Employee asks for a raise after 3 years at the company, gets fired for a fabricated story about an interaction with a client, CEO steps in to cover his tracks: 'I asked why I was fired and he still wouldn’t even give me a reason'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 11, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Asking for a raise is always a nerve-wracking thing to do for employees out there who may be petrified of ruffling any feathers. Still, advocating for yourself is the only way to move forward professionally. Plus, seeing how your employer reacts to the request is perhaps the biggest indicator of how much they actually value you.

This overworked employee had been at their company for more than three years without a single raise. Finally, they found enough self-confidence and motivation to confront their manager about this and to ask for a number that felt appropriate considering just how much they have given to the company. Unfortunately, that conversation did not exactly go as planned. Not only did the manager deny the request, but soon thereafter, the employee found themselves shockingly unemployed.

There was, of course, a fabricated excuse as to why the employee was fired. The manager claimed that they caught the employee speaking out of turn and with an unprofessional aggression to a client over the phone. The funny thing is that there was no legitimate proof of this conversation, and according to the employee, they had no idea what their manager was even talking about. However, they knew that if it was legitimate, there would have been proof given that all calls with clients were recorded and employees were made aware of that fact from the start. The fact that this manager couldn't provide any evidence and didn't seem to want to try to demonstrate proof suggested to the employee that this was nonsensical and not worth fighting. 

Keep scrolling below for the full exchange and to find out what happened when the CEO decided to intervene and cover the company's tracks.

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  • "Received an email praising my work, fired not even an hour later after 3 years."

    A man in a brown jacket screams into.a white wired telephone with frustration.
    via Icons8 Team

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

  • The most amusing part of this story for me is the fact that the CEO seemed to think that his presence could solve the issue. It's not like he had further information to justify the company's decision to fire the employee. He just thought that if he got involved, perhaps it would intimidate the newly fired employee enough to get them to stop asking questions. 

  • I just wanted a place to vent. I was at this company for 3 years next month. I have not once gotten a raise from them and they've kept me overnights the whole time, when I've mentioned moving to days.
    via Brentsomething
  • Long story short, today when I got that email, I asked if there is anyway to possibly be compensated with a raise, since I haven't had one my whole duration there.
    via Brentsomething
  • They called me after that and said the new manager, (golf buddies with the owner) stated that last night, I cursed a client out over the phone, which absolutley didn't happen, and they fired me.
    via Brentsomething
  • Asked for proof, as they record calls, which I know since in the past, they've sent me calls to listen to, so I'd be able to know more, before getting into a clients case. They hung up on me.
    via Brentsomething
  • Don't trust any of these people guys, cause I've learned firsthand, they don't care about you.
    via Brentsomething
  • A man (face not shown) wearing a suit carried a cardboard box of personal items, including a small plant
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • UPDATE Owner just called me, they don't have the phone call to give me, says how amazing of an employee I was and that I have a great future in this business, just not at his place.
    via Brentsomething
  • I was livid and just stopped listening as I asked why I was fired, and he still wouldn't even give me a reason, as there is no phone call.
    via Brentsomething
  • MajesticHeart6105 22h ago . Call them and tell them since they are refusing to provide you with proof as to why they terminated your employment, you'll be contacting an attorney and they can submit proof through them or face a lawsuit. At will employment doesn't mean they can lie about reasons to fire people.
    via Brentsomething
  • I had a similar situation many years ago. Coworkers were mad I got promoted into engineering position instead of them (they had zero experience anyway) so they made up sh that I said and the engineering manager brought it to HR
    via Brentsomething
  • (his wife). I was terminated instantly. My MIL worked for a law firm her whole career, and she called on my behalf and said they either needed to provide proof of me saying these "against policy" phrases, or she would see them in court.
    via Brentsomething
  • Less than an hour later they offered me my job back, or 3 months of severance. I chose the latter
    via Brentsomething
  • Far-Duck8203 22h ago Yeah, sounds like they fired. you for having the audacity to want more money. Hope you saved proof on your personal machine that they praised you previously.
    via Brentsomething
  • . Electrical_Gap_2... 22h ago Stop talking to your ex- employer. Contact a labor attorney. Talking to your former employer is like talking to the cops. It's not going to help, and they'll try to use it against you.
    via Brentsomething
  • KEPhrinta - 22h ago . That's cold as ice dude Sounds like they were looking for an excuse Hope you land somewhere better soon
    via Brentsomething

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getting fired workplace-stories employee fired work stories toxic-workplace job fired story work ceo Horrible Bosses bad bosses company toxic-work-environment
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