Employee is fired after being placed on a PIP and being given the cold shoulder immediately following medical leave : 'HR is not your friend. Learned that the hard way...'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jul 20, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

An HR department isn't your friend; it exists to fulfill a purpose, like any branch or entity within an organization. Many branches manage some sort of company resource or another; it just so happens that the purpose of this entity is to manage a particular resource: humans. 

And you are that human, and you shall be managed. And management means calculating risks and carefully hedging possible costs to the business. And pesky little human imperfections are exactly the type of thing that can be quite costly.

Everyone hides their red flags in interviews, whether employers or employees. But where an employer will soon be able to let their flags fly, a candidate does not have that luxury and must remain the pinnacle of perfection for as long as humanly possible.

It's easy to be lulled into a false sense of security by their smiles and inviting demeanor, letting your guard fall by divulging sensitive or personal information that they didn't really need to know. Of course, as with anything in life, there are varying shades to this, and you might find yourself in a position with a trusted employer who you know will have your back. 

And yet, still, caution is prudent. Divulging too much or the wrong thing may lead to unwanted questions or thoughts.

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  • 01

    "HR is not your friend. Learned that the hard way..."

    I used to believe HR was there to help, to mediate, to make things fair. I really did. Then I went through h I at my job, tried to ask for help, and got hit with the reality. HR isn't there to support you, they're there to protect the company. I asked for accommodations after my mental health started slipping. Legit stuff. Diagnosed. I did everything by the book. Paperwork, doctor's notes, meetings. You name it. They smiled, nodded, acted concerned. Then the gaslighting started.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10531610368
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    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • This employee divulged the personal information that they were finding it difficult to manage their mental health, and going through their doctor to get the proper paperwork sorted for them to take medical leave.

    They had their i's dotted and their t's crossed, but that didn't stop what was coming next. Whereas they had thought that their careful management of the situation would leave their employer no choice but to professionally handle the situation, they soon found themselves being left out of meetings and decisions. Then, they found themselves placed on a Performance Improvement Plan, which ultimately was used as grounds for their termination.

  • 03
    I came back from FMLA and suddenly I wasn't doing "enough." Even though nothing had changed in my actual performance, the vibe shifted. Cold shoulders. Meetings without me. Then the infamous Performance Improvement Plan. Out of nowhere. It's wild how fast they turn on you once you're no longer convenient. I got fired for reasons that made no sense. A couple small things that never mattered before. They just needed something on paper to justify it.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 04
    Now I'm in the middle of a legal fight. And it's not just about me anymore. It's about how easy it is for companies to get away with this. How HR smiles to your face while setting you up behind the scenes. If you're dealing with something like this, please trust your gut. Document everything. Don't assume HR is neutral. And don't let them convince you that asking for help is the problem. It's not. They are.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10531610624
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 06
    Ok-Regular4845 • 5d ago Happened to me at a company after I had a few health issues back to back. I got my intermittent FMLA approval and less than a week later they served me a PIP that had dates aligning with my migraines and appointments. I should have lawyered up but I was naive.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 07
    PhoenixPariah You can't go to them with empathy. You have to go to them with policy. Specifically federal EEOC guideliness that protect workers with mental health issues. My last job I had I got out of RTO because of my PTSD when I told them straight up I was filing an EEOC complaint because they weren't giving me a reasonable accommodation for my dis lity. Took em about two weeks but once
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 08
    they had the written proof of my diagnosis, they accommodated me rather than risk the EEOC complaint. And, on the off chance. they fire you after doing this, consider it your lucky pay day because that's illegal. But I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice. Just experience.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 09
    GuillotineGabby 'Way back in the dawn of time, Human Resources used to be named Personnel. They didnt care back then, either.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 10
    Hotspur_on_the_Case Happened at one of my previous jobs, the minute I hit 50. Management started coming down on me like a load of bricks over everything. Rules were invented just for me. I got blasted for violating a "policy" that wasn't in the employee manual. The boss tried to use me as a verbal punching-bag and got pl ed at me when I refused to do work related things on my own time (I was
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 11
    hourly). Coworkers said it was clear they were trying to get rid of me, to make me miserable so I would quit. I stuck it out, got fired, but at least I got severance out of them. Thought about suing but decided to move on instead; I even had folks from the state unemployment administration say it was pretty obviously age discrimination. My own mental health suffered as well, and I've since been diagnosed with anxiety and mild clinical
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 12
    depre son. Luckily, I had a job for a few years afterward that was in a very healthy environment that was VERY therapeutic, and now am thriving in a new position at a nonprofit aiding public transportation.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 13
    BasicReputations Good rule of thumb is to understand people expect you to have your mental health in order and to get it sorted quickly and quietly if it isn't. Very few people are sympathetic towards it.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 14
    InsideOutRat I'm sorry for your decline in mental health. I hope the legal battle doesn't affect it too much. I hope you find something easier and less frustrating. I'm sorry for all the "we-told-you-so's" in the comments. You deserve better. We all deserve better. Username checks out.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 15
    Shrek_Layers I've learned to see HR as a direct storefront representative of the owners and the senior administration. It might be friendly and might even smile, but they are not there to help me.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 16
    kjbtetrick This is exactly why when I was suffering mental abe from someone senior to me, I didn't bother going to HR. Them letting me go was a blessing in disquise.
    via GasLitAndFired
  • 17
    tomhermans It's called Human resources. You're a resource. Just like the non human resources. And yeah, they're absolutely not your friend. Don't trust them at all. It's really a case of "anything you say can be used against you"
    via GasLitAndFired

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workplace discussion getting fired employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employee fired employment-discussion hr job work employees human resources overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses employment in the workplace
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