Online commenters applauded an advertising operations employee who said he left his former company after being "punished" for proving his bosses wrong.
Posting in Reddit's "Antiwork" forum under the username u/edwadokun, the man said the company forced its employees back into the office full-time, thinking they'd be more productive in person. However, he compiled a productivity report that proved the exact opposite. You can read the full post here.
The post has received over 8,300 upvotes and hundreds of comments from Redditors venting about bad bosses.
To compile his report, u/edwadokun said he documented how many "tickets" his team completed while working from home (WFH) and those they completed after returning to the office. By doing this, he found that during the WFH period, tickets were completed "about 30 percent quicker" and project deadlines were frequently met "earlier than expected."
"I presented this in early April to my manager, her boss, and five other [executives]...reactions were mixed," u/edwadokun wrote.
"My manager, her boss, and one [executive] agreed with my findings but the other four [executives] were 'skeptical,' despite it being my job to analyze and interpret data," he continued.
The following week, he learned the company's executives weren't just "skeptical"—they were upset.
"They [said] I may not be a 'cultural fit' and not a 'team player.' I had been with this company for three years at that point and not once [had] this ever been a topic of discussion," he said.
Though his manager defended him against the higher-ups, they "basically blocked any chance of promotion for [him]." So, he said he quit.
"My old manager reached out recently and told me she left too. Basically, after that incident with me, it left a poor taste in her mouth and my previous team is dropping like flies," he concluded.
Bad Bosses
Based on u/edwadokun's post, it appears the old adage is true—people leave bosses, not jobs. In fact, roughly half of U.S. adults surveyed in a 2015 Gallup poll said they previously left a job because of management.
A 2018 study conducted by online course provider Udemy yielded similar results, leading Inc. Magazine to conclude that "among the many relationships employees will develop at a company, those formed with one's manager have a significant impact on overall workplace experience, even more so than one's relationships with other peers."
In a press release, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, agreed, saying: "There is no relationship in the workplace more powerful than the one between people managers and employees. As working Americans challenge organizations to manage and lead differently, those that don't will find themselves left behind."
Redditors React
Redditors applauded u/edwadokun for accepting a new position and vented about "upper management."
"Once again proving that upper management is a f**king waste of space," u/Prometheus70 wrote.
"So despite the glaring facts...those a**holes got their backs up cause they didn't like what they heard and canned you?" u/ChameleonRazz asked. "Glad you were the smart one here and that your income is now better and your workload less! You bloody *deserve* it."
"[Congrats] on finding something better! Screw that company," u/Pontif1cate commented.
Redditor u/Ok_Mycologist_5569 said: "I think a lot of management is in the process of finding out that the market has changed and employees aren't prisoners."
"Very stupid of them to force a helpful and thoughtful person to leave their company. Good for you!" u/Tygertyger19 exclaimed.
Meanwhile, u/HappyHighwayman called u/edwadokun a "hero."
Newsweek reached out to u/edwadokun for comment.
Other Viral 'Antiwork' Posts
One grandma received praise on Friday for her "straight talking" resignation letter.
On Thursday, Redditors slammed an employer for refusing to let a heavily-pregnant woman take maternity leave.
And last week, commenters applauded a man who said he once quit a job without giving notice.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sara Santora is a Newsweek reporter based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on viral social media posts and trends. ... Read more
