I got fired from my job/need advice

[Ringr]

Hey guys,

Well, I'm pretty depressed and disgusted with my situation right now. An hour ago I got fired from my job. It wasn't because I came in late, it wasn't because I was a slacker, and it wasn't because I stole anything. I got fired for complaining about my job, online. Let this be a lesson to you all! Even though I never gave ANY personal information away online, somehow the multi-billion dollar company I worked for found what I had said. It was the last thing I had expected, especially since I was such a good worker (no attendance issues, I was a very hard worker, I followed all of the codes and rules, etc.) But all because I said bad things about the company online (related to pay, raises, and what I felt were unethical rules they had in place) I lost my job. The company that I had worked for said that if I ever said anything about them online again, I would be brought to court. The Internet isn't as big as you think it is, not between you and your employer.

I learned my lesson. I feel like an idiot. It's too bad I can't tell the whole story here, like why I said what I said about the company. I'm sure you'd all be on my side if I told you. But I don't want to risk anything further with the company so I'm going to stay neutral and not talk about them ever again.

But now I have to struggle with finding a new job, which in itself will be a challenge (especially where I live.) I also don't know what on earth I should do regarding my employment history/reference, how can I include the company I worked for on my resume? Because if any potential-employer calls them up, they'll tell them what I did, and then the company I'm applying for wouldn't want to hire me likely. What do I do?

 

[0lgi]

Hello Andy !

Im really sorry of what happened to you !

Personally i would fight against them , if you believe that you are right and if you dont wanna ruin all your life then just talk with a lawyer and try to beat them , maybe it will be really difficult as they are powerful and they have lot of money but do not stat neutral and watch all this posts in this thread !

Im quite sure that you know something about them which it is true and they dont want public to know what is it so another alternative is speak with the boss of that company and tell him that you want XXXXX$ otherwise there will be a nice article after one day on "New York Times"

Thanks and dont worry , life is a challenge!

Olgi

 

[Barrucadu]

tell him that you want XXXXX$ otherwise there will be a nice article after one day on "New York Times"

I am pretty sure that blackmail is illegal. Doing that could get you in LOTS of trouble.

 

[dgridley]

Yes, most employers would never risk saying anythin negative about a former employee because then you could sue THEM... I think you're safe to tell the truth. If it's a large corp as you say, as long as you keep you end of the bargain, I don't think you have to worry. But I would see a lawyer as the others suggest.

First off it is illegal for an employer to say anything negative OR positive about you. When they are called and asked to verify employment, literally all they should be saying is dates of employment. That being said many employers do not follow this rule and there are ways of implying without saying anything i.e. sighs, tone of voice etc. Even if you asked the reason for not being hired you may not get the information.

Have you filed for unemployment?

 

[Peter]

Im quite sure that you know something about them which it is true and they dont want public to know what is it so another alternative is speak with the boss of that company and tell him that you want XXXXX$ otherwise there will be a nice article after one day on "New York Times"

As Mikor states that is blackmail. If he follows that advice he will have more to worry about than losing his job.

 

[Fewski]

They shouldn't be able to sue you because you said something bad about their company. What happened to free speach? They don't have a case on sueing you unless you say something thats not true.

 

[0lgi]

I am pretty sure that blackmail is illegal. Doing that could get you in LOTS of trouble.

Well normally he is in trouble , i would risk , maybe who knows what happens

Olgi

 

[Mike]

1, immediately keep your mouth shut about your situation. any further mention of your dismissal and the reasons, even just vaguely described can be used against you.

2, contact an attorney and let him/her handle the situation. first consultations are most often free of charge
3, you didn't use company equipment to post your rant. the company has dismissed you upon an accusation that you may not be able to prove. your attorney will know what to do. as long as you "just" ranted about your situation you shouldn't have much of a problem, however there is a fine line to slander, which could cause you substantial harm if proven.
4, see the local labor board and unemployment office and disclose your situation to them AFTER talking to your attorney - he/she will tell you what you can say.
5, lay low and accept any job that you can get at this time, to pay the basic bills and let your attorney do the fighting
6, if the company fired you upon false pretenses, they will get their fair share of problems, there are tons of laws that protect you - the employee
7, under no circumstances blackmail the company, that would be a boomerang that's going to knock you on your arse.
8, if its a billion dollar company, the attorney may be inclined to work on commission, given that you have a case
9, NEVER give up fighting, there's not much more you can lose.

best of luck

 

[VisualArtistFrankBonilla]

excellent advise!

1, immediately keep your mouth shut about your situation. any further mention of your dismissal and the reasons, even just vaguely described can be used against you.

2, contact an attorney and let him/her handle the situation. first consultations are most often free of charge
3, you didn't use company equipment to post your rant. the company has dismissed you upon an accusation that you may not be able to prove. your attorney will know what to do. as long as you "just" ranted about your situation you shouldn't have much of a problem, however there is a fine line to slander, which could cause you substantial harm if proven.
4, see the local labor board and unemployment office and disclose your situation to them AFTER talking to your attorney - he/she will tell you what you can say.
5, lay low and accept any job that you can get at this time, to pay the basic bills and let your attorney do the fighting
6, if the company fired you upon false pretenses, they will get their fair share of problems, there are tons of laws that protect you - the employee
7, under no circumstances blackmail the company, that would be a boomerang that's going to knock you on your arse.
8, if its a billion dollar company, the attorney may be inclined to work on commission, given that you have a case
9, NEVER give up fighting, there's not much more you can lose.

best of luck

Excellent advise above!
Most everyone at Namepros seems to be in agreement.
1) We don't think it has been proven by law that you did wrong
2) GET A LAWYER
3) FIGHT BACK!
4) NEVER GIVE UP

fRANK

 

[kev]

feel sorry for you mate!

hopefully everything works out for you

 

[Ringr]

Hey guys, thanks again for the support and advice, it means a lot to me.

Well, right now I have $1,030.00 left in my bank account. It won't last very long because I've got a mortgage to pay off, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. So today I filled out an application at Wal Mart, maybe that will provide a second chance for me.

A lot of you mentioned a lawyer or suing, but when I started with the company I specifically remember signing a sheet saying that I agreed that they could terminate me at any time for any reason. I also don't have the money to sue, and since they threatened to sue me if I ever said anything about them online again I don't want to risk upsetting them any longer. Their net worth = $$ billions. My net worth = $15,000 if I'm lucky. I'd have too much to lose if I tried any legal action with them, and don't forget I signed that termination agreement paper, I also complained about them online - any employer would probably fire you if you did that. So I think I'm in the boat on this one.

 

[Mike]

Hey guys, thanks again for the support and advice, it means a lot to me.

Well, right now I have $1,030.00 left in my bank account. It won't last very long because I've got a mortgage to pay off, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. So today I filled out an application at Wal Mart, maybe that will provide a second chance for me.

A lot of you mentioned a lawyer or suing, but when I started with the company I specifically remember signing a sheet saying that I agreed that they could terminate me at any time for any reason. I also don't have the money to sue, and since they threatened to sue me if I ever said anything about them online again I don't want to risk upsetting them any longer. Their net worth = $$ billions. My net worth = $15,000 if I'm lucky. I'd have too much to lose if I tried any legal action with them, and don't forget I signed that termination agreement paper, I also complained about them online - any employer would probably fire you if you did that. So I think I'm in the boat on this one.

did you sign a statement on the way out, one where you acknowledge any wrong doing? If so, you may be screwed, but even then, i'd have an attorney look at it; an official event like this may be overpowering and you didn't have any one to stand by you to consult you. If not, you have a good fighting chance anyway.
You signed an agreement? Wonderful, but not important in this case. Yes they can lay you off and/or fire you upon their choosing, there still has to be a legally certifiable reason, they can't just run you out the door upon a simple (false?) accusation. If your employment record is indeed as impeccable as you say it is, then there is some level of foul play that needs to be looked at.
Your net worth compared to theirs? Who cares as long as you find an attorney that is hungry enough to get a large case that he can win on his portfolio? The days of running someone out of court by increasing the value of a lawsuit based on time that an attorney is involved are over. Especially if you have a good case. Now, it's up to you whether you have presented your situation here as accurately as you could, i'd think twice about giving up.
The attempt to tape your mouth shut may just be a "bullying" way of killing the pure intention of coming back at them. Just to use an analogy here: Goliath didn't quite make it off the battle field against David, either.
If you believe that you've been treated wrong and your dismissal is incorrect, talk to an attorney, there is NO law that prohibits that.

In the end, look yourself in the mirror and see whether you can accept the situation as it is.

 

[shahab6]

Hey guys,

I also don't know what on earth I should do regarding my employment history/reference, how can I include the company I worked for on my resume? Because if any potential-employer calls them up, they'll tell them what I did, and then the company I'm applying for wouldn't want to hire me likely. What do I do?

by law they can't say anything bad about you, and potential-employer usually never call.

 

[G33K]

I don't know about going to the arbitration board with this because I didn't deny that I wrote what I wrote online.

Does that mean you admitted?

also if you were on your own pc. what was the way you talked about your company? forum, e-mail, blog ...etc?

Is your company spying on you?

If you were using e-mail was it your company email?

I'd look at my contract carefully and see if I signed a confidentiality contract.

LAWSUIT
so what if they are rich and a big company to take on that just means they have more money you can suit them for.

 

[fritz]

sorry to hear

 

[labrocca]

Hey guys, thanks again for the support and advice, it means a lot to me.

Well, right now I have $1,030.00 left in my bank account. It won't last very long because I've got a mortgage to pay off, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. So today I filled out an application at Wal Mart, maybe that will provide a second chance for me.

A lot of you mentioned a lawyer or suing, but when I started with the company I specifically remember signing a sheet saying that I agreed that they could terminate me at any time for any reason. I also don't have the money to sue, and since they threatened to sue me if I ever said anything about them online again I don't want to risk upsetting them any longer. Their net worth = $$ billions. My net worth = $15,000 if I'm lucky. I'd have too much to lose if I tried any legal action with them, and don't forget I signed that termination agreement paper, I also complained about them online - any employer would probably fire you if you did that. So I think I'm in the boat on this one.

I gotta be blunt here. You're an idiot if you don't immediately seek legal counsel. Your $15k net worth is beans...you have NOTHING to lose....while they could lose millions from bad press. LAWYERS DAMN IT! LAWYERS. WTF...you aren't working...wake up...make some calls and get motivated.

btw...if you signed a sheet of paper allowing someone to kill you do you think that makes it legal? WTF...the law is the law...sheets of paper from a company are usually bullshit to scare employees. An employee contract CANNOT circumvent the law.

 

[codyturk]

Time to dust off that resume and start hitting potential jobs. Isn't it weird how thing's seem to come around a bite you in the a**. Where did you post it on the internet? Probably do not want to answer that question but is it possible that your employer was a member of that community? Or they could have just dug deep into google and found out about it. I'm sorry about your loss. I'm pretty sure this will not hurt you in finding a new job. Just got to stay positive, you'll be fine man.

 

[WilliamKeller]

really sorry...
definately go for a lawer
aren't there those "only pay if you win" lawyers?

 

[Ken_]

what is this garbage about go for a lawyer you were an employ at will i presume,
Cut your losses move on and hurry up and find another job. i hope you were not living paychek to paychek then this would really suck.
I hate my job but i like gettin paid its a good lesson in dont bite the hand that feeds you. putting down the company you work for in any way, is not advised unless you no longer work for them, simple common sense.
Have you ever considered driving a truck i maske a decent living, you can learn in a month or so be trained and go solo, i make a good living working my ass off, if i can do it so can you.
Best of luck
Ishouldchargeforthis

 

[homebuyer]

Who to turn to.

You should visit http://www.mnfindalawyer.com/
Read the page in its entirety, and then call them. By doing so, all of your questions will be answered. Once you have these answers, you will be in the best position to decide on a beneficial course of action.

Sometimes what seems like a reasonable answer to a legal question is the exact opposite of what the law actually is on the matter. Furthermore, only a lawyer is trained to spot all of the relevant issues. So do yourself a favor, visit the web site now and then call them first thing Monday morning. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if you do as I suggest.

Let me ask you this. If I needed the answer to a serious medical question, who would you suggest that I call - the chatty person who just delivered my pizza, or a licensed doctor?

Take care.