Just wanted to get this off my chest now that I got the good news and am receiving unemployment after being “fired” from a bad job.
Background: I took a design early this year with a “startup” that was under my salary range, but came with profit sharing and partner opportunities that were exciting. However when I started, red flags started popping up immediately.
First, the “office” turned out to be an 8×10 shed in the guys backyard, occupied by 2 other people already. No plumbing. Extension cord running under the door and piles of liquor bottles under the desk. The bathroom was in the house, along with his young children and his 80 year old mother in law, cisiting relatives, whoever. The bathroom door did not lock. I opted to use a ben toilet chained to a pole at a pickleball court down the street. It was supposed to be temporary but after the first potential office space fell through (3 months into my employment) he decided he was fine with the shed and let me know we were staying there.
Second, the guy was a crazy micromanager and was OBSESSED with keeping hourly updates on employees (the other 2 people crammed in a shack with him 8 hrs a day). The ironic thing was, dude went to college in hawaii and considered himself on “island time”, wore surfer clothes in the PNW, talked with an island accent, the whole bit. Heres the kicker: he grew up in the midwest, corn country. But thats what he blamed for the fact He NEVER was less than 15 minutes late to a client meeting, island time brah throws a chaka.
Anyway, on to the meat: one day recently he was having a bad day so he was extra in-your-face. I brought up some issues with personal space and he acted shocked, then angry. He stormed out and was gone for the day. Next day, theres an email waiting for me about “my outburst”. I gave him my response and my own list of concerns, including the dynamic of our “partnership” not being what I was sold and the fact that the “short term” office situation was really frustrating. I said that Id be more comfortable working at home until the office situation is sorted out, but at this point I knew I didnt wanna be there and was just baiting the hook.
Sure enough, he flew off the handle and said that was impossible, and how he would have to draw up termination paperwork. Haha, gotcha! So, I said ok peace and filed for unemployment. Of course, he fought it. I get the call from the adjudicator saying they were told I had an outburst, which is when I told them all about the office shed. Ho-lee-shit. Pretty soon thats all they wanted to talk about. Idk what I did but now, 2 weeks later I have a check and the business has gone silent on all social platforms, all the websites we were working on never launched, its all dead.
TLDR: I got my bad boss to fire me, then won the fight for unemployment, and potentially got his shady backyard business shut down.