My colleague got fired for refusing to flatter

By Tri Hao   March 20, 2023 | 05:00 pm PT
My colleague was recently fired for refusing to socialize with our boss and engage in flattery.

Our company is currently facing a challenging period and has decided to reduce its workforce by 10%. In my department of 20 employees, we had to let go of two people. Recently, our boss announced that one of our colleagues would be laid off.

This person is quiet, gentle, and leads a private life. Although he is proficient in his work and skilled in technology, he was selected not based on his ability, but because our boss perceived him as not knowing how to "behave."

In our department, there are two types of flattery: drinking and constant praise.

Some colleagues often invite our boss to drink after work and regularly invite the boss to try some new bottle of wine at home, or they bring him to some "excellent" restaurant they just found. These colleagues are very popular with our boss and strive to please him.

They even say bad things about other workers -- who do not join the drinking circle -- to the boss. Unfortunately, the colleague who was just fired was the victim of this game.

One of his coworkers constantly complained to the boss that he was lazy, leaving her with two much work to do.

Our boss is a highly capable person, but he lacks management skills. He loves hanging out with the staff after work and is easily manipulated.

With another round of layoffs on the horizon, many of us are worried about being let go. In fact, we should focus on working hard and show our productivity, but some just focus on pampering the boss more.

Others, including myself, do not have that ability, so we just have to focus on our work and accept that we might end up losing our jobs.

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