Hi guys,
Sorry for the rant, and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to post this here, but today really sucked.
I got fired today on the spot, in front of my coworker an hour before I was supposed to clock out. She just told me to give her the office keys and to not come back tomorrow. No warning, no explanation, just fired on the spot and I’m really embarrassed, hurt, and angry.
I just started this new job at a law firm in CT. I started in April and I was hired as an office assistant. My duties were to file, scan, draft documents, answer phones and emails, and basically do clerical work. But the attorney I worked for was really hard to deal with. The attorney and my coworkers micromanaged everything I did. Nothing was ever good enough for the attorney, and she would be very rude and condescending when I made minor mistakes. All my coworkers were scared and intimidated by her even though they’ve been there for 3-5 years. It was a very stressful environment, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells with the attorney.
There were a ton of red flags at this place, but I really did give it my all and really tried. She doesn’t let you take breaks when you work 8 hour shifts. She gets mad or upset when you try to leave and just take a 5 minute walk outside to clear your head and get some fresh air. I had to eat while working and answering phone calls at my desk. She assigned me cases to do on my own and had me use my personal phone number to reach out to clients. I never knew I would have my own cases or use my own personal device prior to taking the job. My paychecks were also always very sketchy and disorganized. She offered no benefits or health insurance. Yet, I still stayed, came early and did everything she said, and it still wasn’t enough.
Today she pulled me aside, while my colleague was still there and could hear our entire conversation, and told me that’s it’s not working out and she has to let me go. I asked if there was anything I did wrong and she refused to answer that question and said she doesn’t have to answer that, and “doesn’t want to get into it.” I have no idea what that meant but it was such a slap in the face. I tried my hardest here. I asked a ton of questions, prioritized deadlines, and was never late or took days off. I’m just shocked. When she fired me she was very catty about it. She was so smug and made jokes as I was giving her back the office key. She even said, “good luck on your law school journey, let me know if you need any help with anything,” in the most condescending, passive aggressive tone. It took everything in me not to burst into tears at that moment.
But since she fired me, should I file for unemployment? I’m just concerned how that might look to future employers if they found out I was on unemployment. I’m also concerned that law schools might see that as well when I apply soon and ask more about it. Idk my heads just all over the place right now.
Just can’t believe someone could be so cold and heartless like that. I asked her how I was doing 2 weeks before this, and she said I was doing great and she’s seen a lot of improvement. I asked the rest of my coworkers for feedback as well and they said I’m doing good. So, I’m not sure how it turned this sour so quickly. I understand that she doesn’t have to tell me anything or give me a warning since I’m still on probation, but since I kind of saw her as a mentor, I thought she would give me some feedback or critiques.
But anyways, should I try to find another job and not file for unemployment, or file and see what happens? I didn’t sign any paperwork or anything today. I’m just shocked and disappointed in myself because I’ve never been fired before and I feel like a failure.
Anyways, sorry for the long rant. I just really needed to get this off my chest.