Boss Fires Employee After Nearly 20 Years, Then Learns His Mistake Will Cost Him Thousands: ‘The Mandatory Payment Is HUGE’

A post in the popular subreddit r/pettyrevenge is gaining traction on Reddit after a user shared how their boss's decision to fire them after nearly 20 years at the company ultimately backfired.

Posted by u/TrantorX, the story has received 12,000 upvotes and 213 comments. In the post, the Reddit user described how their boss tried to avoid paying their full severance after deciding they were “too expensive” to keep on the payroll.

“I'm told by boss, in a nonchalant manner that I'm too expensive and not needed. However, he will not fire me yet!” the user wrote.

Instead, the boss placed them on a special government status that the user described as a form of paid leave. According to the poster, the arrangement could last for several months, giving the company time to prepare financially for the employee's dismissal or decide whether to keep them on.

Two months into the arrangement, the user was called back into their boss's office.

“Once there, he looks p-----. I try to be cheery since I know it will p--- him off even more, and ask how's everything? Turns out, not fine,” they wrote.

The boss had taken too long to submit a request for an extension, and the extension was ultimately denied. As a result, the boss learned that he would have to pay the user for the previous two months, even though they hadn't worked during that time.

The boss then presented the employee with several options for receiving the money, none of which involved paying the full amount upfront.

“To say his offers were disrespectful would be a big understatement,” the user wrote. “This is no small amount of money we're talking about. I've worked for almost 20 years with this company and the mandatory payment is HUGE—and well deserved. He's trying to get me to voluntarily give up 80% of my compensation.”

The user then explained how severance payments work in their country, later editing the post to clarify that they were located in South America.

“Once you're fired in my country, the employer has 7 days to legally pay you what they must, otherwise they're forced to pay you by the government, with a 10% extra on top for your troubles,” they wrote.

According to the user, that meant their former boss was required to pay the full amount within seven days of notifying them of their dismissal, regardless of the payment options he had proposed.

The user added that they could have agreed to a different arrangement, but they had no intention of doing so.

Ultimately, the employee said they received their full payment after explaining the legal requirements to their former boss and pointing out the mistake he had made.

Commenters Praise the Employee for Knowing Their Rights

Several Reddit users applauded the employee for standing their ground and refusing to accept less than they were owed.

Some commenters focused on the importance of understanding workplace rights and knowing what employers are legally required to pay.

Others discussed how severance laws differ from country to country, with some users saying they wished their own countries offered similar protections.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in the Reddit post. The details in this article are based on the account shared by u/TrantorX on r/pettyrevenge.