Fired?

[GadAbout]

Ask for a severance package. Typically this might include say a month's salary and access to outplacement services. Be calm and measured in the meeting. The official "reason" for this severance, at least as you are concerned, should be something civil like "personality conflict with manager" or "unfavorable workplace culture."

Then go and immediately apply for unemployment. It's a mistake to wait. The good thing about being canned instead of resigning is, after a resignation you can't get unemployment.

I'm sure you are feeling indignant and wronged, but these are steps you need to take right away. Lots and lots and lots of people have been fired and come back from it, so don't view this as the end of the world or a personal failing on your part.

 

[Aspychata]

And ask for a reference from someone, but not the superisor, just because you didn't get along doesn't mean you were bad at your job.

 

[Streetwise]

Ask for a severance package. Typically this might include say a month's salary and access to outplacement services. Be calm and measured in the meeting. The official "reason" for this severance, at least as you are concerned, should be something civil like "personality conflict with manager" or "unfavorable workplace culture."

Then go and immediately apply for unemployment. It's a mistake to wait. The good thing about being canned instead of resigning is, after a resignation you can't get unemployment.

I'm sure you are feeling indignant and wronged, but these are steps you need to take right away. Lots and lots and lots of people have been fired and come back from it, so don't view this as the end of the world or a personal failing on your part.

If you apply for the dole (unemployment)online fill it out now and send when you've been fired!or if it's paper forms get them and start applying now

 

[Fino]

The meeting was just me rehashing the whole thing so that my supervisor's supervisor's supervisor could hear it for himself. They also went into some detail about how they came to their decision.

I filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights Discrimination due to three incidents I believe were heavily connected to me being fired.

 

[GadAbout]

So, how DID they come to their decision? I'm just curious. If you'd rather not discuss it, that's fine.

 

[Magna]

Sorry to hear that. If it's an accredited training they would normally have to account to the accreditor for students they terminate from the training, and getting your feedback would be good practice.

If they are an employer (and this is an internal training they provide) it would be good practice to do an exit interview with an employee who is leaving for any reason.

This could be the time to discuss autism with them, and how it is relevant, plus your experience of the kind of stigma that's around it, that has stopped you letting them know it's an issue previously? And perhaps ask for them to work with you to meet their requirements and benefit your students.

One thing I learned prior to me disclosing my autism diagnosis to my employer (best move I made) is that disclosing after the fact (ie after getting fired) will have no effect on the employer's decision being looked at as discriminatory (if that's an argument the fired employee would make).

It's not possible for an employer to wrongfully terminate an employee based on the employee's disability if the employer had no knowledge about the employee's disability prior to the termination. < Stating the obvious, really.

However...it's an entirely different situation in the U.S. if an employer DID know about a disability and wrongfully terminated a disabled employee based in whole or in part because of the employee's disability.

Every person's situation is different of course and as such every person has to make their own decisions regarding disclosure. However, I can say three things with certainty:

1) In my own experience, it was the best thing I could have done at work because it allowed me to have reasonable accommodations that make my job tolerable rather than a living hell. I will say, however that in my particular case I was already employed at the job before I was diagnosed with autism. I accept there can be different and valid concerns a person might have for disclosing at the pre-employment stage.

2) If you don't disclose prior to a termination, disclosing after a termination gives you no recourse you may otherwise have.

3) Under the ADA rules, an employee does not have to disclose the specific diagnosis (it would seem odd not to, in my opinion, but...).

 

[Thinx]

One thing I learned prior to me disclosing my autism diagnosis to my employer (best move I made) is that disclosing after the fact (ie after getting fired) will have no effect on the employer's decision being looked at as discriminatory (if that's an argument the fired employee would make).

It's not possible for an employer to wrongfully terminate an employee based on the employee's disability if the employer had no knowledge about the employee's disability prior to the termination. < Stating the obvious, really.

However...it's an entirely different situation in the U.S. if an employer DID know about a disability and wrongfully terminated a disabled employee based in whole or in part because of the employee's disability.

Every person's situation is different of course and as such every person has to make their own decisions regarding disclosure. However, I can say three things with certainty:

1) In my own experience, it was the best thing I could have done at work because it allowed me to have reasonable accommodations that make my job tolerable rather than a living hell. I will say, however that in my particular case I was already employed at the job before I was diagnosed with autism. I accept there can be different and valid concerns a person might have for disclosing at the pre-employment stage.

2) If you don't disclose prior to a termination, disclosing after a termination gives you no recourse you may otherwise have.

3) Under the ADA rules, an employee does not have to disclose the specific diagnosis (it would seem odd not to, in my opinion, but...).

I guess in the specific situation, with the employer being a therapy provider and trainer, it may have been additional information that would have made a difference to the situation, through giving them a context to understand the employee/trainees actions that they found problematic. They may have wanted to go the extra mile for him, and/or be seen to do so. But it sounds like it didn't get disclosed.

I don't know how the arrangement here works, as they seem to be both an employer and a trainer, so they seem to be terminating the training as well as the employment.

 

[Fino]

The trouble began when we were in a meeting and they began discussing a news story about Asians being attacked because of the corona virus originating in China. I wasn't aware of the particular news story they were discussing so I asked for further details. My supervisor became irate and ranted for the remainder of the meeting (an hour) about me not being aware of the news story because of my white privilege. She went on to say I was abusing my white privilege and failing to be aware of my whiteness. She said I was failing when it comes to the social justice aspects of social. I tried to explain that I'm actually just an oblivious individual, but she's not much of a listener.

After that incident, everything I did was wrong in her eyes and things quickly fell apart.

 

[Progster]

The trouble began when we were in a meeting and they began discussing a news story about Asians being attacked because of the corona virus originating in China. I wasn't aware of the particular news story they were discussing so I asked for further details. My supervisor became irate and ranted for the remainder of the meeting (an hour) about me not being aware of the news story because of my white privilege. She went on to say I was abusing my white privilege and failing to be aware of my whiteness. She said I was failing when it comes to the social justice aspects of social. I tried to explain that I'm actually just an oblivious individual, but she's not much of a listener.

After that incident, everything I did was wrong in her eyes and things quickly fell apart.

That's beyond ridiculous. Not everyone is obliged to read/listen to the news and know every single news story that's reported. Being aware or not of a news story has nothing to do with race or privileges. This is racially motivated - it sounds like she has a problem with white people and is looking for any reason to pick a fight. Definitely mention this when you file a complaint. She's the one who's abusing her position, not you.

 

[Thinx]

This sounds difficult. It sounds like she was not a good match for how you are.

More generally, I guess people who like to help others through therapy often aren't oblivious, and would likely see it as a problem.

They might think, he says he's oblivious and its not seeming to be something he’s feeling able to change, wonder what he misses about his clients?

 

[SDRSpark]

The trouble began when we were in a meeting and they began discussing a news story about Asians being attacked because of the corona virus originating in China. I wasn't aware of the particular news story they were discussing so I asked for further details. My supervisor became irate and ranted for the remainder of the meeting (an hour) about me not being aware of the news story because of my white privilege. She went on to say I was abusing my white privilege and failing to be aware of my whiteness. She said I was failing when it comes to the social justice aspects of social. I tried to explain that I'm actually just an oblivious individual, but she's not much of a listener.

After that incident, everything I did was wrong in her eyes and things quickly fell apart.

Your supervisor is insane. I'm angry just reading this.

 

[Magna]

The trouble began when we were in a meeting and they began discussing a news story about Asians being attacked because of the corona virus originating in China. I wasn't aware of the particular news story they were discussing so I asked for further details. My supervisor became irate and ranted for the remainder of the meeting (an hour) about me not being aware of the news story because of my white privilege. She went on to say I was abusing my white privilege and failing to be aware of my whiteness. She said I was failing when it comes to the social justice aspects of social. I tried to explain that I'm actually just an oblivious individual, but she's not much of a listener.

After that incident, everything I did was wrong in her eyes and things quickly fell apart.

Wow.

 

[Fino]

This sounds difficult. It sounds like she was not a good match for how you are.

More generally, I guess people who like to help others through therapy often aren't oblivious, and would likely see it as a problem.

They might think, he says he's oblivious and its not seeming to be something he’s feeling able to change, wonder what he misses about his clients?

This was her exact interpretation, every word.

 

[Thinx]

This was her exact interpretation, every word.

Yes I think therapists generally would see being oblivious as a problem, because it means one is not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one. It wouldn't be seen as a good state for a therapist to be in.

 

[Fino]

I forgot to mention that the meeting that happened with the supervisor's supervisors and the supervisor's supervisor's supervisor was just a rehashing of the whole thing so that the top supervisor could hear it from the original source, for whatever reason.

 

[Alexej]

I forgot to mention that the meeting that happened with the supervisor's supervisors and the supervisor's supervisor's supervisor was just a rehashing of the whole thing so that the top supervisor could hear it from the original source, for whatever reason.

Is this CYA on the part of the folk who fired you, just in case you take them to court?

 

[SDRSpark]

Is this CYA on the part of the folk who fired you, just in case you take them to court?

Could be that or the direct supervisor is being watched because this isn't the first time they've done this.

 

[selena]

That's beyond ridiculous. Not everyone is obliged to read/listen to the news and know every single news story that's reported. Being aware or not of a news story has nothing to do with race or privileges. This is racially motivated - it sounds like she has a problem with white people and is looking for any reason to pick a fight.

Um, no, and who are the three people agreeing with this.

People of East Asian descent have been facing more violence since last year, partly because the ex-president (still feels good to say that!) kept linking the virus to China. If you weren't aware of this until the mainstream media started talking about it recently, that means you're probably not a member of the targeted community. That means you're privileged, and not being Asian has a lot to do with it. It's the same reason most of us couldn't care less about Black and brown people being systematically killed by the police or brutally separated from their family until they made it to the news semi-recently, and this definitely has everything to do with race and privileges.

I guess it's normal to fail to keep up with the news or to muster empathy for people who don't look like you (I've been guilty of this as well), but to actively refuse to acknowledge your failure and to even try to turn this into a case of "reverse racism" is just appalling and gross. Do better.

 

[Fino]

Um, no, and who are the three people agreeing with this.

People of East Asian descent have been facing more violence since last year, partly because the ex-president (still feels good to say that!) kept linking the virus to China. If you weren't aware of this until the mainstream media started talking about it recently, that means you're probably not a member of the targeted community. That means you're privileged, and not being Asian has a lot to do with it. It's the same reason most of us couldn't care less about Black and brown people being systematically killed by the police or brutally separated from their family until they made it to the news semi-recently, and this definitely has everything to do with race and privileges.

I guess it's normal to fail to keep up with the news or to muster empathy for people who don't look like you (I've been guilty of this as well), but to actively refuse to acknowledge your failure and to even try to turn this into a case of "reverse racism" is just appalling and gross. Do better.

You seem to be talking about a problem wherein people don't care about an issue until it's on the news, because it wasn't directly affecting them before it made it on the news. That's an interesting issue to discuss, but it's not relevant to what was discussed here.

 

[Progster]

Um, no, and who are the three people agreeing with this.

People of East Asian descent have been facing more violence since last year, partly because the ex-president (still feels good to say that!) kept linking the virus to China. If you weren't aware of this until the mainstream media started talking about it recently, that means you're probably not a member of the targeted community.

First of all, you don't know me, no nothing about me, my background and circumstances and you don't get to pass judgement on me like this.

Even though this is @Fino's issue and I was responding to that in my post, you choose to make it about me, and attack me personally, so now I will respond to that.

Mainstream media in the US, I guess. But I don't live in the USA, so how would I personally be aware of all the news stories over there? I'm not a part of your culture, don't know about a lot of the cultural attitudes, politics, etc going on in the US. Don't forget, this is an international forum with members from all over the world, not just the US.

I guess it's normal to fail to keep up with the news

Following the news is voluntary, not compulsory and not a 'failure' if you don't. Not having heard a particular news story means not having heard a particular news story, and nothing more. There's no law that says one must follow the news, and there are many valid reasons why a person might not be aware of a news story: mental health issues, not having access to technology - the news story just broke and they didn't hear about it yet, as I believe was the case with Fino. Fino hadn't heard this particular news story and asked his colleagues about it, I don't see a problem with this, but I do see a problem that he was suddenly attacked over this by his supervisor.

That means you're privileged, and not being Asian has a lot to do with it.

It means nothing. And what does 'privileged' mean, anyway? Again, you don't know me personally. I am a foreigner living in a foreign land, on a low income, with various medical conditions. I wouldn't describe myself as 'priviliged'.

Do better.

You make gross judgements and assumptions about a person on the internet who you don't know and know virtually nothing about. I think you are the one who needs to do better.