I got fired on Friday
This past Friday, I got terminated from the company I work for. I was told that the reason was, during our most recent All-hands staff meeting that my comments in the chat 'violated the code of ethics'. I found out that 7 other people who also made comments that went against what the C-levels were saying at this meeting also got shown the door.
Hearing from various people around the company, I found out that the people who had the task of firing me did NOT want to do it. They were told to read and stick to a script, not to improvise or to make any other comments, and to try and deflect away any questions that were asked by those getting booted out the door.
Others greatly echoed the comments I made in the chat. Likes, hearts, agrees. I had DM's coming from people I'd never spoken to before saying they really did appreciate the comments I was making, as they didn't have the courage to speak up as I was. As I found out in the end, there was a good reason they didn't want to.
I ended up having a chat with one of the upper levels the next day. I was a bit meek in that meeting, but I still spoke to say that I was trying to speak both for myself and for those who didn't have the fortitude to say the same thing, and I also passed on about the DM's I'd received (no names, just general about them). During this meeting, this person suggested that I send an apology both to the group chat where the comments had been made and also an apology email to the entire C-suite. I did this, and I did make it sound sincere that I was trying to express frustration, and that it could have been stated in better terms.
2 weeks go by, and I get a response from the CEO. Very corpo-speak, very wrist-slappy. This was the first clue about what was coming, but the rumor around the virtual water cooler was that I was going to get hit with a PIP (last and final, any more rocking the boat and out you go). So, with the apology email given, and with the wrist-slap email sent, I figured that I would get the PIP coming down, and life would move on.
Instead, I got an invite to a meeting on Friday (the invite was sent out at o'dark'thirty my time PST that same morning). I got told that my actions had 'violated the company code of ethics' – the same thing I'd been told before and that this was resulting in my termination. The person who had set up the meeting, and was attending, did NOT look pleased to be doing this (as I found out and said above).
What was it that I said that got their hackles up? I called one of the comments from another C-level 'BS'. He commented that during our WFH days, we got an 'increase in pay' because we weren't having to commute and that we should have been saving that money for when we were to return to the office. Yes, seriously. he said that. That comment pissed a LOT of people off.
Apparently, this set of individuals, and the CEO in particular, could NOT seem to take ANY dissent or criticism about how they are running the company. I've spoken to several others who were also let go because of similar comments, and NONE of them had any knowledge, had NOT been spoken to, and were not given the 'chance to apologize' that I was. Even the subject of some of the emails for the meetings was so completely disconnected and unrelated that people didn't know or have any idea what was happening.
The fact that the company went from a 4.0 to mid-2s on Glassdoor over the last 18 months since the new management has come in also speaks VOLUMES. From other rumors I've heard, there's already HEAVY growing resentment from the rank and file. There are lots of whispers of quiet quitting/doing the absolute bare minimum, and others are moving to find a new job elsewhere as quickly as possible. I am 100% behind them getting out of this place. Seriously, if a CEO or other C-levels have such thin skin that they cannot take the feedback they asked to get, they should NOT be in charge of anything higher than McDonald's, let alone this company.
(this is being posted from a throwaway account. God forbid the company find out I am speaking the truth and try to come after me for further impact. At this time I have not signed any paperwork they have sent, so I am under no legal restraints at this time).