Boss overloads employee with work to try to get him to quit, he confronts her directly: 'If you want me gone, you'll have to fire me and pay my severance'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Dec 15, 2025 8:00 AM EST

There are a number of decent ways a boss can deliver a difficult message to an employee. This lady, however, threw all decency out the window.

She clearly was holding a grudge against this employee for months. Perhaps she felt threatened by his competence, or perhaps she simply decided that she didn't like his personality without giving him a fair chance. Regardless of the reason, she decided that the best way to handle this was to delegate task after task and to fill his plate with as many responsibilities as she could so that they would essentially be impossible to fulfill.

After overloading this author with one assignment after another, she marches over to his desk and asked how he was holding up. Naturally, she did this with an insincere look of "concern." This is what finally set the author off. 

He responded by confronting her directly and calling her out for her obvious agenda. After all, he knew that he was valued by others at the company. He also knew she would try to deny her own behavior. So he left her no choice by stating that if she wanted to get rid of him, she was going to have to fire him herself because otherwise, he wasn't going to give up on his own. The battle lines were drawn!

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from several members of this online community.

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  • "You want me to leave? No. Fire me."

    For a month now, my manager has been doing everything to push me out. (Suddenly she started dumping all the crap work on me, you know how it is). A few days ago, she cornered me and dropped that classic line: 'So, are you still happy with us?'
    via lasers38tallies
  • I looked her straight in the eye and said: 'I'm not leaving. If you want me gone, you'll have to fire me and pay my severance.'
    via lasers38tallies
  • Her face literally changed colours. You should have seen it. Now she can't even look at me. The whole thing is honestly hilarious.
    via lasers38tallies
  • I'm so done with these passive- aggressive games. Either process the papers, or leave me alone.
    via lasers38tallies
  • RedGhost3568 • 20h ago It's a crazy game of chicken when this happens. At my last employer, HR management asked me to quit after I defeated their second malicious misconduct case against me in less than 18 months (once
    via lasers38tallies
  • again resulting in the false accusers losing their jobs. while I kept mine). Usual polite BS about how if "I wasn't happy I should leave and seek job satisfaction elsewhere" despite over 10 years with the company.
    via lasers38tallies
  • I told them that wasn't happening when they owed me +60 days PTO (all documented) and I'd be notifying my lawyer of this "meeting request" too. HR
    via lasers38tallies
  • manager tried to backpedal but I just walked out of their office, called my lawyer and then went back to my work after they said "leave it with me."
    via lasers38tallies
  • My lawyer sent them a "don't make me come over there again" official notice to back off and Company Legal screamed at HR to shut up right now as they were sick of dealing with HR's incompetence when my mountain of constructive
    via lasers38tallies
  • dismissal evidence was ironclad on how HR willingly weaponised company policy. against me repeatedly for their friends.
    via lasers38tallies
  • Game of chicken lasted 12 months exactly, then HR finally retrenched me with full severance and all owed PTO back pay when the CEO stepped in and said axe him. Cover your bases OP and you'll make it.
    via lasers38tallies
  • A young businessman works with a businesswoman in a conference room, sharing a laptop.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • adamsawmdavid2 I feel like the final outcome of this will depend on what country you're in...
    via lasers38tallies
  • Known-Historian7277 Unfortunately I'm not sure if you're entitled to severance. Read your employee handbook I guess?
    via lasers38tallies
  • drakgremlin You need to write down your experience and send it to HR as a formal complaint. This isn't a valid way to manage people out.
    via lasers38tallies
  • mercurygreen Make sure you mention to a coworker where that manager can hear that "Wrongful termination includes retaliation." Start gathering papers that prove things, then email to HR with the phrase "Hostile Work Environment" and watch the sparks fly.
    via lasers38tallies
  • Deadlinesglow I think that you did exactly what she did not expect. After all they need to know that you are on to them, and they don't always hold the cards.
    via lasers38tallies
  • Own-Football4314 Document every interaction with your management and HR. Keep great details.
    via lasers38tallies

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Tags

severance fired quitting work overworked-employees Horrible Bosses passive aggressive money toxic-work-environment
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