, this humble secretary's words became a force for transparency, sparking a revolution in their corporate workplace.

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  • 01
    Posted by u/SickSIL1998 1 hour ago Take notes of EVERYTHING you say in the meeting? Okay, but it will get you fired. MOC So this happened a few years ago, and I will be vague since I'm still not sure if the dust has fully settled from this fiasco yet... At my former company, I was the secretary for a small "improvement" team that would meet monthly to discuss issues within the company and brainstorm ways to fix them. Something you need to know about me is
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  • 02
    that I was given this role because people know I am meticulous at keeping records due to HR-related issues I had at a previous place of employment. I don't think my boss realized that this careful record-keeping applied to her as well, especially when she appointed me to be secretary of this little committee, but I digress. I was a model employee (read: award- winning) and went above and beyond what
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  • 03
    was asked, as were many others in my department, but we were still having customer complaints and dealt with regular safety issues, due to the company at-large and through no fault of our own. When we brought these concerns to our boss's attention, emails were left unread, and during in-person exchanges, we were called, "whiny," "needy," and were told that we needed to "just deal with it." Whatever the issue, from items being stolen by customers
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  • 04
    to people being unhappy with the procedures the boss had set down for us to follow, it was always made to somehow be our fault. When we sought support from other departments, we were met with cold indifference, since the boss was great to them, and we must be exaggerating the things she said to us.
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  • 05
    Well, during an improvement meeting at the end of the fiscal year, it all came to a head. Myself and a couple of my team members dug our heels in and were insistent about the unresolved issues the boss refused to acknowledge, and she finally went off on us. She told us everyone was incompetent, didn't deserve our jobs, and that maybe customers would like us more if we were more likeable. When people pressed her on safety issues,
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  • 06
    she continued to reiterate that we would just have to deal with it, and that if "someone was going to die, they already would have, right?" I, as the secretary, did my duty and took notes of ALL that happened over the course of that meeting. I usually did bullet points, but that night, I was feeling a little more thorough, so I wrote down words. EVERY word that was said. Every hateful comment, denial of accountability, and idle threat was recorded in black and white.
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  • 07
    Now, a second part of my job was to distribute the notes from the improvement meeting to the rest of the company. So, come the next morning, I ran about 100 copies of the transcript of the meeting and hand-delivered them to every single department in the building, and things blew up. People from other departments who had attended the meeting were able to verify that everything I had typed up had really been said, and folks were MAD: threatening to
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  • 08
    quit, refusing to do their normal duties, browsing Indeed during work, etc. My boss's boss (who worked at HQ, so I didn't get the opportunity to hand her a copy) got wind of these meeting minutes only a few hours after I had handed them out and had an hour-long, off-the-record conversation with me about all the safety issues I had documented, all the concerns I had submitted to management in writing, and all the records I had regarding my boss's
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  • 09
    inaction. She was very grateful for the 100 pages of documentation I sent over and thanked me for my time. The day after I unleashed Pandora's box, I put in my 2 weeks notice, took a new job, and peaced out to greener pastures. At first, it seemed like things were calming down after I left, but the following year, the company did not renew my boss's contract...
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  • 10
    I still feel a bit bad because I wasn't trying to get her fired or ruin her life - I was just desperate for some accountability thrown her way to create some positive change in the company. But at the end of the day, I just did what she had asked me to do.
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  • 11
    thatburghfan 52 min. ago Magnificent work. And do NOT feel bad about how it went down for your old boss. As my grandmother would say "She buttered her bread, now she has to lie in it." Alas, Grandma wasn't very good at remembering sayings. ✩ Vote Reply Share
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  • 12
    typical_jesus666 41 min. ago Grandma must've been related to the old bartender from Boondock Saints "You know what they say: People in glass houses sink sh-sh-ships." Reply Share Vote
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  • 13
    Justsomedudeonthenet 51 min. ago Any boss shrugging off actual safety issues needs to be fired. Preferably from a cannon. Vote Reply Share DarkLight72 43 min. ago Into the sun... Vote Reply Share
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  • 14
    chaenorrhinum 22 min. ago That doesn't sound very safe Reply Share Vote . plotthick 18 min. ago OSHA would applaud anyway Vote Reply Share
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  • 15
    helpful idiott 34 min. ago The fact it took a year to get rid of her is the worst part. Vote Reply Share
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  • 16
    Alternative_Case_878 35 min. ago I got fired from my job because I kept asking my customers whether they would prefer "Smoking" or "Non-smoking". Apparently the correct terms are "Cremation" and "Burial". Vote · Hahahahaha! Lay-ZFair 23 min. ago Vote Reply Share ●●● Reply Share ●●●
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  • 17
    Pewterarm16. 16 min. ago I need to learn to take notes that well at work. I have been hit many times with "I never actually said that" ✩ Vote Reply Share
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  • 18
    LindaViencek 36 min. ago I just want to thank you for writing "my boss's boss" instead of "my bosses boss." I just hate reading that! ✩ Vote Reply Share
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  • 19
    SushiGuacDNA . 17 min. ago Good work. You didn't ruin her life. She did. Vote Reply Share
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  • 20
    taishiea 13 min. ago you do not need to feel bad, she neglected her duties and was fired for it. You on the other hand should feel proud as you may have save lives that would have been loss due to her negligence. Vote Reply Share Vote ●●● Equivalent-Salary357 2 min. ago While no one is perfect, ignoring safety issues is inexcusable. Reply Share
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