Fired

Ten years. I gave them the best years of my life, my thirties, only to be tossed away like an old bag of moldy tangerines.

​This is me right now. Stanley Spadowski. But without the mix of humor with the sadness, or being offered a new job right away. It's just the first thing I thought of when my brain recovered enough to remember that I needed to post something about this. I'm a bit of a wreck at the moment. No telling how long this state will last.

Yesterday, I had a virtual meeting with my supervisor scheduled an hour into my first shift back from a relaxing 4-day weekend. Half a minute in, I saw that a seemingly random person was requesting to join the meeting. As unlikely as this scenario was - and about as shocking and unexpected as it could be - I immediately understood that this person was from HR and I was moments away from being fired.

​I was not wrong. I don't think this meeting lasted more than 10 minutes. I was simply told that I was being terminated without cause, without notice, and without explanation, effective immediately.

I didn't realize that this is 100% legal in Canada and in Ontario. Feels like it shouldn't be. Anyone can be terminated at any time without any reason, provided the employer gives appropriate notice and/or severance pay as required by the Employment Standards Act.

Not going to get into the details of what I suspect was behind this, or the seemingly calculated events leading up to it. I'll be engaging in some consultations soon and then decide on the best path forward.

For now, the people of the team that I was the senior member of, and the team of people I was supporting, have received a clear message from management - it doesn't matter how well you do your job, how hard you try, if you are honest, have unimpeachable integrity, or how many prestigious awards you've won because of your impeccable, dedicated service to the company and their clients.

You can, at any time, be terminated without cause at the whim of an *expletives deleted*.

Remember that, my friends. Never forget it.

​On a more positive note, I wanted to thank every one of my colleagues for reaching out and for their outpouring of support. It's been so very touching to know just how you felt about our time working together. You're all so very kind, and I appreciate you so much. It has been a source of great comfort in these dark, most difficult times. At least these particular tears today have been bittersweet.

Writing world updates can wait for when I am out of existential crisis mode. Whenever that might be.

​Love you guys.