This Employee Yelled “You Can’t Fire Me, I Quit” and Accidentally Cost Himself His Entire Severance Package

We have all seen that dramatic scene in the movies. The boss calls an employee into the office to let them go, and the employee, full of righteous indignation, slams their hand on the desk and screams, “You can’t fire me! I quit!” It looks great on cinema screens. It feels like a power move. It feels like taking control of your own destiny. But in the real world, pulling that stunt is less of a power move and more of a financial suicide mission. One business owner on Reddit just shared a story about an employee who let his ego write a check that his bank account definitely could not cash.

The narrator is a small business owner who had the unfortunate task of firing an employee. It is never a fun day. He called the guy in and started the standard speech. He was explaining that the employee was being let go and trying to get through the “why” of it all. Usually, this is where you hand over the paperwork, discuss the severance, and shake hands awkwardly.

But this employee was not having it. He interrupted the boss to go on a tirade. He pulled out the greatest hits of delusional employees everywhere. He claimed he was the one who made the place run. He insisted he was the last guy who should be getting fired. He was venting, and the boss, to his credit, just sat there and let him get it out of his system.

Then came the moment that changed everything. The employee decided he wasn’t going to be a victim. He looked his boss in the eye and said, “And what’s more, you can’t fire me. You can’t fire someone who doesn’t work here. I. QUIT.”

Now, a softer boss might have said, “Hey, take a breath, you don’t mean that.” But this boss saw an opening and he took it. He asked for clarification. He asked, “You’re quitting?” And the employee, high on his own rage, shouted, “You’re d*mn right I am!” The boss double-checked. He asked if he was resigning his post and choosing not to work there anymore. The employee said yes and stormed out.

By doing this, the employee effectively ripped up his own safety net. When you are fired without cause or laid off, you are typically entitled to severance or unemployment benefits. When you quit? You get nothing. You get to walk out with your box of stuff and your pride, but the company owes you zero dollars.

The boss processed the removal as a resignation. He didn’t have to pay a dime in severance. He saved his company money simply by letting the guy have the last word. It is a level of petty malicious compliance that I frankly have to admire.

Now the boss is feeling a little guilty. He knows getting fired is tough and that people react emotionally in the moment. He is wondering if he should have saved the guy from himself. But let us look at the behavior here. This wasn’t a polite resignation. This was a “loud, insulting, profanity-laced tirade” against the boss, the coworkers, and the clients.

If you are going to burn bridges on your way out the door, you have to expect to get scorched. The employee wanted to hurt the boss. He wanted to make a scene. He wanted to prove that he was in control. Well, he got what he wanted. He was in total control of his own exit, right down to the part where he voluntarily forfeited his benefits.

So is the boss the ahole? Absolutely not. N-T-A. You cannot scream at your employer, quit in a huff to satisfy your ego, and then expect them to chase you down to give you free money. This guy played a stupid game and won a stupid prize. He bought a moment of satisfaction with his severance check. I hope it was worth it.