# So, your overboss just fired a hero. What do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121 "2016-04-13T20:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/21 "2016-04-14T05:35:53Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Why would the boss who fired the hero be let go? If the hero wasn’t willing to come up with an explanation the boss deserves no blame. Granted, the publicity might be tough to deal with but the story, as related here, doesn’t reflect badly on the boss or the company. If the guy left the office quietly and never explained his situation then I’m not sure where he would be upset with his firing. The employee was fired for showing up to work late one day. The boss apparently made no attempt to find out why, what the employee’s past record was, or whether he was a valuable employee overall. And this is all before the firing generated bad publicity for the company. It seems like the boss is doing a lot more damage to the company than the employee he fired. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/22 "2016-04-14T11:03:13Z")
You seek out Bigboss, and, in front of as many people as possible, you tear into him. First quitting your job in solidarity with a fine employee with years of valuable experience, which he fired for arriving late and being less than presentable. Then a lot of Blah, blah, blah about how Bigboss represents everything that’s wrong with the company, you can’t in good conscious, etc, etc. Then, in the veritable last seconds, in loud pear shaped tones, reveal the quiet heroic deeds, and the noble humility work mate possesses, your undying admiration for HIS character! Then turn on your heels and storm off while announcing you and your coworker have a call to take from CNN. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/23 "2016-04-14T11:35:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The employee was fired for showing up to work late one day. The boss apparently made no attempt to find out why, what the employee’s past record was, or whether he was a valuable employee overall. Well, he was also disheveled and had no explanation for why he was late. From the OP there’s really not information to read much more into it. There’s not a lot of detail into how the firing went. > [@](#): > > The bigwig immediately fires the colleague who then leaves quietly. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/24 "2016-04-14T12:03:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Well, he was also disheveled and had no explanation for why he was late. From the OP there’s really not information to read much more into it. There’s not a lot of detail into how the firing went. Yeah, that’s why I said this company has atrocious policies and is going to get hit with nasty lawsuits at some point even if this guy isn’t the case. The boss didn’t ascertain and document that his being disheveled and late was not due to a disability or something FMLA related, and he’d better do this anytime someone is disheveled or late or they can argue it’s actually being done because they’re in a protected class. And the hypothetical said this is consistent with company policy, so HR is perfectly fine with off-the-cuff undocumented firings. Also in the hypothetical, he wasn’t even asked for a reason, he ‘stumbled in’ and the boss fired him ‘immediately’, so acting like the big boss is remotely close to doing the right thing is just silly. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/25 "2016-04-14T12:10:34Z")
Yeah, if I’m at work and someone who isn’t known for it stumbles in late and disheveled, my reaction is to ask “what happened?” The Big Boss doesn’t know the guy from Adam and his reaction is “you’re fired!”? No questions, no worrying about what happened, no CYA, no nothing. Big Boss better be the reincarnation of Steve Jobs… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/26 "2016-04-14T12:17:39Z")
I go to the fridge to see if the fired guy left a lunch I might like; then I ask my boss if he’s thought about who is going to get the fired guy’s old office; and then I go on the local news website and start the anonymous rumor that the “hero” actually set the fire himself and in fact had been fired earlier that day for being unstable. Then I go comfort his wife. When someone’s down, you keep kicking them until they stop moving. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/27 "2016-04-14T14:03:39Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I wander by, smirk, ask the bigwig is he’s prepared for the PR nightmare he just created, flash the great big wolf smile and walk out of the room. Or, better yet, if your firm is big enough to have a PR department, give them a direct heads-up that Shitstorm Sandy is headed their way and let the boss find out the hard way. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/28 "2016-04-14T14:23:51Z")
It’s not exactly a “hero” situation, but in my first semester of law school a classmate gave birth to a slightly late baby. She was a relatively slender girl but didn’t “show” much, and a lot of people hadn’t even known she was pregnant. She dutifully reported to class _the next day_, and was called on to brief one of that day’s cases. Understandably, she wasn’t prepared, and she got an earful from the professor (who knew nothing of her situation). After class, a number of us spoke to the professor, who profusely apologized at the next class meeting. I was never quite sure why the student didn’t speak up for herself (she wasn’t the shrinking violet type) but I could see why she would be uncomfortable saying “look, I was having a baby” in front of 70 people. I could equally see why the hero co-worker would be uncomfortable declaring that he was saving children from a burning building (after all, who would believe him?) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/29 "2016-04-14T14:41:34Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Well, he was also disheveled and had no explanation for why he was late. You’re wrong. As the OP made clear, the employee had an excellent explanation for why he was late. The bigwig just didn’t bother asking for an explanation before firing him. Making important decisions without bothering to gain information about the situation is bad management. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/30 "2016-04-14T15:10:53Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I go to the fridge to see if the fired guy left a lunch I might like; then I ask my boss if he’s thought about who is going to get the fired guy’s old office; and then I go on the local news website and start the anonymous rumor that the “hero” actually set the fire himself and in fact had been fired earlier that day for being unstable. Then I go comfort his wife. When someone’s down, you keep kicking them until they stop moving. Poe’s Law…? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/31 "2016-04-14T15:14:46Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I go to the fridge to see if the fired guy left a lunch I might like; then I ask my boss if he’s thought about who is going to get the fired guy’s old office; and then I go on the local news website and start the anonymous rumor that the “hero” actually set the fire himself and in fact had been fired earlier that day for being unstable. Then I go comfort his wife. When someone’s down, you keep kicking them until they stop moving. > [@Velocity](#): > > Poe’s Law…? [Karate Kid](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/quotes) > [@](#): > > We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition: A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/32 "2016-04-14T15:31:44Z")
Call CNN, give them the person’s name and where that person works as well as the name and phone number of the person’s boss (don’t mention the person was just fired.) ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/33 "2016-04-14T15:36:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s your hypothetical, but I can’t rationalize these two concepts. If the hero isn’t willing to speak up for him or herself at least minimally, then I wouldn’t feel inclined to do so either. Clearly, staying anonymous is more important to them than saving their job. I couldn’t disagree more. For some people, it’s a lot easier to stand up for others than it is to stand up for themselves. This could especially be true after dealing with the sort of situation described in the OP, where someone saved others, declined the glory and arrived to work late, probably still dealing with the adrenaline and stress of the situation, just wanting to get in, calm down, and get to work. Hell, if that sort of situation had happened to me, I’d probably react the same way, not so much because I didn’t want to, but probably more because I was in shock that I’d be fired on the spot without question. Sure, a state might be at will, I work in such a state, but it’s rare that people are just fired like that. Basic human decency usually has people wondering if maybe someone shows up late, especially if it’s not a habit, that maybe there’s a situation going on that they should be aware of. Maybe they just had a flat tire and had to change it on the side of the road, should they be fired for showing up late because of that? Or maybe their spouse left them and they couldn’t sleep all night, maybe a family member is seriously injured or ill or dying and they just came in from the hospital. I couldn’t reasonably expect someone to be in the place to put up a fight after dealing with such an emotionally charged situation. What kind of heartless bastard would just fire someone for that? I’ve seen these sorts of situations come up, and never seen someone fired for it. And so if someone risked their life to help other people, that seems heartless too. So, yeah, it’s precisely that sort of situation that that person needs someone to go to bat for them or have their back. Maybe the big boss was having a rough day too and isn’t aware of that person’s general punctuality and good work ethic and made a snap reaction. But if that person really is heartless, I wouldn’t want to work for that person either. By going to bat for that person, I’m doing it as much to help myself and my coworkers or help the company understand the situation in losing a good employee and potentially getting bad press as I am for that person. So, hell yes, I’d point it out, and if there wasn’t a swift and decisive response to correct it, I’d be looking for a new job and offering some assistance to that former coworker. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/34 "2016-04-14T16:09:40Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Poe’s Law…? Hey, you don’t get a cubicle with a view of a window by being Mr. Nice Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/35 "2016-04-14T17:12:37Z")
If I worked at a company that would fire a guy just for showing up late one day, I’d start looking for another job. Yes, I understand that people are supposed to show up at work on time and ready to work. But accidents happen. People stumble and break a leg on the way to work. Trucks jackknife on the 405. Bernie Sanders rallies block the streets. Trees fall over and crush your car in the driveway. You get mugged and your phone stolen at the bus stop. There was a tornado, a terrible flood, LOCUSTS! It’s acceptable to occasionally be late to work due to unforeseen events, and be unable to notify the office in a timely fashion. It only becomes a problem when the employee is constantly late or missing work, with a new explanation every time. It’s obviously even more important if your work involves some sort of shifts and when you arrive late it means someone else has to stay late until you arrive. But most office jobs are not like this. To fight the hypothetical, there is no company in the world that has a corporate policy of firing someone for arriving late to work one time. Yes, there are small companies where the boss/owner might fire you for arriving late to work one time, but that’s not because there’s a written corporate policy, that’s just the boss running things the way the boss wants to run things. Could there be a situation where a corporate bigwig fires an employee they don’t know on the spot for no good reason? Yes, but if the corporation is big enough to have an HR department that corporate bigwig is violating company policy. Will the bigwig get away with it? Maybe so. If the bigwig has enough juice that the company needs to keep him happy, he can act like a total jackass and keep his job no matter what wreckage he leaves in his wake. But a company that allows a bigwig to act like a jackass is not a company you want to work for, so start polishing that resume. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/36 "2016-04-14T17:34:21Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Hey, you don’t get a cubicle with a view of a window by being Mr. Nice Guy. I like the distinction. You get a view _of_ a window. You never said you get a cubicle where you can see _out_ of the window! ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/37 "2016-04-14T18:08:21Z")
I’ve got a good imagination, but the scenario presented in the OP is so far beyond anything that I have ever experienced that I can’t fathom it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/38 "2016-04-14T18:16:40Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I like the distinction. > > You get a view _of_ a window. You never said you get a cubicle where you can see _out_ of the window! That’s why I need to frame Mr. Hero in the OP for arson. Also, I would like my red stapler back. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/39 "2016-04-14T18:54:24Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I go to the fridge to see if the fired guy left a lunch I might like; then I ask my boss if he’s thought about who is going to get the fired guy’s old office; and then I go on the local news website and start the anonymous rumor that the “hero” actually set the fire himself and in fact had been fired earlier that day for being unstable. Then I go comfort his wife. When someone’s down, you keep kicking them until they stop moving. I was just fired summarially by some high muckety muck for laughing like a hyena at my desk. My lunch bag is full of mold, my office is a broom closet with no ventilation, the news already knows all my dirty secrets, and my wife is fat and ugly. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121/40 "2016-04-14T19:00:01Z")
Special praise goes to the gutless manager who didn’t step in to defend his staff member. If the overboss didn’t know the guy his direct manager did, and he should have spoken to the overboss to clarify things. If he was scared to do that then he was a useless manager. (Yes I know it could be a “she”. I don’t care.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-your-overboss-just-fired-a-hero-what-do-you-do/752121.md?page=3)