I (25F) made a post here a few months back about getting fired during a family crisis and grieving to see if that was a common experience or not. Especially given how certain things were handled in my situation. Well I get a text from a friend who still works there a week or so ago asking if I’d return, I laughed because I didn’t think she was being serious. Apparently, one of the directors and a coordinator pulled her into the office earlier that day if she’d ask me if I would consider returning. Next morning I get a call and multiple texts from my old supervisor (not the one who ended up firing me but was also fired so I assumed she might’ve been rehired too or knew what was going on and wanted to talk), something in me told me to ignore it as I wasn’t ready to give an answer as I had my suspicions about the whole thing. And still do.
There‘s many things that make me apprehensive and can’t say I’m eager to return to an environment that treated me as disposable during one of the most vulnerable and stressful moments of my five years working there, along with the impact working nights under that stress had on my health. But I also find it very strange but on brand for them to not reach out to me directly about returning, using my friend as a source of information regarding me when that’s not someone who should be speaking on my behalf, and also haven’t run it by the executive directors—even though the director and coordinator who initiated this are also part of the hiring process—they obviously have the final say. I‘m not saying they have ill intentions but I definitely don’t trust it. Especially after talking to my friend a few days ago and asking her directly like what’s REALLY going on in there. First regarding my old supervisor as I let her know she called and texted right after the initial conversation we had, she lets me know she hasn’t been rehired but has an active lawsuit open against them for racial discrimination 😭 this is only funny because the whole reason she was fired was for using a racial slur and constantly made inappropriate and insensitive comments about race during her time there. Mind you this is one of three active lawsuits against them right now lmaooooo. Another discrimination one and believe the other was wrongful termination. I just find it fucking hilarious given that’s how everyone treated me as if I was going to retaliate against them in that way and even had this same friend encouraging me to, but personally didn’t think they were worth the stress and already been in probate for over a year. I didn’t need yet another thing to carry legally.
Once I was fired finding out that the person who was promoted to my position was someone from the beginning who rubbed me the wrong way with how they talked to people and would constantly insert themselves into things that had nothing to do with them to center attention on themselves. They told me themselves they were intimidated by how good I was at my job, and it was more so how it was said than what was said that made me uncomfortable. As I know people often make assumptions about me given my age and whatever else they perceive but I’m damn good at what I do and have worked in advocacy from a volunteer to a member on boards and councils, along with being a survivor myself and don’t know a single person in my life who isn’t one. I know my shit. I also naturally got along with everyone there without going out of my way to be seen and heard like they chose to. Which is their choice but would come off very performative as they‘re a pseudo-intellectually exhausting, loudly envious, and entitled forty something year old crybaby who helped push me out because of their bruised ego. I later found out they were using the time that I was away dealing with the loss of my mom and my terminally ill sister as them having to do my job which isn’t my fault, as we had that conversation multiple times and told them from the beginning they're not responsible for something that they aren’t getting paid for and to discuss it with HR and their supervisor if they felt uncomfortable with the ways they were expected to show up in my absence and even spoke to the director myself because I was tired of them bringing it to me. Which he and other members of leadership made it clear that was never the expectation because they themselves would volunteer and didn’t often know what they were doing anyways but apparently got them what they wanted in the end so is what it is. And just saw themselves as someone who could ‘prop me up’ as they said without giving any specifics as to how because they couldn’t. Which is weird to say when you’ve barely been there a year compared to my four, having the professional and personal experience I have in comparison to them, and to be a white person telling a Black woman that. And not to make it about race but I took it that way because of other weird comments in that conversation and others that don’t need repeating because this isn’t about that but the audacity was just astounding and comical. Especially when I was responsible for reviewing their case notes and supporting them with survivors and certainly not someone I would take advice from in even greeting another human being let alone how to do my job. Just a very exhausting place to be and why I couldn’t imagine returning. Only thing I miss is the money and benefits but doesn't feel worth the cost you pay in everything else imo anymore.
If anything I just find the whole thing funny and makes me feel a little vindicated as I felt some people tried to make my termination about my ability to do work that never suffered despite what was going on and insinuating that I didn’t care while apparently still using my case notes and guides I made for my mentees as training material and references. Just feels like it was never what they tried to make it about as I’m still navigating the same circumstances and would still impact my attendance, so what would be the point in rehiring me and why can you suddenly now work around it when there’s less staff around to provide coverage? Idk, guess this was in part a funny little update and I feel like other people in my personal life aren’t understanding why I think of this as a big ass joke and not something I would seriously consider because it hasn’t been presented to me as a serious offer.