So here is how I got fired, 6 months before I graduated from my second degree as a Graphic Designer at 36, I've applied to this family owned marketing/publishing agency as an intern, which was like 75 mins drive from my house, after my 6 months I got offered a position as an Art Director even though the pay was somehow less than the other companies
I took the title over the pay thinking 'Hey, this is like 5 years of jump start instead of starting as a designer”. During my time with the company, the Creative Director opened his own agency and offered me a job which I've declined since it was further away from my initial 75 mins of drive and I didn't want to leave my co workers.
Besides the pay I cant really say that I had any problems with work, loved the co-workers the job was pretty automated and I was good at my job, hearing compliments and praises but no raise.
Anyway, after 6 years of hard work, with no substantial raise (started at 32k ended up at 42k, which is the salary of a new graduate graphic designer not an art director with 6 years of experience, things got wild. On our end of the year Christmas Party I was awarded with MVP of the year and been praised by the publisher/owner saying how I was great at my job and how she liked working with me the most over all art directors before me.
In February one of my designers, who has been working with us for 3 years, came to me and said that she was looking for jobs on the side to find a better place since she was making 36k and was gonna talk to owner to raise it up to 40k, which was replied by saying “we'll see what we can do” so she was hopeful and content but still kept looking for jobs meanwhile,
Two weeks after this conversation with her she texted me while I was driving with a link to a job post, apparently my workplace put on an job posting to glassdoor saying “Graphic Designer Position 40k-50k no experience necessary” while I was making 42k as an Art director with 6 years of experience and my co worker was at 36k after 3 years in the company.
So I shared this information with some of my co-workers and everybody freaked out since we were always downsizing, and just carrying the work load 7 designers turned to 5 then to 3 but the work load never decreased and we never got a raise. One would think when a creative director at 80k then an art director who was making 72k a year is gone somehow you ll get some of that money that was saved divided between loyal employees that were carrying the workload right?
Back to the story same day I shared the news one of my co workers confronted the owner right before lunch saying that we all saw the job posting and we were all upset at the office, after lunch when he came back with his wife (the publisher and owner) we were called to a emergency meeting where they told us the job post was just a general post to determine our pay rates for a raise so they could see how much other designers were asking.
First of all that was bullshit, I mean who is gonna see a job posting offering 40-50k and then ask 30 when they apply. Things got heated during the meeting the publisher started yelling and shouting saying that we were riled up over nothing they are doing the best they can and we were just using money as an excuse and we were not happy nor grateful. The meeting got dismissed everybody went back to their offices but we could still hear her yelling and throwing stuff off of her desk and having a tantrum.
She decided to take a week off and work from home after two days she emailed me an apology letter saying she was sorry and i replied with everything I had been through in those 6 years with how many job offers i got but rejected since I was loyal, how I never got any substantial raises and etc.
A week later she came to my desk saying she wasnt aware that I was making that low and she was gonna talk to her husband and take care of that so I said thank you and started waiting the end of the week I was called to a meeting saying that they ll give me 48k and thats the best they can do and we ll get back together in 6 months so I was not happy so I mentioned that I ve been there for 6 years and earned my seniority and wanted the senior art director title, the husband said that we dont have a senior position and I was like “its not about having the position I have seen you letting people giving themselves fancy titles like a photographer calling herself as the director of digital media, she said they want those title for future job searches, anyway he wasnt happy not he understood while would someone ask for a better title but he went with it.
After 4 months thinking everything was back in order and normal the owner came to my desk asking if he could see me in his office I went to his office thinking it must be something about a project or a client, he was waiting me in his office with the sales manager who also happen to be a partner and he just said , we all love you and have great pleasure working with you but we decided to move to a different direction and we will not be needing your services, I dont know how the fuck I kept my cool but I kept my smile thanked them for the opportunity and those 6 years wished them the best of luck and told them I have no questions when he asked me is there anything you want to ask.
Sorry this was a long ass story I guess I just wanted to vent out I still dont understand why I get fired to this day I d say they were not happy with my performance but I just got a raise and a promotion with the MVP award, maybe I was from a muslim country working in a Christian work place, I want to say maybe I asked for a raise but why would someone fire a good employee working his ass for 48k then hire a junior designer for 56k after i was let go. Anyway i guess i will never find out.