In recent times, several social media posts have surfaced online where users share their job struggles, office experiences, and workplace concerns with others who face similar challenges. Now, a woman who owns a tech consulting firm shared her bizarre experience with one of her employers who used company funds to throw a "farewell" party despite never intending to leave the company. Posting on the "AITAH" subreddit, user 'FrostingRegular1328', asked the Reddit community to weigh in on her story, titled, "AITAH (Am I the a**hole here) for firing my assistant after she used company money to throw herself a 'farewell party'... but didn't actually quit?"
In her post, the Redditor shared that she recently hired a new assistant named Lily. "She seemed competent, though she had a quirky personality and sometimes blurred professional lines," the boss wrote of the new hire.
AITA for firing my assistant after she used company money to throw herself a “farewell party” … but didn't actually quit?
byu/FrostingRegular1328 inAITAH
In the following lines, the Redditor shared that when she went out of town for a conference, Lily "emailed everyone in the company, announcing she was 'leaving to pursue new horizons' and threw herself a massive farewell party at the office".
"She used the company credit card to order catering, decorations, custom cake, and even arranged for a bartender to set up a drink station in the break room. The total bill was close to $2,000," the woman wrote.
When she came back, the boss said that she was shocked. "Not only did I never receive a resignation from her, but she also hadn't actually quit," she wrote. "When I confronted her, she said she was 'testing' how much people appreciated her and wanted to see if anyone would 'convince her to stay.' She called it a 'social experiment.'" she said.
The boss added that she fired Lily "on the spot for misuse of company funds and deceptive behaviour". "Now, she's blowing up on social media, claiming I'm a 'soulless boss' who has "no respect for mental health and personal exploration." She says I should have appreciated her 'creative way of bonding with the team.'" the post read.
"So, AITA for firing her immediately over a "farewell party" that wasn't even real?" the Redditor asked.
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Since being shared, the post has accumulated more than 8,000 upvotes. Reacting to the post, one user wrote, "It's baffling she thought this was a good idea. Trust is vital in a workplace, and she clearly breached that completely."
"Overreacting?! Her actions were completely inappropriate and I hope her final paycheck is docked. "Social experiment" my a$$. Creative gibberish nonsense. With some companies, she'd have been charged with theft or fraud. She should consider herself lucky," commented another.
"Lily's spent company money on throwing a party that was at most not only uncalled for but was fraud in itself. Regardless of the reasoning or personal feelings, that in itself is a severe breach of trust. Its company money, and you are responsible for how that money is spent," added a third redditor.
