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Antiwork

Toxic non-profit boss with drug problem

Asking for a friend (no really!) my friend got a job with a nonprofit a few months ago. They have a HUGE annual event critical to the nonprofit’s mission and my friend has been one of only two people on staff making it happen. She’s been hustling hard but her boss is non-communicative and scattered so it’s been tough. This organization and position in general has had a ton of turnover in the last few years. So a few weeks ago, after a great performance review, he called her into his office and said she wasn’t doing a good job and asks too many questions and he needed to see improvement pronto. She was confused and asked for clarification and he said “why do you always get defensive?” A couple days later he randomly brought her in again and said “I’m about to kick you out the door” and told…


Asking for a friend (no really!) my friend got a job with a nonprofit a few months ago. They have a HUGE annual event critical to the nonprofit’s mission and my friend has been one of only two people on staff making it happen. She’s been hustling hard but her boss is non-communicative and scattered so it’s been tough. This organization and position in general has had a ton of turnover in the last few years.

So a few weeks ago, after a great performance review, he called her into his office and said she wasn’t doing a good job and asks too many questions and he needed to see improvement pronto. She was confused and asked for clarification and he said “why do you always get defensive?” A couple days later he randomly brought her in again and said “I’m about to kick you out the door” and told her he was going to take the weekend to think about whether or not to let her work through the huge event coming up and then fire her or go ahead and let her go. He said they would meet again the following Tuesday. Again, she was super confused and upset. I told her to quit but she says she wants to finish the project cycle if possible.

So Tuesday rolls around and he just… Ignores her. Same thing the day after that. And on and on and on and on… So she’s basically living in constant suspense.

Yesterday she texted me and said that long story short, it’s become obvious that he has some kind of a drug problem. He has been acting erratically and slurring his words and disappearing for hours from the office. She has had to reschedule media events and send another employee in his place. And she still doesn’t know if her job is secure. This organization and what they do is huge for our community, and the ramifications of him being so toxic and fucked up are pretty big.

Advice for the friend. Does she quit? Does she tell the board? Does she mail him gummy penises?

TIA

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