I have been working in the same place for three years, and my boss was normally a distant person, but last week he called me into the meeting room after work and talked to me really unnecessarily intimately, asking if I have a girlfriend and if I live alone. I answered briefly and left. The next day, he put a paper in front of me saying that my performance was low. The strange thing is that my last evaluation was good, and I have no written warnings, but on top of that, I saw the deleted message he sent me on WhatsApp that evening, though there’s no content. If I escalate this as harassment and think about legal action, the proof part feels very empty; it just doesn’t sit right with me to stay silent just because I felt bad.
It’s very familiar to me that someone who’s worked in the same place for three years gets a performance drop notice the next day. In the past, a boss would stand up for the ones who put in the effort; now, without even bothering, they keep attendance and cover it up as performance issues. That deleted message on WhatsApp is definitely the dirtiest part of the story.
So what does it say exactly as the reason for termination on that paper, is there any code? And you mentioned the time they were called to the meeting room was at the end of the shift, was there a camera or anything that could see the comings and goings there?
@iki_dakika writes about low performance on paper and not meeting company expectations, I couldn’t take a photo of the code, I was overwhelmed at that moment. The camera is in the corridor but not inside the meeting room. Also, let me add that he actually didn’t ask if I had a boyfriend for the first time, he had made insinuating comments before but I had brushed them off. My sister directly told me to go and file a complaint, but my mom says to be careful not to get his name involved.
I’m not saying you can file a lawsuit just because you felt bad alone, but the evidence you mention isn’t just about images. Keep your last performance evaluation, note that there was no written warning, take a screenshot of the deleted messages on WhatsApp, and if possible, jot down the times from that evening. If the termination is written, it’s important that the justification doesn’t change later. If you have conditions for reinstatement, make sure to act within the time limit, and there’s also the mediation aspect which is often gone through. Yes, proving mobbing/harassment is difficult, but the unfair termination side appears more concrete in light of what you’ve described.
@mavi_fotokopi you’re right, but just because everyone files a lawsuit doesn’t mean life gets better. Honestly, I tend to look at the economic side first, whether there’s rent or whatnot. People get trapped in a romantic notion of justice thinking, “Did the boss put their hand on my shoulder and ask if I have a girlfriend?” and they end up struggling for months. But there’s also the fact that if there’s no written warning, the performance excuse is quite flimsy.
the former manager said exactly this to me: “don’t get me wrong, I’m establishing sincerity.” the next week, he talked about performance. he always keeps his sincerity the night before the papers arrive.
shut up but don’t run empty. take the paper, learn the code.
I suggest trying recovery methods on your phone to find the content of the deleted message. Sometimes apps restore from backups, so maybe if you access the content, the story will become clearer. You need to gather documents before thinking about the legal aspect anyway.
If the meeting room doesn’t have a camera, at least the footage in the corridor will confirm the entry and exit times. Even being called after waiting until that time is taken into account. But the messaging aspect is critical; simply showing that it’s been deleted may not be enough—the game changes if you can capture the content.
If this guy hasn’t asked you “do you have a girlfriend” for the first time and you’ve ignored it before, let’s clarify this: do you have anything concrete about how many times and in what ways he crossed the line? Or is it just a performance paper theater at this point? I would advise you not to step anywhere until you get back that exit paper and learn its contents fully.