Hey y’all, so I work under the government (The Office of Refugee Resettlement) as a teacher for immigrant children. I love my job and it’s one of the few jobs that I’ve ever enjoyed going to. Since we work with a vulnerable population, there are some strict, but reasonable, rules put in place. One of them being that you cannot give or receive notes/gifts, and if you receive any, then they must be hung up to be displayed publicly. I have always followed this rule 100%, and in my office, you can see my windowsill covered with all these beautiful drawings or notes left by my students.
So the problem is that I am a messy person, and I admittedly struggle with keeping my desk/room organized. While I wasn’t at work one day, my coworker looked into my desk and found a note in which I was being thanked for my work and appreciated for all I’ve done. I had completely forgotten I even had the note, or else I would’ve displayed it. I received a call from HR basically telling me that my coworker found this note, opened it up, and then reported me and that I was fired.
It was terrible news to hear and I immediately began to stew in this stress and overthink everything. I couldn’t believe that I was let go so simply because of one simple mistake. Granted, I understand that having a bad memory or being unorganized is not an excuse and it should be my responsibility to improve on it, but it’s not that easy.
After stressing out about what I was going to do, how I was going to pay my bills and debts, etc, I saw a voicemail that basically told me that HR acted without receiving a decision from ORR, and that it was an error on their part for terminating, and that I still had my job. Not only am I upset, but honestly I feel like the decision was completely subjective, and if it would’ve been somebody else making the decision, I likely would’ve been fired depending on how the person was feeling that particular day. I feel as if we’ve never received any clear examples of what is and is not prohibited. Technically that note shouldn’t have been allowed, but then it turns out that it was fine? I don’t get it, it’s all a bit vague.
What should I do? Should I quit? I love my job but I don’t want to go in to a workplace where I feel as if I’m walking on eggshells. It seems like everybody is out to get each other here. I also didn’t appreciate my coworker opening my desk and looking at a folded note. What was he looking for?? I will be sure to be more careful from now on, but I really don’t remember that note in my desk. I’ve always followed the rules and in the past I’ve thrown out beautiful handmade gifts AS SOON as a student would exit the classroom. I don’t like how void of emotion we are supposed to act. I love the kids but can’t stand my coworkers, and knowing them, I already know the gossip of me being “fired” has spread, and I don’t want to talk to anybody about it, mostly out of shame for my mistake but also anger at how easily I would’ve been discarded.
Is there anything I can or should do? (Maybe even legally, or any compensation for the emotional distress that this has caused?) Also I forgot to mention, but I haven’t been in contact with them after receiving the voicemail saying I’m actually not fired and despite receiving messages and missed calls from my coworker. (I’ve been out of the country, which is the main reason why, but also I feel emotionally petrified and don’t want to make a wrong move.)
- I do not represent ORR nor am I speaking on their behalf. These are purely my own ideas and thoughts and I am not affiliated with them.
Tl;dr Nosey coworker found a note from a student thanking me for being a good teacher in my desk (we are not allowed to “hide” notes, which I didn’t, I just forgot about it.), reports me, then HR calls me and fires me, only to say it was an error much later. Should I continue working in an environment where I have constant anxiety of walking on eggshells, am I eligible for any compensation, or am I completely in the wrong?