Employee confronts CEO about delayed paychecks, then quits on the spot after CEO disrespects him: 'Get out of my face!'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 26, 2026 8:00 AM EST

Employees are supposed to watch what they say in front of their employers, but the same goes for said employers.

Like everything in an at-will workplace environment, it's a two-way street. If workers are meant to maintain a certain level of decorum and professionalism while on the clock, their bosses should be expected to do the same. You would think that this expectation would not need to be reiterated, and yet, far too many authority figures in the workplace take their power for granted when speaking to their employees.

In this instance, an employee at a startup was sick and tired of receiving compensation later than he was supposed to, so he chose to talk to his CEO directly. That conversation did not exactly go as planned. 

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  • An employee argues with his CEO.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An employee argues with his CEO.

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

  • The CEO told me 'Get out of my face' when I asked about my salary. So I left.

    I've been working at this tech startup for about 6 years. The pay was good and my clients relied on me heavily, so I put up with a lot of c p.
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  • But honestly, the place has become a dumpster fire lately. This year alone, the company has delayed salaries 7 times.
    via FrequentImplement776

  • In a bygone era, it might have been considered inappropriate for an employee to interrupt his boss unannounced, even if it was about not getting paid on time. However, these days, employees know their worth, and if they're not being fairly compensated, they're going to address it head-on. 

  • On top of all that, my health insurance was suddenly cut off two months ago, and it was a nightmare to get it sorted out.
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  • They also started giving us personal checks from the CEO's own account instead of direct deposit, probably to evade payroll taxes or something shady like that.
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  • So a few weeks ago, I went to check on my paycheck because it was almost 3 PM and we still hadn't been paid.
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  • I wanted to deposit it at the bank as soon as possible to even make sure it would clear.
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  • I found the CEO in the main conference room with the HR manager and a few other managers.
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  • I just asked if the checks were ready. Without even looking up from his laptop, the CEO told me, 'Get out of my face.' I didn't say a word.
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  • First, this employee had to deal with the implied disrespect that comes with delayed compensation. 

    Now, after his conversation with the CEO, he was dealing with outright disrespect. If at first the implication was that paying this employee on time was not a top priority, now, this unfair outburst indicates overt disrespect.

  • I just turned around, went back to my desk, packed up my laptop and jacket, and walked out the door for good.
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  • Fast forward to today, I've received 3 solid job offers, all with better pay. And the CEO has been blowing up my phone with missed calls and texts saying things like 'I was just kidding, by the way.' I'm completely ignoring him and will be sending my official resignation tomorrow morning.
    via FrequentImplement776
  • An employee tries to reason with his CEO in his office at work.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An employee tries to reason with his CEO in his office at work.

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

  • Thankfully, this employee was clearly already looking for opportunities elsewhere. His ability to secure a similar position at another company almost immediately suggests that he was already putting feelers out there.

    The fact that it took his boss until well after his outburst to apologize for his inappropriate behavior just goes to show that he wasn't actually sorry. He was just starting to panic as the reality of losing one of his top workers was starting to sink in. Maybe next time he should have led by example and treated his employees with the same respect that he would hope to be given. That applies both to how he speaks to employees and to how he pays them.

  • Winter_Dimension_954 Been there, sinking ship. Time to move on.
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  • Resqu23 Report the pay that you don't get to whoever takes care of that in your state.
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  • Ok_Method_6463 Reply 'get out of my face' to his texts then block
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  • Ordinary Cupcake8766 He thinks he is some hot st for being CEO of a startup, humiliating the workers who make it happen
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  • Cato TheMiddleAged Even one missed payroll is a huge warning sign; it means the company can't even get a bridge loan or line of credit. So they will have to go to private investors and then it's basically a fire sale. As employees leave, the value of the company goes down, and then it's a death spiral.
    via FrequentImplement776
  • Rough-Cap5150 Sinking ship. To be fair to the CEO, he was probably under enormous stress.
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  • ratalada Honestly, that ship is going down. He did you a favor.
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  • West_Replacement5157 It kinda sounds like the titanic, you can bet the person checks will not show up at some point
    via FrequentImplement776

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salary workplace-stories employee employment-discussion satisfying quitting story Horrible Bosses paycheck money
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