Am I fired?

LegacyUser

I'm a software developer, who was until last week working for a small software company.

Over the last few months I've been expected to work longer hours and many weekends in order to fulfill the promises made by the sales team. They promise completion dates to clients and have contracts signed without ever consulting the dev team. We get the completion dates given to us, we say that its not possible, they say "tough, the promise has already been made and we don't get paid till delivery". I was finding it increasingly untenable and had started looking for something new.

Last weekend my boss told me he needed me to work the weekend in order to hit one the target dates set by the sales team. I said that I couldn't do that as I had family plans.

Normally what happens in this situation is that I would be interrogated on what exactly my plans entailed. My boss would then try to neutralise them. So if my wife was working and I had mind the kids, he would get a babysitter for me. If I said I had a weekend away booked he would pressure me until I cancelled it and then refund any monies lost. Basically he cancelled out any reason I had to not work at weekends and evenings. His attitude was that work comes before family.

So last week I put a stop to it. He asked me to work the weekend, I said I couldn't and when he pressured me for reasons I refused to give any. I simply said that I had plans for the weekend and I couldn't put in any extra hours. This developed in to an all out argument where he kept demanding to know why I was unwilling to work, I kept repeating that I had plans and they were none of his business.

Eventually he said (in front of the whole office) "If you don't come in tomorrow (Sat), then don't bother coming in on Monday" I stated that I was Okay with that. His statement was repeated several times, with witnesses. I've been in the job more than two years so I could treat it as unfair dismissal.

Monday comes round and I stay home. He calls and wonders where I was, I tell him I thought he fired me. He said he didn't and that I should be in the office. He is acting like I'm just not turning up for work and I'm at fault.
There is nothing in writing from him, but I have responded to him indicating that as far as I am concerned he fired me.

So given what he said in front of witnesses am I fired or not?

Mrs OBumble

Probably not!

You might find he's more careful with his words in future, and may even reign in the sales guys.

aaakev

that sounds more like a story from a building site in the boom than an IT company!

seriously though id go back to work and not let the boss pressure you into the extra hours. sure put them in sometimes but you need your home life away from work too.

Truckermal

You are not fired but please dude find another job quickly your boss is a w@nker of the highest level..

YurOK2

Yep, I agree with the above, find a new job.
Everyone has an annual leave entitlement, once you request your time off in accordance with the company procedures, the rest is your own business.

Wanderer2010

Your boss has absolutely no right to ask you what your plans are outside working hours and to try and get you to cancel them with sweeteners like babysitters etc is just outrageous. You work to live not the other way around and your boss really does sound like a sad and empty person with nothing but work and targets in his life and hence he tries to mould his workers to a similar mindset. I cannot believe he tried to offer you money to match your holiday, id tell him where he could shove his money!

Id say it was a completely empty threat OP but dont play into his hands by not showing up. Go straight into work as soon as possible and if anyone says anything to you just say "the boss rang me up and we sorted it out". If approached by HR, just say you WERE under the impression you were sacked but your boss explained you were not. Is there anyone above him you can go to to make a complaint? OP, your life outside of work is precious time you can never get back and whether you are single or married your spare time is nobodies business but your own. Id be looking around for a more reasonable employer though as the culture at your workplace sounds awful. Best of luck OP!

LegacyUser

IT is not an industry short on opportunities. Go back to work but start looking for another job, shouldn't take you long.

Berserker

goodtimesinIT wrote: »

IT is not an industry short on opportunities. Go back to work but start looking for another job, shouldn't take you long.

I agree but the sad fact is that the OPs situation wouldn't be unique in the IT industry. He needs to get a new job, for definite but he also needs to be careful that he doesn't end up back at square one. There are some really good employers in the IT sector but there is also a healthy percentage of bad ones who just look at developers as bodies who are there to work seven days a week.

Is there a HR department in that company, OP? You are not fired, your boss is just trying to bully you into working on your weekend.