I worked at a Staples store for about 2 months. While working there the managers would often put me in the back and tell me to restock the shelves because my social skills are not up to par with what their standards are. I struggle to read others' body language and facial expressions understandably because I have autism. Over the 2 months, I had made mistakes and did things like take a tip for helping someone carry a printer to their car. (Which was a violation of their corporate rules but seriously $12/hour smh) At some point down the line, they had decided they would fire me even though they were complaining about being short-staffed all the time.
My reaction wasn't that appropriate but the first thing that came to my mind was to say “So you're firing me because I am autistic” and the manager's response was “Had we known you were autistic, we would have never hired you in the first place”. There was no upward mobility in the company and I was there temporarily until I got hired in my field so I never felt that passionate about doing a boring job on my feet all day. I was lucky that when I got fired I immediately got a job that paid 2 times what they were paying me there.
This was a few months before covid so understandably had I been forced to work there with the threat of catching the virus for such bad pay, I definitely would have quit. Later I did discover that everyone that was working there was getting more than me from the start. (Something like $14/hour+) At the start of my employment, they told me to not talk about my pay because “I had gotten a raise before my co-workers which would have upset my co-workers” which in hindsight was a load of BS. Getting taken advantage of is something that I have had to get used to because I don't notice subtle hints that other people say or show.
Somedays I wonder what would have happened had I sued Staples for discrimination. I don't like to cause harm and that is also why it took me 2 years before deciding to write this. Getting fired was a blessing in disguise because now I work from wherever I want and get paid 5 times or more for what I was getting there. I would rather just see some correction inside the company to prevent such discrimination in the future.
Sorry if I am all over the place in this post, I am not that good at writing. I am open to hearing what others have experienced and what suggestions people may have for a situation like this.