‘"I don’t care what you think, you do what I tell you to do"’: COO asks sales employee to lie to clients about their exit from the company so they don't disrupt any business relationships

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 15, 2025 9:00 AM EST

Leaving a crooked company feels like breaking free from the shackles of despair. Even though you were paid to be there, it felt like having nails for breakfast and molten lava for lunch; You're trying to sustain yourself, but it hurts so bad. Though you probably aren't opening your dad's tool kit when you're looking for some grub at 6 AM, we're sure you get what we mean. Knowing that you have to go to a job you hate, indefinitely, is like a sentence to that place down under…

So, when you finally find a new role, you're ecstatic. Cutting off relationships, even though you might really want to, isn't a good idea if you plan to stay in the same field. You mustn't burn bridges before they're completely crossed, or you risk jeopardizing your new role.

The employee in the story below, who is leaving his company for a new one, is facing a dilemma. His COO is asking him to keep his departure on the hush-hush, but the employee feels that it'll disrupt their client's workflow. Even still, the COO is adamant on this and tries to exert power over the employee through threatening words. Scroll below to read the full story.

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  • woman holding a box of her office belongings
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • "COO asking me to lie to my clients during my exit from the company"

    I've been working for my current employer for about 10 years, and I finally made the decision to leave because of a better opportunity that came to me.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • I gave the company a two weeks notice to which the management (CEO and COO, in-laws, yup I know) said "that's not enough.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • We need you until the end of the month". I have a lot of knowledge to pass down, so I agreed to stay an additional week.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • Over the years, I've built trust with my clients through open and transparent communication. So I informed a few of my clients, who I had regular cadence calls with, that the next call they'll have with my current employer will be with this another person as I'm leaving the company at the EOM.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • One of those clients reached out to COO to confirm my departure and the COO came to desk, angrily, asking why I shared that information, and "ordered" me to tell them who else I spoke to.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • I felt a little uncomfortable and I explained to the COO why I thought disclosing this information sooner than later is better for the company and for myself.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • The COO replied saying, "I don't think so and it's up to me to decide when you're allowed to tell your clients.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • I don't care what you think, you do what I tell you to do." At this point I'm speechless.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • An hour later I discovered that the company posted my job position on LinkedIn. I send this to COO asking, politely, what should I do if somebody asks about it?
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • COO replies with a response clearly drafted by ChatGPT saying "tell them the company is expanding and the company is seeking new talents to support the expansion." I'm baffled by this because I don't know what the COO meant by "expansion", not to mention, that response is basically lying to my clients about my departure.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • open ai chat gpt on computer screen
    via Emiliano Vittoriosi for Unsplash
  • If I say this to my clients, I think they will take it as a blatant lie and they will lose trust in our relationship, and suspect that I did something so horribly wrong that the company is looking to replace me.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • Any other sales people here that can relate to this? Or advise how to best handle this situation?
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • Before I was hesitant to take the new offer, but now I'm reaffirming that my decision to leave was the best decision I've made in a long time.
    via fishermansbluegrass
  • Ciccio178 Tell your clients whatever you want. What's the COO gonna do, fire you? For the first time there you have all the power. They have nothing and are trying to hold on to whatever control they can by berating and threatening you. Remember, a notice period is a courtesy, not a requirement. Inlaws or not.
    via Ciccio178
  • chipshot Correct. Your integrity comes first. Be honest, while also being thankful to your employer for opportunities given. That's all you have to say. Not that hard to do
    via chipshot
  • BungCrosby "If that's the way you feel, my notice period concludes immediately. Good luck and god bless."
    via BungCrosby
  • TheThirteenth Cylon This is a fucking nasty approach, and I fully support it.
    via TheThirteenthCylon
  • shellybearcat Honestly I don't even think it's nasty- giving notice isn't a requirement, and OP's boss tried to demand and even longer notice period. If they are going to be awful and rude in the meantime then they don't get that courtesy at all.
    via shellybearcat
  • E_Zack_Lee Kind of ironic, that when a company fires or lays you off, they don't give you two weeks' notice. Like, we're gonna fire you, lay you off, in two weeks. Good luck.
    via E_Zack_Lee
  • Psylix I'm a firm believer in not giving notice for this reason.
    via Psylix

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