Small company owner belittled for the last time, fires project manager on the spot for acting like he owns the place: 'I'm sorry, but who is paying his salary?'

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jan 29, 2025 6:00 PM EST

When you start your career path, you want to work your way up. Everybody knows that. It's different for every field. Some more toxic than others. Some not toxic at all! But it's pretty obvious that you can't just gossip your way to the top… First of all, this isn't a sorority popularity contest. Second of all, that game of telephone you're playing can very much end up at the top and not convey the message you were intending. For example, if you're telling everyone that you are the big boss around this town, when really you are just a hire hand, you might just tick off the people who are actually paying you. You know what happens when you do that? You get fired. 

 

This project manager seemed to think just talking himself up was the way to get a promotion. He constantly belittled the owner for the small company he worked for behind his back. However, a small company means that your words can and will very easily make it around the office. So when the actual owner of the company you work for, aka the person who signs off on your paychecks, here's you have been belittling them, it's most definitely not going to end pretty for you. 

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    via Unsplash+ (and Headway)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

     

    So, I bet you can guess, that this project manager got fired. He wasn't only waltzing around the office telling people that he was the top dog of the company, he also threatened to steal the intern away to another gig. Like, what? That is grounds for dismissal, my guy. How do you not know that?… It's pretty rare to find a story online where an employee is more toxic than the upper management, but the here we are! 

  • "I fired my [narcissist] manager"

    I fired my narc manager I'm the owner of the company and had a project manager who was with us for 3 years. He was always a little odd and within a year get got in a nasty divorce has been playing the sympathy card on me for the longest time. Yet always disparaging how his kids turned out.
    via prince_walnut
  • A few months ago he figured he could no longer work with our administrator for invoicing so I've been paying him without a single invoice going out since October. A year ago we hired an intern for him to mentor and work under him. During that time he was apparently grooming him to be like "a son he never had" yet very much controlling with how he presented himself and mannerisms.. just odd. The three
    via prince_walnut
  • of us has lunch a couple of weeks ago and it was the most awkward experience. The narc also make it clear that he dispises "the Boss" talk where the reality hits him that he is not an equal partner here. He works under me! It wasnt long after that the intern let me know when I mentioned him that "I am his boss" and he's not going anywhere. Well that's interesting to know.
    via prince_walnut
  • The following evening the narc texts me to ask what I told him and that I need to stop. "He's coming with me" and that's "he's a part of my negotiations with other firms". I'm sorry but who is paying his salary? I will note that you had given him the go ahead to look for another job in November after the invoicing thing while I look for a replacement.
    via prince_walnut
  • However after that text, I gave him immediate termination with cause. Theres a lot more to unpack but that's what broke it. What a terrible person.
    via prince_walnut
  • Cheezburger Image 10460322304
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • prince_walnut OP Looking back he never really seemed to consider himself under me. Didn't like when others called me "boss." When I made the decision to restrict access to the accounting software so he's have to work with my admin for invoicing he didn't take that well. He took it quite personally. He would try to put others down to make himself look good. Extremely rigid with his ways. And can twist truth and gaslight to manipulate you as he wants.
    via prince_walnut
  • We're a small company so I am able to get to know everyone and like to keep a relaxed atmosphere, so hearing the intern's concerns is what really got things moving for what went down the next day. After all that went down I think I can see why the wife make a fast break and took the kids to get away from him. He's trying to fight the cause for termination with the unemployment office right now I think. I've got to respond to the claim this week. I have the evidence dude!
    via prince_walnut
  • Estudiier Good- finally people are finding out about these awful people. MrIrishSprings At the end of the day OP is running a business. They are the owner of a company. Business matters, client/customer base matters, growing the business matters. If someone can't get there sh together especially as a project manager - who's main function is to manage projects for said business and keep, maintain and grow a client base - then they have to go.
    via MrIrishSprings
  • EducationalWall5110 I really wish more leadership took such an interest in their work atmosphere as you did.
    via EducationalWall5110
  • Cheezburger Image 10460322560
    via Unsplash+ (and Tyler Franta)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • PumpLogger Wait he really tried ot take the intern with him? prince_walnut OP I've got the text to prove it. Not a very smart move.
    via PumpLogger
  • HellaWonkLucite Heels Read up on how to be a better boss in the future. padawan-6 I'm not entirely sure what you want him to do differently. He actually listened and took action to fix the problem. That's more than my N boss ever does, or my N skip manager. The most recent issue is that one of the lower level employees is made to be a PM instead of an engineer (his actual role). My boss's "help" is to have him assign more tasks to other engineers, but he doesn't want to be a PM. He wants to do t
    via padawan-6
  • It's truly infuriating because my boss thinks he is helping when he truly isn't and thinks that his solution is perfect and won't hear otherwise. This guy did the opposite. He listened, took action, and made sure it was the right move. A bad boss would never do that.
    via padawan-6

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