'They offered me 2 weeks severance if I signed an NDA': Worker complains to HR when manager makes a comment about their appearance during team meeting, gets fired 3 days later

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 3, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

You should always feel empowered to speak up for yourself at a job. It's not always the easiest thing to do, but it is essential. If you don't speak up for yourself, you might get walked all over. But it can be hard to have the confidence to advocate for yourself. This is why it's so important to have a good relationship with your HR representative. It's their job to make you feel comfortable and to hear out your complaints with compassion and understanding. It's literally the whole point of their job. But that doesn't always mean that that's what ends up happening. 

Sometimes HR is cozier with the enemy than they are with you. When that happens, it can be quite jarring as an employee. You muster up all the courage to speak up for yourself and then it backfires in your face. It can make you feel completely disrespected. 

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  • 01

    Got fired after complaining to HR

    So this happened last week and I'm still processing it. Been working at this mid-sized company for about 2 years, decent job, nothing spectacular but paid the bills.
    via u/peainsea
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10513166848
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • That's what happened in this story when an employee finally piped up about their horrible treatment, and then the worst happened. Their complaints were completely ignored and they were fired without due cause just weeks later. They were left wondering what exactly had gone wrong and what they could do to get themselves out of the situation. Read on for the story. 

  • 03
    My manager has always been kind of a micromanager but it got way worse over the past few months. Started tracking my bathroom breaks, questioning every email I sent, and basically treating me like I was incompetent despite my performance reviews being solid. The final straw was when she made some pretty inappropriate comments about my appearance during a team meeting that made everyone uncomfortable.
    via u/peainsea
  • 04
    I decided to go to HR because I thought that's what you're supposed to do, right? Had documentation of everything, dates, witnesses, the whole nine yards. The HR lady seemed sympathetic, said they'd look into it, told me not to worry about retaliation because that's illegal.
    via u/peainsea
  • 05
    Well, guess what happened three days later? Called into a meeting with HR and my manager. They said I was being let go for performance issues. Suddenly I'm getting written up for things that were never problems before, and they're acting like my complaint never happened. They offered me two weeks severance if I signed an NDA.
    via u/peainsea
  • 06
    I didn't sign anything and walked out. Now I'm job hunting and wondering if I should talk to a lawyer. My friends are split - some say fight it, others say just move on because legal stuff is expensive and stressful.
    via u/peainsea
  • 07
    The kicker is my manager is still there acting like nothing happened, and I heard through the grapevine that this isn't the first time something like this has gone down at that company. HR really is just there to protect the company, not the employees.
    via u/peainsea
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10513172480
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • 09

    Commenters gave their advice on how best to proceed.

    Agent-c1983 · 8h ago • If you're wondering if you need to talk to a lawyer, you need to talk to a lawyer.
    via u/Agent-c1983
  • 10
    Emergency-Error-... • 8h ago I am not a lawyer, but I have been threatened with a wrongful termination and sought legal counsel. From my experience, lawyers in this field will review your case and decide to take it if you have grounds and
    via u/Emergency-Error-3744
  • 11
    accept pay only if you win a settlement. It can't hurt to call a few employment law firms to see if any of them. think you have a case. Also, HR is never your friend.
    via u/Emergency-Error-3744
  • 12
    MurkDiesel • 5h ago I decided to go to HR because I thought that's what you're supposed to do, right? no, HR is there to protect the company, that's it it's called Human Resources because you - the human - are the resource
    via u/MurkDiesel
  • 13
    Good Teletubby · 6h ago Absolutely talk to a lawyer. Firing you for performance issues, with no established trail of performance issues, and trying to establish such a trail at your firing, days after you filed a complaint? A good employment lawyer could have a day with that level of bulls field
    via u/GoodTeletubby
  • 14
    Fragrant_Example... • 7h ago Most employment lawyers work on contingency, so you shouldn't have to pay a cent.
    via u/Fragrant_Example918
  • 15
    SchizoidRainbow • 4h ago The only reason they offer you severance and NDA is they know they are in the sh. If they had just cause to fire you, they just would have done that. SEEK LAWYER NOW
    via u/SchizoidRainbow
  • 16
    pinkpanktnress • 7h ago if you need to prioritize finding a new job first, then do so. but definitely talk to a lawyer about this soon after or when you can.
    via u/pinkpanktnress
  • 17
    New-Blacksmith7... 5h ago If you do decide to not talk to lawyer you should at least write or contact the government agency that is supposed to protect you from retaliation. One might not trigger an event but you do not know if the company has other filing. Or if this happens again your filing will be there.
    via u/New-Blacksmith7330
  • 18
    ChooseLife-224 · 3h ago You are correct about HR. They are only there for the interest of the company no matter how they try to spin it.
    via u/ChooseLife-224
  • 19
    . Petar_Vodogaz2021 • 5h ago This sounds like the case of constructive dismissal. Talk to an employment lawyer. Send them the evidence. Pronto. And glad you didn't sign the NDA.
    via u/Petar_Vodogaz2021
  • 20
    nbgrout ⚫ 3h ago A lawyer may take this on contingency so you don't pay them unless you win. Beyond a lawyer, you can also talk to the EEOC, attorney General, and possible other labor agencies in your state.
    via u/nbgrout
  • 21
    My impression of what might have happened is that you had a very strong case and evidence against them for the behaviour of your manager so the easiest way for them to eliminate the risk is to term you and get you to sign a separation agreement wherein you promise not to sue them for the 2 weeks of severance. 2 weeks sounds like very little for what they want in exchange.
    via u/nbgrout
  • 22
    This is not legal advice, but claims generally considered in employment situations might include constructive termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and retaliation.
    via u/nbgrout
  • 23
    virgilreality 58m ago Prepare your Glassdoor review now.
    via u/virgilreality
  • 24
    RecycleReMuse • 3h ago . A similar thing happened to me, but in my case I was fortunate in that they offered me enough severance that I decided not to sue them. Because I certainly had a case, and I think you do as well. My manager was later demoted, which tells me I was right about the whole thing. Cold comfort.
    via u/RecycleReMuse
  • 25
    Ringovski 2h ago You forgot or didn't realise that HR is there to help or protect you. It's there to protect the company from you, this why you got fired. HR nearly always side with management.
    via u/Ringovski

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