Last year, I was hired as a programmer working remotely because of the shutdown.
I was assigned to a project and three months in, got covid.
I messaged my colleague to let him know I was going to be heavily medicated and that my response time was going to be slower.
The next Monday, I'm unable to log into the client's platform. I email IT and a rep says the client let me go because I wasn't doing any work and not responding. I clarified that I had gotten covid and had notified my colleague whom I worked with day-to-day that I was a bit sluggish, but still available.
As soon as covid was in the email, he stopped responding.
A few days later, another rep emails me and asks me what happened.
“Covid.”
And she stops. A few days after that, she emails me and asks me if we can talk over the phone. I said no, I'd prefer to keep our correspondence via email (to keep the receipts).
So she stops emailing me.
Friday comes around and my direct deposit still hits my account.
The following week, I get another email from their third rep and he explains that they'll try to find me another project, but if they can't find a fit within 30 days, they'll have to let me go.
At this point, I was already interviewing for other jobs and landed one where I'm still at.
I expected my checks to stop coming because they didn't assign me to a project after 30 days.
But the checks kept coming and I already had a job; I just didn't say anything.
A month after that, they found a project for me and shipped me the new laptop from the client's account, on top of the laptop I already had from the firm.
Onboarding me was a shit show and I'd play dumb over the days trying to get IT to help me sign in.
So I stopped doing it and just ignored them.
Only casually would I respond to an email from whatever supervisor asking if they had sorted me out.
“We're still working on it because blah blah blah…”
This ritual would happen every few weeks and nobody seemed to prioritize me.
My wife and I used that money to travel, save, and buy holiday gifts.
Then one morning on the 11th month I get an email that IT had sorted my login credentials and that I was good to go. I didn't show up and two days later I get an email from HR asking why I haven't shown up for work these past two days.
“Shiiiii…two days?” I thought.
The HR lady said that she stopped my direct deposit until I responded to the client's supervisor with an explanation. I responded:
“Actually, I think I'll be looking for opportunities elsewhere. Thank you for the opportunity.”
And that's how that company was the BEST company I never worked for.
Oh and also, they never mailed me boxes to send their laptops back; which reminds me, anyone know how to jailbreak them and get them back to factory standard?