Though Co-Op worker Alex may have given roughly 10 years of service at his job, he now has nothing but several questions and one very long resume entry to show for it, his company unceremoniously firing him without explanation in a now-viral clip.
The snowboarding creator — better known by his TikTok username @grizzlyblunts — recently offered a rare glimpse at his life off the slopes, sharing a clip of the icy video call in which his former employer not only gave him the ax but refused to explain why.
@grizzlyblunts Well, I got fired today without notice and without any reasoning for a grocery co-op I've worked at for 10 years and worked hard to be in the position I had. To be fired with no reasoning is not only very messed up, it's also not the way Co-ops provide for their communities or their staff. Stop working your life away for these people who can't even give you the respect you deserve and fire you the day you come back from your birthday vacation over the phone, can't even look me in the eye. #fired #jobs #jobsearch #coop #greed #sad #ontothenextone #headheldhigh #pos #hr #sucks #midlifecrisis ♬ original sound - grizzlyblunts
“I would like to understand why I am being fired,” Alex began his now-deleted upload, one taking place several moments into the meeting. Despite reiterating that he was “not trying to be argumentative” with these questions, Ann, a higher-up at his now-former employer, kept her lips sealed, referring to the law as he searched for answers.
“We don’t have to give you a reason,” she continued. “We’re not continuing down this path with you.”
Naturally, Alex was less than thrilled with this HR playbook answer, imploring Ann to respect the time he put in at the company.
“I understand legally you don't have to give me a reason, Ann, but morally as a community driven cooperative, to treat your employees this way, to not give them a reason is just so unacceptable,” he exclaimed, denouncing her very buttoned-up approach as “super inappropriate.”
“If there were performance review issues, fine, I can understand that. If I wasn’t working hard enough, if I wasn’t bringing enough to the table, I can understand that,” he continued. “But for me to give 10 years at this organization Ann, and you just throw me out on my feet is really sad.”
Despite Alex’s plea for even a touch of humanity, Ann insisted on keeping it cold and corporate, describing his ask as “combative and argumentative” before diverting back to the legal matters at hand.
But even in the midst of this heartbreaking turn of events, Alex offered a word of wisdom to his followers, imploring them to understand the limitations of their work.
“Stop working your life away for people who don’t care about you,” he captioned the video, a sentiment that struck a chord with several viewers.
“Yep. It took me 20 years to realize that company loyalty was a one-way street,” wrote Twitter user @Ben_Dover_X2 alongside a re-upload of the clip.
“A very common misunderstanding is that Human Resources at a company is there for the employee, to help them, support them, their ally,” added @Tammy90523817. “It is absolutely NOT. HR's sole function is to serve the COMPANY, protect their interests & prevent lawsuits. Period. Never trust HR.”
A very common misunderstanding is that Human Resources at a company is there for the employee, to help them, support them, their ally. It is absolutely NOT. HR's sole function is to serve the COMPANY, protect their interests & prevent lawsuits. Period. Never trust HR. https://t.co/BfvmtnI3JH
— Tammy, follower of Jesus Christ (@Tammy90523817) February 13, 2024
Meanwhile, @FriendZonePhoto suggested that Alex give his former employer a taste of their own medicine, taking them to court.
“Sue them, plain and simple. If they fire you WITHOUT CAUSE, you’ll win the case easy,” they suggested. “Them not giving a reason for firing you means there is no cause.”
Though Alex has yet to offer an update on his job situation, we can only hope he lands somewhere where he can work with actual humans rather than HR-jargon-trained robots.
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