Fired for Ethics

RGraham submitted 549 days ago

The time: The rah-rah internet boom late 1990s
My occupation: Computer Network Administrator
My crime: Honesty and ethics, desire not to be sued

I was working as a Computer Network Administrator for a Fortune 500 company. "Headhunters" and recruiters were always calling me trying to get me to interview with their client companies. Occasionally I'd take the bait. One placement agency sent me on an interview that resulted in a very attractive offer, about 15K more than my current pay. I took the job.

I reluctanly quit my job, after six very good years, to take the new job. I signed contracts with the Headhunter (placement agency) and the company that hired me. The next Monday I started my new job.

At the end of my first week on the new job I was called into a V.P.'s office. He told me that the company decided that the Headhunter's fee was too high. They had a back-dated contract from another placement agency that they wanted me to sign (an agency that clearly wanted a lower fee for the placement). The company also told me to be sure to tell people that I had been registered with this other agency.

After a quick call to my lawyer (I'd be wide open to a lawsuit from my placement agency) I refused to sign the back-dated contract. For this I was let go, after only one week on the job.

My previous company had already filled my job. The next Monday, in a state of shock, I applied for unemployment.