# Can anyone help me with a work problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723 "2024-07-04T14:47:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/121 "2024-07-17T17:06:16Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Until last week, I was doing tasks that have been my responsibility for years that no one else is doing. A lot of them are not assigned (I see something isn’t working or I check to see if things are working, and if they’re not I fix them). I’m very confused by this. If you haven’t actually been assigned to do the task, then it’s not your responsibility, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, or how badly it’s falling apart if you don’t step in to fix it. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > They don’t need the files while I’m doing my job. They will later on. Some things could be re-created, but it takes time and some of the pieces that are used need my skills that no one else at my organization has. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’m checking out open jobs in my organization, but there aren’t any other jobs that I could do that wouldn’t be a huge paycut. We’ve all kind of overlooked the obvious question so far, so I’ll go ahead and ask it. If the side work is doing is so valuable to other departments, why don’t you ask those managers about transferring to one of those departments, and getting out of the firing line of Chaos Boss? Forget about whether there are any posted job openings, if your specific talent is that important, they’ll figure out a way to keep you. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > The root of the problem is that my boss wants to control everything. She’s an extreme micromanager, and she wants to micromanage my job, which she knows very little about. No. I hate to say it, but the root of your problem is the root of the problem I had with my job. _The job that you think you’re supposed to be doing is not the job that your manager thinks should be charged to her headcount._ If another manager thinks that job is important enough to take on your salary, that’s great. If not, then your job will cease to exist, whether you leave voluntarily or are laid off. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/122 "2024-07-17T17:15:08Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > No. I hate to say it, but the root of your problem is the root of the problem I had with my job. _The job that you think you’re supposed to be doing is not the job that your manager thinks should be charged to her headcount._ This is, from what I can see, the fundamental tension in your problem, @MagicEyes . You’ve made it very clear that it’s _very_ important to you that you are able to stay in this job for another two-ish months. But, you also keep saying that it’s important to you that you continue to do things that have historically been part of your job, and to support your colleagues (but which your boss no longer seems to want you to be doing). One of these two _has_ to give. If “I really need to stay in this job until September” truly is the most important thing to you, then, IMO, you need to follow, to the letter, exactly what your boss is telling you to do – _even if it means not doing the work that you think is important to your company or your colleagues_, and you are going to have to accept that you will be “letting them down.” Get your head down, and don’t rock the boat for two months. It’s really that simple. You need your boss to absolutely believe that you are on board with her way of doing things, even if she’s not consistent in it, and even if you don’t think she knows what she is doing. If your moral code or work ethic simply won’t allow you to do that, then you need to accept that there may be a very good chance that your boss will, sometime in the next few weeks, decide that you are not willing to do things her way, and she will force you out before your September goal. Do not count on your observation that “it’s really hard to get people fired here at this company.” Trying to have things both ways, being passive-aggressive in following her mandates (as several have suggested) or work behind her back, probably has a non-zero chance of landing you on the street earlier than you want. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/123 "2024-07-17T18:54:00Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > The problem that I’m trying to get at here is that I think she’s trying to prevent me from having work to do so it will be easier for her to fire me. You don’t fire someone by not giving them work. You fire someone by writing them up. Your focus should be on not giving her reason to write you up. Taking away someone’s work can be a reason to lay them off, but that’s a much slower process. Companies also don’t generally like laying people off if they can transfer them to somewhere else. Are you worried about getting fired or laid off? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/124 "2024-07-17T19:32:21Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > You don’t fire someone by not giving them work. You fire someone by writing them up. Your focus should be on not giving her reason to write you up. Not giving most people work is an excellent way of making them quit without all the paperwork needed to fire them. All but the most lazy types find this intolerable. I’ve heard that this is standard practice in the military. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/125 "2024-07-17T19:33:47Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > She doesn’t read my emails, so if I have to email her when I find out I need to do something and then wait for her to tell me it’s okay, I’ll never get her approval to work on anything. Awesome for CYA > [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’ll never get her approval to work on anything. I can let some things go, but there are things that no one else does, and my coworkers are relying on me to get these things done, so not doing them is not an option. Since you are going to the mattresses on this, can they go through you boss asking, “Can MagicEyes do this?” > [@Shalmanese](#): > > A lot of people at your company would be inconvenienced if you just stopped doing your job? Well, guess what, if you were fired last month, they’d be the same level of inconvenienced and yet somehow they would cope and patch things along and eventually they would figure out how to live without you. Very extremely true. Plus that problem is on the boss not the OP. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > One of my big questions has been what I can do if she tries to deprive me of things to work on. Then don’t do it; she’s the boss. BUT make sure you have it documented that she is depriving you of work or guarantied SHE will make it look like you’re the slacker. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’m not sure why you think I haven’t done this. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > but there are a few places where I’m not going to let my coworkers down by not doing certain things. I have some responsibilities with a program that no one else can do right now. When I leave, someone else will need to be able to do this, but until someone else is assigned, this work still needs to be done. I won’t let my coworkers down by just not doing it. You answered your own question. If your boss tells you to sit in the corner and play solitaire all day, then it is not on you but her when your coworkers do not get the TPS reports. Is that shitty? Of course but it is not your problem to resolve other than a professional email to your boss outlining why you think you should be allowed to make the TPS reports and then your job is that once you have relayed your concern, follow her directions. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’ve asked for help with specific questions about how to deal with an angry narcissistic boss, And we gave you the answers - Act professionally in the face of tyranny - Document everything - Follow her directions to the letter even if it goes into malicious compliance > [@MagicEyes](#): > > The issue is, now she wants me to email her about everything little thing I do and get her permission before I work on anything. This is absurd and excessive. Also she doesn’t respond to my emails. So do it despite how you feel about it. And if she doesn’t reply, fine. You have documentation that you sent the requests. > [@msmith537](#): > > If she’s as bonkers as the OP says, the company might be like “uh…that’s not a terminatable offence.” Assuming in the US and not Montana, everything the OP is doing is a terminatable offence. If you boss says not to do something and you do then that is insubordination and the real question is if they can make a case if that resulted in termination for cause. > [@msmith537](#): > > If your boss asked you not to support these groups for whatever reason, your obligation is to tell them “you need to clear this with my boss as she has specifically forbid me from working on stuff outside of her team”. Or have their managers push it up the chain above the boss’ head. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > There’s only one thing that I’m drawing the line on, and that’s making sure that my coworkers get copies of documents they need when I’m gone. Please clarify. Why can’t you? > [@MagicEyes](#): > > There is no good reason for her to tell me not to work for other departments. Is it possible that this isn’t really about you but her department and that no matter who were working for her that her attitude would be the same that all other departments must fail? Kmart is the case-study for this. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Maybe the OP truly is an irreplaceable and absolutely indispensable employee - the likes of whom I’ve never encountered in my career or countless discussions with others. I’ve met a few. The problem was the “Oh shit we should have kept him.” only happens after they are let go - never while they are there because managers cannot make the connection of: They are here = things get done. > [@Al128](#): > > the best “revenge” is a (corporate) life well lived … if nothing to do, sit in a corner updating your CV and skillset (get a diploma from coursera, etc…) I was in a similar situation to the OP. Works at most two hours in the morning then sit until 5pm and make sure the automatic reports started. Maybe twice a year I would have to start them manually. I used the time to teach myself UNIX-C and made a very basic database with it. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > I was doing tasks that have been my responsibility for years that no one else is doing. A lot of them are not assigned (I see something isn’t working or I check to see if things are working, and if they’re not I fix them). Wait. Then how are they your responsibility? Or have you assigned them yourself as your responsibility. msmith537 may have a point that this is all about making you stay in your lane. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > The root of the problem is that my boss wants to control everything. That’s her right. Not saying it’s good management but she is your boss. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > She asked me to send her lists of everything I do every day, and she got bent out of shape that I worked on things that I hadn’t told her about first (keep in mind that these are things I have been responsible for and no one else is doing). Who made you responsible for these tasks? And if it was a previous boss, it is within her power to tell you to stop doing them (make sure that is documented) and if that is in error, it is between her and her bosses - not you. And this has not been said but when (not if) they offer you the choice to quit instead of being fired, force them to terminate you so you don’t lose unemployment benefits or the potential for lawsuits. Also, if they give you termination documentation to sign, run it by an attorney before you sign off. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/126 "2024-07-17T19:45:01Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I found out today that we paid a contractor a big pile of money to hire her for this job. Which is interesting, because as far as I know, there were no interviews or any kind of competitive hiring process. We’ve used this contractor for other things of dubious value, and she is a friend of someone in upper management. Interesting. I’m sure upper management will say “I wasn’t showing favoritism by hiring her. A contractor did it.” A suggestion - if you email her with stuff you would like to do, add something saying that if you don’t hear otherwise on one week, you’ll take that as approval. And print it out. I’m sure you are right that her plan is to give you nothing to do and then firing you for doing nothing, or making your life so intolerable you’ll quit. When I was doing my PhD I found that my adviser had a policy that if he didn’t have any changes in two weeks it was okay. His delay in reviewing things was three weeks. I got done much faster thanks to that. He was also not a jerk, so I can’t guarantee your boss will be as rational. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/127 "2024-07-17T19:51:43Z")
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it is a departmental issue. The OP is working on self-assigned duties outside of their department. Maybe the boss is looking to make her mark and let the other departments fail by denying them OP’s help. Maybe it is a budget issue - why should Facilities get OP’s help if they are not paying their salary? Maybe it is as simple as, you work for my department so focus on our departmental work. If that is not enough then we will deal with that. Since the OP is setting themselves for termination despite our help, no-harm if they go all out and meet with a high Pooh-Bah, not to complain about the boss but to explain the whole gamut of their work and ask that instead of departmental vision, what is the corporation’s vision of their job. I think the answer would be eye-opening for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/128 "2024-07-17T20:14:53Z")
In any corp, even small ones, there’s what the org chart and job descriptions say, and then there’s what everybody does or doesn’t do to push the whole org along from day to day. There are always people like the OP. Sort of self-appointed janitor of the nooks, crannys, and cracks in the wiring diagram. Both the wiring of jobs and bosses & underlings, but also the wiring of manual information flow from this source to that report to this other output, or of IT stuff be it great or tiny. In an informally-run org, the people in those self-managed self-appointed roles often achieve high personal job satisfaction, and even some measure of positive fame among the people they interface with. After all, there are hundreds of unmet needs so they pick the half-dozen that interest them for whatever reason and become guru of those. They get self-actualization, and the people depending on those dozen things get the results the entire rest of the org was unable / unwilling to provide. Which is all well and good until some competent outsider comes in, looks at the random thicket of organically grown f\*\*\*ed up workflows that have nothing to do with how to run a well-run business, and decides it’s time to change things in a positive organized way. Or until some incompetent outsider comes in, looks around, can’t make heads nor tails of anything they see then decides a bulldozer is the first step of any good renovation. Of course they don’t know how to drive a bulldozer either. So they just sit and screech. The OP is in a _Paradise Lost_ situation. It ain’t coming back, and trying to hold back the tide of change will not work. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/129 "2024-07-18T00:24:10Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it is a departmental issue. The OP is working on self-assigned duties outside of their department. Maybe the boss is looking to make her mark and let the other departments fail by denying them OP’s help. Maybe it is a budget issue - why should Facilities get OP’s help if they are not paying their salary? Maybe it is as simple as, you work for my department so focus on our departmental work. If that is not enough then we will deal with that. There is nothing odd about prioritizing work for your department. What is odd is being told to stop work for outside departments without being given any work in your own department. That’s pure psycho boss. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > There are always people like the OP. Sort of self-appointed janitor of the nooks, crannys, and cracks in the wiring diagram. Both the wiring of jobs and bosses & underlings, but also the wiring of manual information flow from this source to that report to this other output, or of IT stuff be it great or tiny. Absolutely. And managers, particularly new ones, are often clueless about the importance of this work. My daughter used to work for an airline in Hong Kong. After she left, they got rid of all the foreigners with no transition. It turned out that one of them was responsible for renewing a web site certification for a site hosted in the US. Since no one was aware he did this - and they kicked him out too quickly for him to document it, if he bothered - their main site went dark just at a peak travel season. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/130 "2024-07-18T02:52:17Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Are you worried about getting fired or laid off? I’m not worried about getting laid off. That’s very unlikely. I’m trying to not get fired. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Who made you responsible for these tasks? And if it was a previous boss, it is within her power to tell you to stop doing them (make sure that is documented) and if that is in error, it is between her and her bosses - not you. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it is a departmental issue. The OP is working on self-assigned duties outside of their department. These tasks have been my responsibility for years. It is her right to change what my responsibilities are, but she hasn’t talked to me much about what I do and she hasn’t told me to stop doing these things (until now). For the first six months that she was in the job, she was busy doing other things and didn’t talk to me much, so I just got on with the things that needed to be done. She’s knee-jerk reacting to me doing things she hasn’t approved, instead of looking at my tasks in an organized way. None of the things that I do without being assigned are outside of my department. They might even be part of my job description. I do have one, but I don’t know if I have a copy of it. > [@Voyager](#): > > There is nothing odd about prioritizing work for your department. What is odd is being told to stop work for outside departments without being given any work in your own department. That’s pure psycho boss. 100 percent pure psycho. 😢 > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And this has not been said but when (not if) they offer you the choice to quit instead of being fired, force them to terminate you so you don’t lose unemployment benefits or the potential for lawsuits. Also, if they give you termination documentation to sign, run it by an attorney before you sign off. Thanks for the attorney info. I think I am in a protected class (age and gender), so that might help. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/131 "2024-07-18T02:59:55Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Thanks for the attorney info. I think I am in a protected class (age and gender), so that might help. Guarantied your firing will not be documented to be related to your protected status. It will be claimed to be due to not doing your work, insubordination in doing work you were told not to do, your position being redundant, etc. So assume you have no protection BUT if you quit you will not have any protection even if you find out later you were fired (errrr… given the option to quit) due to your status. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > These tasks have been my responsibility for years. Again, who assigned you all of those duties? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/132 "2024-07-18T06:07:13Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Thanks for the attorney info. I think I am in a protected class (age and gender), so that might help. If as you say they do not do performance reviews, and if they have not carefully documented your supposed infractions, you might have some success with the state labor board. Especially if you keep documenting your efforts to do work. Definitely get a lawyer if you get fired. Your company is likely to decide that paying you is better than trying to fight you, especially if they have no records. I was involved with a case where the manager, who was losing it, threw away performance review records for someone who got fired, and we were SOL. Not having any is even worse. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/133 "2024-07-18T11:40:59Z")
I may have missed this upthread somewhere, but do you have an up-to-date job description? Has Chaos Boss seen it? Does it specifically list all the things you do for other depts, things that you say are your responsibility so that you can point to it and tell her that it **is** your job to do that? I see you saying that you do things because someone needs to do it. Does that mean it’s in your job spec? Or is it something you did because nobody else did, and you’ve assumed responsibility for it without that ever being “official”? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/134 "2024-07-18T11:54:44Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’m not worried about getting laid off. That’s very unlikely. I’m trying to not get fired. I dont thonk she can fire you for not workong if you have completed all assigned tasks. How do you see that going? I also don’t think she can fire you until you’ve failed to meet the criteria for a couple formal PiPs. Those are a month each, and youdclilely technically meet them (like, if ypu have specifics, you’ll do that). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/135 "2024-07-18T14:28:04Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I dont thonk she can fire you for not workong if you have completed all assigned tasks. How do you see that going? > > I also don’t think she can fire you until you’ve failed to meet the criteria for a couple formal PiPs. Those are a month each, and youdclilely technically meet them (like, if ypu have specifics, you’ll do that). In a right to work state (everyone except Montana), they can fire you for any reason except those protected by law. If they can’t fire the OP for those reasons, they’ll just make one up. The only time it make a difference is if they try to fight the unemployment benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/136 "2024-07-18T14:52:17Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > What is odd is being told to stop work for outside departments without being given any work in your own department. That’s pure psycho boss. It is not entirely unheard of - especially in union situations - for bosses to not want to go through the effort of firing an employee, and to simply tell them to sit there and do nothing. Then, should a later boss try to fire the employee for not doing work, the employee can say that not doing anything was their expressly assigned task. More common, an employee is only doing 5-10% of what is expected of an average employee. But the boss will not be able to replace them if they fire them, so they prefer to get that 5-10% of work done. Later, the employee may be able to claim that their work efforts were deemed acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/137 "2024-07-18T14:59:47Z")
But if that’s the case, there is no reason to go through the charade of taking her work away. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/138 "2024-07-18T15:06:56Z")
The boss may still need to justify the firing to the bosses and taking away the work may be part of the strategy. The other possibility is that (we think) MagicEyes has self-assigned herself responsibilities and the boss may not want to pay for work done for other departments out of her budget. And if MagicEyes had enough work to do as per her job description then how did she ever get time to do extra work? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/139 "2024-07-18T18:51:02Z")
Unless you’re in a union or something, companies generally don’t need a good reason to let you go. They need a reason if they want to avoid paying unemployment. But if they let you go because they can’t afford to pay you anymore, they can make the decision and walk you out the door that day. Doing stuff like working for other departments after your manager told you not to may be considered a valid reason for being let go and cause your unemployment claim to be denied. The company is notified if you apply for unemployment. They can respond as to the reason you were let go. If they have documentation that your manager told you to clear all work through her, yet you continued to take on work from other departments on your own, then that may disqualify your unemployment claim. Trying to fight it by saying your manager didn’t give you enough work will not be considered valid. If the company wants to pay you to sit around and do nothing, then that’s their right. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723/140 "2024-07-18T19:54:35Z")
But if you are in a protected class, which is the case here, and you file a complaint, a response of “they were fired for doing too much” is not going to look non-discriminatory. Especially if requests for work have been documented. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-help-me-with-a-work-problem/1003723.md?page=8)