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Antiwork

Fired for giving the HR Manager a nickname…

Used to work for a company that manufactures HVAC Equipment in Toronto, ON. The HR team has their office hidden away in a corner of the top floor of the building with the executive staff. Interaction with the rank and file was minimal to non-existent. I noticed that the HR Manager would never be seen or heard from until there was a layoff to be done, in which case she would walk up to the person's desk, ask them to accompany her to a conference room and nobody ever saw them again. So people generally realized if she was on the lower floors that someone was getting fired. If she was talking to you, then that person was you. It left the entire building in a state of anxiety and unease for a few days until it seemed like the layoffs were done. Once day she walked in to the…


Used to work for a company that manufactures HVAC Equipment in Toronto, ON.

The HR team has their office hidden away in a corner of the top floor of the building with the executive staff. Interaction with the rank and file was minimal to non-existent.

I noticed that the HR Manager would never be seen or heard from until there was a layoff to be done, in which case she would walk up to the person's desk, ask them to accompany her to a conference room and nobody ever saw them again.

So people generally realized if she was on the lower floors that someone was getting fired. If she was talking to you, then that person was you. It left the entire building in a state of anxiety and unease for a few days until it seemed like the layoffs were done.

Once day she walked in to the area I sat in and everyone stopped working and stared at her. She walked up to a colleague and asked them to accompany her. As they left, everyone let out a sigh of relief. I felt the tension leaving my body and jokingly said “Maut ki Saudagar” in Hindi which means “Dealer of Death” but more akin to “Grim Reaper” in English.

For some reason this really stuck and half the company was calling her that within a week. I heard that the executive staff would joke about that and address her with that nickname to her face.

Next round of layoffs, I was gone.

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