'I’m in charge now, and you are not going anywhere': CEO refuses to accept senior employee's resignation, leading to rest of the team quitting, leaving CEO in the dust

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Jan 10, 2024 1:00 PM EST

You apply to college, are accepted, graduate, and then you apply and land your ideal job. You have worked your entire life for this moment, and everything appears to be going smoothly, but everything changes when you meet your manager.

Everybody has had a horrible management experience once or twice in their life, and if we are being really honest with ourselves, the reason we quit our jobs was because we could not bear to be under such incompetent managers' control any longer. 

The following story tells an account of an unhappy worker who, after seven years, has had enough. OP is a hard worker who advanced from intern to regional manager. However, things seemed to change when the founder stepped down and was replaced by a new CEO. Unlike the original founder, the new CEO didn't care about his clients or employees—he was only interested in increasing his profits. After events began to take shape, OP quit and secured a new job. The CEO did not accept OP's desire to move on and instead made an effort to make OP's life as uncomfortable as possible. What about a little revenge? Check out the story below if you're interested in seeing how OP got even with the entitled CEO! And when you're done, check out the story about a woman who demands a stranger share her ginger 'candies' with her kid!

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  • 01
    ОІТАИӘЈ "It's my company now, and I don't care what you want..."
    via Canva
  • 02
    Ruining my notice period? Lose your employees
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  • 03
    Summary: I wanted to leave a toxic company, the CEO took it personally and decided to play me, postponing the end of my contract again and again. So I made sure I would not be the only one leaving.
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  • 04
    I had been working at this company for 7 years, climbing the ladder from intern to regional manager. About midway, the founder decides to leave, and is replaced by a new CEO.
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 05
    Of course, the new guy comes with his buddies to take over the C-suite, and starts meticulously turning what felt like family business into a toxic workplace. They pick their departments like Risk players pick their countries, and it becomes
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 06
    obvious after a semester or so, that they specialize in growth hacking through agressive management and questionable business ethics. They don't ask about what we do or who our clients are - they only want to look at the payroll, and decide
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  • 07
    who is too expensive and thus dispensable, and what can be relocated to cheaper countries, without digging into the roles and missions of the employees. A year into their reign, people start burning out, quitting, or quiet quitting. Our partners and clients are leaving us as well, and our NPS
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 08
    and Glassdoor grade have never been so low. Their quick fix? HR trades hoodies against good reviews. After two years, I'm at a stage where I can't take it anymore. Every project I run for them gives me knots in my stomach, and I see no point in working for a company that
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  • 09
    cares so little about its clients, its employees, and has no reason to be other than 'make money' with no vision nor strategy. I finally say yes to a headhunter, and send in my resignation letter. I was confident I could shorten my 3- month notice period, as I got such
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 10
    great reviews. So I would have some time off between jobs to enjoy my 1-year-old whom I had hardly seen over the past exhausting months. Next thing you know, the CEO calls me out of the blue to have some kind of improvised exit interview,
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  • 11
    asking me why I was leaving. I naively thought that exit interviews were about being honest. It turns out, not. It all started with what a great manager I was, and how everyone loved working with me, how I always deliver, and what a pillar I
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  • 12
    was to this company. After I explained the reasons of my leaving in a most diplomatic way, it finished by how unprofessional I was being, how it wouldn't make a difference anyway, and what a coward I was (rats leaving the boat, as they say). He finished the conversation with "I know your supervisor agreed to let
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  • 13
    you go earlier, but she's off on sick leave, and I'm in charge. I could help you, but I won't". Of course I leave the meeting absolutely devastated not only by the last bit, but by the whole situation. Luckily (?) the very next day, the CEO calls me again, and in
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  • 14
    a half apologetic tone, explains that he has slept on it and is willing to let me go early if I work twice as hard to finish a new project he puts on my plate, while doing my handover. "You can be gone a month from now, but do keep it between us, or people will get de ssed when they hear the
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  • 15
    news". Do you see where this is going? A friend I have on the board of directors tells me "we all know about your leaving. The CEO is furious, and made it clear to us he'd have you work your off until the very last day of your contract". And indeed, when I reach out to the CEO a month later, a new project
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  • 16
    lands on my plate - "but as soon as you're done, you're gone" and then it's about HR paperwork taking time, then the need for me to onboard a new team member before I leave. There's always a good reason. So in the end, I did serve my full notice. Oh you don't want anyone to know? EVERYONE will know. I write a
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  • 17
    review on Glassdoor, and send a very short message on the internal network stating I've decided to leave, but without more details. Of course, tons of people reach out and get to hear the full story. I can't say if I'm a pillar in this company, but I certainly have tons of friends
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 18
    in all branches globally. And when they hear of the whole situation, adding up to their existing frustration, they start talking about leaving as well. And I do my best to encourage them to do so. Within two weeks, my whole team resigned, as did 3 regional Heads of Sales and 5 colleagues in other
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 19
    departments. I was not the reason per se, but definitely the straw that broke the camel's back. My friend on the board of directors keeps sending me screenshots of Managers complaining to the CEO about letting me go, I quote "letting this guy go was a disaster and the stupidest move".
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 20
    I don't really enjoy it though. I used to love this company, and it just feels like a huge waste to me. Edit: I added a precision about me serving the full notice. So unfortunately I didn't get to spend time with my kid €
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 21
    TroublemakingB 22 hr. ago It's never a good thing for anyone when new executive management takes over. As you said, the focus is on reducing costs which never include their salaries. They generally know nothing about who does what nor do they care.
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 22
    Same thing last year at my job. I was fine until they gave me a new manager. I knew what was coming and had prepared. I had dirt on them I ended up negotiating a settlement for 10x what they offered,
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 23
    lol. I also leaked other dirt and lo and behold CFO resigned less than a week later under a cloud of embezzlement suspicion. I am still savoring the victory.
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  • 24
    Zoreb1 - 21 hr. ago After the first month I would have stopped 'working my off' as the CEO didn't keep to his side of the agreement.
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  • 25
    Confident_Pattern344 OP. 20 hr. ago I agree, but I also thought of my colleagues who would have to deal with if I didn't do it. the What I learnt is that network is everything, and you want to be in good terms with your colleagues until the last minute.
    via u/Confident_Pattern344
  • 26
    SheWho LovesToDraw 19 hr. ago · It's been proven time and time again; people don't quit bad jobs, they quit bad management.
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  • 27
    DemGood CheeseCurds 20 hr. ago Well done. . It's always cute when new management, who has absolutely no rapport with or respect from their employees and clients, think they are in control.
    via u/Confident_Pattern344

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