Fired employee refuses to help former employer after being let go, despite the concern that refusing would affect their payout: ‘Am I obligated to help?’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 19, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

The thing about being fired is that you're not supposed to keep working for the people who fired you.

That's the one "benefit" of being let go from a job: no more work, at least until you find a new, and hopefully better, job. So what is the point of the whole "firing" business if your (former) employer keeps calling you and asking you for help?

That is a question the employee below keeps asking herself. After almost 4 years of devoted work at a small startup, she was fired. The company claimed that the reasoning was financial, explaining that the industry had taken a hit and had to let some employees go. Although the employee was disappointed, the company ensured she received a respectful severance package and proper payout.

However, now that this employee is officially home and unemployed, her former employer keeps calling her to ask for different things, even on weekends. Between being asked for passwords and documents, the ex-employee feels like she never really left, which is odd, since they were the ones firing her, not the other way around.

Since she is not getting any money for all the help, the employee considers refusing to help altogether. However, she doesn't want to be difficult, especially since she has not gotten her payout yet. Which leads her to the question: should she risk it by refusing to help her former employer, or should she agree to help the company that fired her after years of hard work?

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  • Professional woman working at home office desk
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Professional woman working at home office desk.

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

  • Former employer asking me to do tasks after termination

    I worked at a small startup for almost 4 years. I joined when the company was basically just an idea and helped build a lot of the systems and operations from the ground up. I also have an equity stake in the company.
    via misscrissyx
  • Recently, I was let go. The reasoning was mostly financial, the industry is taking a hit right now and cash flow isn't great, so they wanted to pay me out while they still could.
    via misscrissyx
  • They've offered to pay out accrued vacation, prorated vacation for this year, and a few weeks of pay in lieu of notice, with an additional week conditional on signing paperwork.
    via misscrissyx
  • That said, I'm feeling a bit off about the situation. They kept another employee who makes less than me but (in my opinion) contributes significantly less. Myself and another manager were often picking up her slack.
    via misscrissyx
  • Now that I've been let go, they've reached out this weekend asking for two things: passwords and help locating a document.
    via misscrissyx
  • I already provided the passwords, but I don't feel comfortable continuing to do tasks after termination, especially outside of regular working hours.
    via misscrissyx
  • I don't want to come across as difficult, but I also don't want my willingness to help to be taken advantage of.
    via misscrissyx
  • My questions: 1. Am I obligated to help with things like this after termination? 2. Is it reasonable to draw a boundary and stop responding to these types of
    via misscrissyx
  • requests? 3. Could refusing to help impact my payout or severance in any way? Appreciate any insight.
    via misscrissyx
  • Man Working from Home with Laptop and Phone
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Man Working from Home with Laptop and Phone.

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

  • Used Negotiation8227 Why don't you want to come off as difficult? Charge them a consultation fee if they need you.
    via misscrissyx
  • edthecollector 70 Give them the passwords tell where to look for the document. Get your money from them and move on .After that tell them you are too busy to help.
    via edthecollector70
  • crashorbit Such critical missing details as passwords and doc indicates an immature SDLC. Still I'd probably give them the details if I had or could easily find them.
    via crashorbit
  • hektor10 You ever blocked people? If not you should practice
    via hektor10
  • MoreThan2_LessThan21 Check your paperwork. "In lieu of notice" payoutsmay mean that you're available until a certain date for these kinds of questions.
    via MoreThan2_LessThan21
  • IndependenceMean8774 No answer is an answer. You don't work there anymore, and you owe them nothing. Block and move on.
    via IndependenceMean8774
  • Common-Classroom-847 Can you easily locate the document they want? If it is no big deal and I hadn't actually gotten the money they promised me, I would wait to start being difficult until after I had cash in hand. But that is just me.
    via Common-Classroom-847
  • misscrissyx OP The document is just a receipt. I don't believe it was sent to me so I don't think it can easily be accessed without me spending a bit of time searching through stuff.
    via misscrissyx
  • greattimes99 Yes, refusing to help could affect severance. I mean, let's be realistic
    via greattimes99
  • misscrissyx OP Are they legally allowed to do that?
    via misscrissyx
  • Used Negotiation8227 No, why would they. This guy is has no ideas what they talking about. are
    via Usedegotiation8227

  • It seems like people are split between thinking that this employee should just send the former employer what they are asking for or block them altogether and move on with her life.

    When you picture yourself in this employee's shoes, what would you have done in this situation? Are the few minutes of help worth risking the severance package, or the relationship with the company, or is it wrong for the former employer to keep asking someone they fired for help?

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