TDLR, I was fired for not respecting the new lazy, creepy manager. However a year ago I started working for myself part time and was able to use the firing to finally make myself boss free. I'm honestly grateful that I was fired.
Three weeks ago I was fired from the chain spa I worked at as a massage therapist. Honestly I'm happy about that. It was a horribly run place and I was not quiet about it.
They would wash the sheets on quick wash because there weren't enough sheets and laundry machines to do full loads. Their was what appeared to be mold everywhere. The front desk constantly screwed up booking costing the therapist money. I could go on and on about how horrible the place was.
It had been sold in 2021 to a new owner after the old owner had her PPP loans turned into grants. She found a sucker to push her failing business onto. I gave the new owner a few months to show me she cared. She failed at that and I leased an office and started working for myself part time. It took her nearly half a year to hire a manager because she was so cheap. In the meantime she promoted the abusive front desk guy to ASM after starting to come in and have dinner with him and only coming in when he was there. This was despite everyone telling him that he was lazy.
She hired a good manager who later stepped down because of how lazy the ASM was. She only hired a manager after the ASM asked to not come in one day because he was sick. She asked him to come in anyway and he later tested positive for covid.
The new manager is who fired me, though the owner is the one with the power so I hold her accountable. I did not like or respect him. He was lazy, creepy, and full of excuses. A few days before I was fired I told him one of the clients was complaining about dark spots surrounding the vents. I told him I didn't need any response from him because I was just telling him about it so that if the customer said something I could say I spoke to management. I then brought it up in the group chat and said, “I don't need a response I'm just bringing it up.” I was fired the next day.
I'm so [redacted] happy. Because I started working for myself I was able to just open up my schedule and start taking more clients. The first week was rough because I work for myself and most people just assume massage therapist work for spas. Even self proclaimed leftist have come into the spa proclaiming to hate large businesses while getting a massage at a chain spa. So it's just not the easiest to get attention as a solo massage therapist, especially a male.
Because I had put in the effort for the previous year I was able to make enough to support myself by the second week and make $100 extra by the third. This is in the summer which is the slow period.
Today a coworker is telling me how this couple where one of them is extremely negative and abusive to their spouse is coming in. I hated working on the abusive spouse. I don't have to anymore. I get to be pickier with my clients, no more Karens. I get more flexibility with my schedule. I make more than double per hour and I don't take tips because I don't need to beg to be paid fairly. I don't have to worry about the abusive ASM litterally changing my schedule while I'm at lunch and then lying to the customers about it.
I'm not going to do it because it would add no value to my life. But I honestly want to thank the manager for firing me. I'm torn about hearing my former coworkers complain about the place to me. On one hand hearing about all the stuff I don't have to deal with is amusing and feels good. On the other it's annoying hearing them talk about the owner as if she is some victim. Just because she talks in a soft sweet voice doesn't mean she's not a rich adult with power. An adult who can buy an apartment building and not know what to do about it. The first day we met her husband she talked poorly about him behind his back. Yet she seems to go to bat for every lazy [redacted] boy that works for her. I'm happy to hear about the drama I'm no longer subjected to. However I'm annoyed that my former coworkers still have a hard time figuring out that the owner of the business is getting the work culture that she is herself cultivating.