New HR Lady cancels beloved company traditions and starts firing people publicly, ends up getting fired the same way 'All other employees [were] watching and some of them [were] clapping'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 25, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle the firing of an employee.

If it's a dire situation in which the employee has violated their contract in a major way, obviously, that's a serious matter that needs to be handled delicately and professionally. But what happens when the employee is being let go due to restructuring, financial constraints, or shifting business priorities? Those conversations are difficult to address, and they should be handled with care.

Unfortunately, some folks enjoy firing people too much. They experience some kind of bizarre enjoyment from watching the people under them struggle with what they're going to do next. It's potentially one of the more unbecoming qualities one can possess, especially if you're in the business of firing individuals in the workplace.

This author's new HR lady just so happened to be that kind of person. Not only did she become wildly unpopular for how she publicly fired employees (complete with the humiliating presence of security guards), but she was also deeply disliked for getting rid of beloved company traditions. One of said traditions was a day meant for celebrating all of the executive assistants at the company. This was an annual ceremony that gave so many people joy year after year and became reflective of a positive-minded company mindset. As soon as the HR lady did away with that event, that tradition of gratitude and grace morphed into one of hostility and negativity. 

Eventually, upper management finally took note of how unpopular this lady had become and how troubled company morale was. It was crystal clear that the only possible solution to undo all of this regression was to oust the new HR lady. Personally, I cannot help but be surprised that she even made it to almost an entire year at the company. Regardless, it's never too late to set the record straight and to course correct, which is exactly what upper management did.

The best part? This lady ended up getting fired in the exact same manner that she would fire others. That meant the presence of security guards. It also meant that she would be getting fired in a public fashion and in front of as many employees as possible in their open-concept workplace. Keep scrolling below for the full account of this unceremonious incident. Clearly, based on the fact that some folks applauded as she left the offices, justice had been served.

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  • In I worked as an HR manager. It was a good job, in a generally kind corporate culture, and my focus in the job was to work for our employees, not try to police them. Once I knew I was leaving, I gave plenty of notice, to train my successor.
    via TokyoGirl888
  • A woman with curly hair wears glasses and a sweater while smiling on a video conference call.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • The company brought in a new HR director. I told her about good/fun things we did for employees - for example, we gave everyone a turkey and $100 at Thanksgiving, etc. Another
    via TokyoGirl888
  • thing was that our managers liked to celebrate Secretaries' Day (as it was called then). People enjoyed recognizing their aides' hard work, gave them at least a card with a check in it, flowers, gift cards, took them out to lunch, etc. It was a long-hours
    via TokyoGirl888
  • company and aides gave of themselves. for it. Well, this new lady - one of her first acts? Banning Secretaries Day company-wide. Bc, in her reasoning, what if one boss forgot? The neglected aide would feel bad and possibly try to bring legal action. I swear to God. (I had no say in hiring her, by the way.)
    via TokyoGirl888
  • Other company-wide customs followed. on the chopping block. After I left, people told me that the new lady seemed to take an unhealthy pleasure in firing people. In one case, New Lady had been building a case against one woman for evidently personal reasons.
    via TokyoGirl888
  • Fired this woman in front of her kids (take your kids to work day) with no prior notice and had them all escorted out to their car. We'd never done that escorting thing in the past. We didn't even have security guards, so she told the mail-room guys to do it. They were
    via TokyoGirl888
  • apologizing all the way while the kids were crying. (When I was there, if someone needed to be let go, we (I) would give them career counseling, help edit their resume, suggest job openings elsewhere. The contrast was stark.)
    via TokyoGirl888
  • So when New Lady was fired within - the first year, the company took their cue from her. No notice, no references, to car, all other employees watching and some of them clapping.
    via TokyoGirl888
  • Not a totally symmetrical come- uppance, but a good start got around hire her. - and word nobody in town wanted to
    via TokyoGirl888
  • Edit: I don't know how she imagined she could enforce against people celebrating their aides' work, but the intention was just so wrong.
    via TokyoGirl888
  • A woman with curly hair wearing glasses and a sweater holds a box of her personal supplies while she shuts her laptop screen.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • CoderJoe1 • 20h ago . Like the guy that changed pink slips to blue slips because pink had a stigma. He was the only employee ever fired with a blue slip.
    via TokyoGirl888
  • delulu4drama · 20h ago . You know you f up when people are cheering your exit...in front of you!
    via TokyoGirl888
  • . dstarpro 19h ago How awful that the company allowed that lady to alter the dynamic there for a solid year before giving her the boot.
    via TokyoGirl888

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getting fired fired work stories toxic-workplace fired story work petty revenge human resources Horrible Bosses funny work stories employment toxic-work-environment
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