New manager forces employee out by leaving them out of meetings and micromanaging their every move, leading employee to realize they have no choice but to quit: ‘I can't shake the feeling that this was calculated’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 9, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

There are two ways for someone to leave their job: either they resign, or they get fired. 

At least officially. Anyone who has ever held a job knows that a workplace situation is not all black and white. And there are a lot of factors playing into an employee's decision to quit, or an employer's decision to fire.

Take a company that is under financial strain, for example. Their decision to fire an employee might have nothing to do with them or their performance, but the general position of the company itself. If an employee loses their job because the company went under, can they really say that they were fired, or does that situation introduce a third option?

Similarly, some employees end up quitting their jobs not because they didn't like the work, or their paycheck wasn't enough, but because of one specific person who made the workplace environment unbearable. If someone resigns because they were basically forced out of the company, can they really say that they quit, or is there now a fourth option as well?

To say that the employee in the story below resigned is technically true, but as we established, the situation is so complicated that resigning seems like an understatement. The only reason they decided to leave their job was that they were forced out by a new manager. Someone who, for some reason, decided to make the office as inhospitable to this one employee as possible. They were left out of meetings, given unreasonable deadlines, and micromanaged every step of the way. They were basically left with no choice but to quit, to the point that you may as well call it getting fired…

Is there anything to do in situations like these? Can they be avoided or fixed? Keep scrolling to read the full story and share your opinions in the comments below.

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  • 01
    Employee leaving his office, walking down the stairs.
    via SeventyFour

    Employee leaving his office, walking down the stairs.

    Subject is a model.

  • 02

    Did my new manager basically force me out without actually firing me?

    been replaying this in my head ever since I handed in my notice last week. i was at this job for three years, NEVER had an issue, always got solid feedback. then a
    via ThatRoofer
  • 03
    new manager comes in... and suddenly everything changes. i started getting left out of meetings i used to be in,
    via ThatRoofer
  • 04
    micromanaged on the tiniest stuff, and given deadlines that made zero sense. when Id ask for direction, Id get vague stuff like "be more proactive" and nothing helpful
    via ThatRoofer
  • 05
    no write-ups, no formal complaints. just this slow shift that made me feel like I was going crazy. i ended up quitting last week
    via ThatRoofer
  • 06
    because I couldn't take it anymore. already found a new role that pays better, so clearly I wasn't the problem.
    via ThatRoofer
  • 07
    but I still can't shake the feeling that this was calculated. like.. they wanted me out but didn't want to do the paperwork. has anyone
    via ThatRoofer
  • 08
    else been through this? or am I just making excuses for not handling a tough boss well?
    via ThatRoofer
  • 09
    Employee packing up their belongings after quitting.
    via wutzkoh

    Employee packing up their belongings after quitting.

    Subject is a model.

  • 10
    Effective_Fix_2358 that sounds super frustrating, but honestly it happens more than you think. some managers just have a weird way of trying.
    via Effective_Fix_2358
  • 11
    to get rid of people without the hassle of formalities. it's good that you found a better gig though, that's a solid win.
    via Effective_Fix_2358
  • 12
    Real_Tosser if it was just you hit by that stuff, almost certainly intentional. if they did that to everyone, then it's just an incompetent manager.
    via Real_Tosser
  • 13
    ChuckOfThelrish This is very common, they either didn't like you, were threatened by you, or had a friend they wanted to open a role for.
    via ChuckOfThelrish
  • 14
    It's good you found a job, but if you didn't then quiet quitting and applying is a good method to kick back against that. I also would have advised leveraging
    via ChuckOfThelrish
  • 15
    contacts above your new boss as well as an exit interview to demonstrate the source of the problem.
    via ChuckOfThelrish
  • 16
    Buffyredpoodle Of course. I was assistant manager in retail store and they did that all the time to store managers and lower management team.
    via Buffyredpoodle
  • 17
    They will make your life miserable so you quit, and they don't have to pay unemployment. If person tries to stay they will give impossible task to
    via Buffyredpoodle
  • 18
    do, or a task with short deadline, and tons of other work just to swamp you. Then if the task is not done they will do write up.
    via Buffyredpoodle
  • 19
    At this point employee is scared and doesn't want to be fired, and quits. Or if they stay company will try to repeat & give disciplinary write up again and then fire.
    via Buffyredpoodle
  • 20
    social dysfunction Managers that rely on that kind of behavior dont know how to do their jobs. Period.
    via social_dysfunction
  • 21
    natewOw Honestly, why do you care? You already said you have a new job that pays more, so it sounds like you came out ahead. Why not just move on with your life?
    via natewOw

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace workplace company quitting resignation
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