'Sue me, then': Employee quits after failing to stand up to micromanagement, boss demands they pay back all their bonuses, employee refuses and walks out

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Oct 14, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

Nobody likes to admit defeat, it is an extremely difficult challenge, to acknowledge that you tried your best, but there is nothing more you can do.

In a workplace environment, this challenge might be twice as hard, because not only do you lose your pride, but you might lose your job in the process. It's much like what happened to the employee in this Reddit story. OP (original poster) tried their best to stand up to their toxic management until they realized there was nothing more they could do, and it was time to leave. This decision not only led to them quitting their job on bad terms with their boss, but now OP suspects that it is affecting them in their current job search, going as far as inquiring whether their former boss has blacklisted them from other companies. 

Keep scrolling to read the full story. After you are done, click here for a story of an employee who made the mistake of lending money to an entitled coworker.

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  • 01
    "Told my boss to sue me on my way out"
    via Mojo_cp

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Told boss to sue me on my way out
    via kindmemento
  • 03
    I was a junior/mid-level engineer at a small tech startup with 2 founders and a team of 20. Place was a mess - constant drama, toxicity, miscommunication, no leadership, backstabbing and
    via kindmemento
  • 04
    gossip. Everyone was overworked and underpaid. I tried to fix things but ended up clashing with some coworkers and management came after me.
    via kindmemento
  • 05
    I fought back and to be fair probably went a bit overboard. Even people who had my back said I was too assertive and agressive.
    via kindmemento
  • 06
    When I quit, the boss asked that I return my bonuses. I said no and told him to sue me to get them. Long story short, I left on bad terms.
    via kindmemento
  • 07
    They seemed to be timid people who put up an intimidating front and got insecure when I dominated the conversations. They probably see me as an aggressivej k, but all I did was
    via kindmemento
  • 08
    stand up for myself (and even others to a fault) and push back against their E . I was unemployed for a while afterwards. Found a job in February, but the project was suspended and we were laid off.
    via kindmemento
  • 09
    I've been job hunting since May with no luck. Is it common for employers to share info on who to blacklist and put on no-hire lists? What are your experiences with rage quitting?
    via kindmemento
  • 10
    StolenWishes • 6h ago • There's a simpler explanation for your protracted search: as many have reported here, the job market S'S.
    via StolenWishes
  • 11
    kindmemento OP • 6h ago Yeah, it really does. I'm probably just overthinking it with all the free time. Just wanted to hear some outside opinion.
    via kindmemento
  • 12
    • Welcome440 5h ago • A boss I thought was a good reference, was not. (I left on good terms with extra notice. Not related to rage quitting.) I had used them for a couple of years as a reference and only found
    via Welcome440
  • 13
    out after starting a new job from the person that spoke directly to them. No idea how many opportunities that cost me. The entire hiring process is cop!
    via Welcome440
  • 14
    Illustrous_potentate • 5h ago • All my quitting is rage quitting.
    via Illustrous_potentate
  • 15
    00 Wilsthing1988 • 5h ago • In my state PA all they can ask a former employer is did you work there and how long and when you were hired. Former employer can't say anything other than that. Can't say you were fired, quit without 2 weeks etc etc.
    via Wilsthing1988
  • 16
    brokenpipe ⚫2h ago There is definitely a network of folks you tap into when you're no longer entry level. I haven't hired a single person the last year in which I didn't reach out to a former colleague, off the record
    via brokenpipe
  • 17
    of course, and asked them about the person applying. It absolutely does happen and your reputation will absolutely follow you.
    via brokenpipe
  • 18
    dshafik 6h ago • In the US it would be illegal to blacklist or even give an explicitly negative (as opposed to neutral or positive) report on an ex-employee.
    via dshafik
  • 19
    markdmac 4h ago Employers usually have a policy that when someone calls to check past employment they only confirm and say if you are eligible for rehire. Anything beyond that can get them sued.
    via markdmac
  • 20
    bugabooandtwo •4h ago • You're not blacklisted. Honestly, startups are a dime a dozen, and they do not have any influence in the job market.
    via bugabooandtwo
  • 21
    desirepink 3h ago • Just want to say that I love aspire to have this type of energy
    via desirepink
  • 22
    Mokaran90 16m ago Return your bonuses LMAO
    via Mokaran90
  • 23
    Bornagainchola • 9m ago • Only one way to find out. Call your employer for a reference.
    via Bornagainchola

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boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job tales-from-the-workplace reddit story overworked-employees workplace job search Reddit company money quitting
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