Their abusive/discriminatory language led to my firing

[da2478]

I live in North Carolina. About two weeks ago, I was on a video conference with the CEO and the President of the company. (They are known to be unstable and abusive.) They were both screaming and cursing, threatening people's jobs, and repeatedly using the word "retarded." The president screamed directly at me and I said, "You need to take some of that bass out of your voice when you talk to me."

So, he began yelling, "Get him out of here! Get him out of here!" I signed off the call and started packing my desk, and he came to stand over me and watch me until I left. I don't know what I would necessarily want to (or be able to) do at this point, but I hope there's some way to apply some accountability for this toxic behavior and discriminatory language. Two of my colleagues who were also on the call left the company immediately afterward.

Happy to hear any kind of feedback or advice, and thanks for reading!

 

[zddoodah]

Unless you have a mental disability, nothing in your post suggests anything illegal happened to you.

 

[da2478]

OK, thanks for the feedback! (At least I stood up for myself, which feels good.)

 

[adjusterjack]

Best revenge:

Go file for unemployment compensation. Then find another job.

 

[commentator]

Unfortunately, yes, a company has the right to fire you on a whim. just because he didn't like what you said. The only recourse you have is that if you are terminated in this manner, you can probably qualify for unemployment benefits which are paid by the employer, while seeking another job. Make sure that you emphasize that you did not quit, your were told to leave. If you quit, you have to demonstrate that you had a valid reason to quit the job, and that's somewhat more complicated for unemployment insurance purposes.

Of course you certainly did, you "got quit" as a person told me once. But being terminated on whim is probably going to be the best look at your situation going forward. We all know that there are these types of employers out there. They will doubtless tell people you were a horrible person and perfomer and that you quit without notice. But going forward, the less you say about this employment and the less you concentrate on what horrible people they were, the better. Using a word like "retarded" or calling someone a "moron" is not really socially acceptable these days, but isn't illegal. You were removed from a bad situation and will very likely do better. Best wishes.

 

[Redemptionman1]

It would have to have been a pattern of behavior which you documented. I do not know your situation but it does sound like it is best to move on from this situation especially if you have many working years ahead of you. Good Luck.