Intro:
TLDR at the end
I work for a company in one building. Had a friend here, he was in manager's position. He worked here for at least 3 years. Fixed many problems we encountered during his time here, held the department together, but decided to advance and changed a job for a different branch. It still is under the same company/group just a different building with different team and their own managers etc.
He was promoted recently and was supposed to start there but because of Covid it all got postponed. Before he left (because we all liked him so much) we got him different gifts but he could not take them all home at once, so he left them in one of the offices to pick them up later. Covid came and he could not come back nor start in his new workplace.
The D-Day:
Today, he came around chatted with everyone he came across, everybody was happy to see him EXCEPT the senior management who had a comment similar to “Why is he here/there when he does not work here anymore?” and sent another (subordinate/lower) manager to talk to my now ex-colleague and tell him he cannot be here anymore (or something like that I can imagine). My friend literally just came in to gather rest of his things from gifts to shoes and what not and this is what he got in return.
That guy literally worked sometimes 50 even 60 EVEN 70 hours a week. Had most obnoxious and terrible shifts you can imagine, helped this place a lot, by keeping us together, in good mood, good morale, helping each other, absolute dream of a manager. He left just about week ago or so + Covid so 14 days give or take (as he was using his leftover holidays.) and as soon as he comes back he gets “He does not work here anymore.” treatment.
Epilogue:
What the fuck ? Am I gonna end up the same if I stop by. I understand he was in office which is only for staff but he literally left about 2 weeks ago and haven't even been to his new work yet… He was treated well while here but there might be something I do not see but still…
It is fucking sad… really makes that “you are just a number for them” feel very real…
TLDR Colleague left for a different job in same group but different building, came back to pick his stuff up, senior management disliked that and was sent away.