How An Office Argument Cost Me My Job

By Sera Kazungu

“Thinking about my actions, I feel like I should have gone about the whole issue differently, However, I feel like my boss owes me an apology for what he did,” writes Grace Masha via email.

The workplace consists of people from different walks of life, each with their unique opinions on how things are supposed to be done. How you conduct yourself at work is what will determine whether you enjoy your job or not.

Here is Grace’s Story

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How I lost My Job

“I was a hard working Kenyan, same as any other. My usual day at the office would start at 6.30am and end at 8 pm (this was by choice. Normal working hours were between 8-5.30pm). I dedicated my life to my job.
I went above and beyond the set targets and impressed my bosses so much that I got promoted twice in a span of six months. This motivated me to work harder and put in more hours at work.

My problems began one day when I asked my boss to give me a day off because I was not feeling well. He looked at me and then told me I didn’t look sick to him. He then went ahead and refused to give me the day off.

I went back to my office and tried to focus on the workload piled on my desk. When the pain got too much, I asked a colleague to get me pain killers which I took immediately in the hope that they would relieve my pain.

After an hour passed and I had still not felt better, I went back to my employer hoping to convince him to reconsider his decision. Immediately, he saw me, he just shook his head.

At this point, I felt really upset and started telling him how unreasonable he was being. I don’t know how, but this statement sparked off an argument between my boss and I. It became so loud that everyone at the office came to see what was happening.

On seeing the attention that we were attracting, my boss told me to go home. I asked him if he was firing me and he said it was the off I requested for.

I went home and returned 3 days later when the pneumonia I had been diagnosed with had subsided. Nothing at the office was the same. The cordial relationship I had with my boss was replaced by uncomfortable conversations.

Weeks later, a new lady was brought to the office. At first, everyone thought our team was growing, but after she started being trained on my job, it started raising questions.

When I went to ask my boss about it, he handed me a termination letter and told me that was because of insubordination.

Please help me. I am confused,is what I did enough to warrant getting fired? Please advise.”

What advise would you give Grace? Leave your comments below.

Sera is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. If you have any career related queries, contact sera@careerpointkenya.co.ke

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