New hire contacts senior payroll official instead of manager over missing wage and gets fired a day later; Washington-based employee shares what happened to him in similar situation

Most new employees spend their first week trying to make a good impression, showing up on time, learning the workflow, and avoiding mistakes. But for one worker, a simple question about missing pay allegedly ended with an unexpected dismissal just days into the job.

The employee shared their experience on the subreddit r/antiwork, where the post quickly drew thousands of reactions and sparked discussions about workplace communication, payroll errors, and unemployment rights.

‘Everything was going well’

According to the Reddit user, the new job initially appeared to be progressing smoothly. “Started a job, everything was going well. On time every day no major [mistakes] which is to be expected when new,” the worker wrote.

The issue reportedly began after the employee downloaded a workplace app used for scheduling and tracking pay. While checking the system, they noticed they had not been paid for their first day of work.

Also Read: ‘Company needs team players who understand the current budget constraints’: Employee says HR pressured them to give up over $1,000 in overtime pay or risk being fired

Trying to resolve the problem, the employee searched the contact list inside the app and found someone listed as “Jan Payroll.” They then sent a message explaining the missing payment issue.

A short time later, the worker said they received a text message from their manager. “Just so you know all payment issues come directly to me, not Jan,” the manager allegedly wrote. The employee said the missing payment was eventually corrected and believed the issue had been resolved.

Fired the next day

However, the following day reportedly took an unexpected turn. The Reddit user claimed the manager suddenly became distant and informed them that “it just isn’t working out.”

When the employee allegedly asked what they had done wrong, they said the manager repeated the same explanation without providing details.

“Normally she is really sweet and nice but that day she was just straight cold to me,” the worker wrote. The employee then speculated that the payroll inquiry may have frustrated management internally.

“I’m sorry Jan chewed you out for not doing your job, but did you have to take mine?” the post concluded.

Reddit users debate whether firing was justified

The story quickly attracted attention from commenters who debated whether the firing may have affected the employee’s eligibility for unemployment benefits. One commenter shared their terrifying story of being unemployed for 6 months after being fired under similar circumstances in Washington.

Another user argued that vague explanations such as “it’s just not working out” may not qualify as termination for cause in some jurisdictions. “Depending on circumstances and applicable laws, the employer is allowed to fire you without cause, but you can still be eligible for unemployment benefits when they do,” the commenter wrote.

Others shared personal experiences involving workplace performance plans, sudden dismissals, and increasing workloads before termination.

One commenter alleged that after their workload was repeatedly increased and they were eventually placed on a performance improvement plan, the company later needed “three people” to replace them.

The worker give reasons for firing

Later in the comments, the employee suggested the firing may have stemmed from contacting a payroll staff member directly instead of going through management. One commenter speculated that “Jan Payroll” may have been a senior payroll official and that reaching out to her directly could have been viewed internally as unnecessarily escalating the issue.

Responding to the theory, the Reddit user admitted, “I think messaging Jan was the major fuck up. Other than that everything was running smoothly.”

Frustration about workplace communication

While the full details behind the firing remain unclear, the Reddit user who found the post familiar said they felt uncomfortable raising payroll or HR concerns at work out of fear of retaliation or being labeled difficult.

For the employee who shared the story, the biggest unanswered question appears to remain whether contacting payroll directly truly crossed a line or whether the firing had little to do with the payment issue at all.