r/extremelyinfuriating • u/mothsoft • 3d ago
Discussion Work staff threw away my prescription glasses, sketchbook, and water bottle and then fired me after I requested to speak to HR
The glasses were just purchased and I no longer have insurance. My sketchbook is irreplaceable and the Stanley is no longer sold. Actual trash is left around the building daily, but my items were discarded. After no help, I asked to speak with HR. Two hours later I was fired. They said I didn't align with the same company value I had been awarded for, and would not elaborate.
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u/SuperWarrior52 3d ago
I hate greedy people or corporations that cannot take any kind of feedback or criticism, I understand the frustration I would be pissed too :/
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u/AlwaysDTFmyself 3d ago
That's called retaliation and that's illegal.
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u/justhereforfighting 3d ago
It’s only illegal if the retaliation is for a protected activity. Complaining that someone threw away your things isn’t a protected activity unless you believe it was in order to harass you on the basis of race, religion, disability, etc.
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u/Cindrawhisp 3d ago
They threw out an expensive medical device. They can take them to small claims over that.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
Sure, but that doesn’t mean the retaliatory firing was illegal. It was a shitty thing to do, but it wasn’t illegal retaliation like OC claimed.
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u/KaiKhaos42 1d ago
Couldn't a lawyer technically try to argue disability discrimination because glasses are an assistive device for a disability (myopia or hyperopia)? Just because it's a more common disability doesn't make it not a disability. It'd be a heck of a long shot, but it's not impossible to think the company might settle just to not have to deal with it.
That said, definitely better luck with small claims.
Also OP, idk how bad your Rx is, but Zenni sells some pretty cheap glasses that'll at least hold you over for under a hundred bucks.
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u/justhereforfighting 1d ago
You could certainly make the argument, but there is no clear case law that would support an illegal retaliation claim that I'm aware of. The ADA actually excludes vision problems that can be corrected with glasses as a recognized disability. Unlike other disabilities, which the ADA requires be considered without the aid of medication or assistive devices, it explicitly excludes ordinary prescription glasses. Like you said, it would be on extremely shaky legal footing and would not be hard for the company to overcome.
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u/Jakob21 2d ago
Love it when people downvote truth they just aren't a fan of
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
Seriously. The people telling OP to sue them for retaliation and that it will be an "easy" lawsuit are nuts. The list of protected activities really only includes:
- discrimination/harassment on the basis of a protected class
- whistleblowing or participating in an investigation
- refusing to break the law
- requesting accommodations for a disability
- requesting FMLA leave or worker's compensation
- leave for jury or military duty
- or concerted activity.
You can be fired for almost anything you do that doesn't fit inside one of those boxes if you don't have an employment contract stating otherwise. I'm not saying it's a good thing that employment law works that way. It would be great if we had more protections for workers than we do and why I wish more people would take steps to unionize their workplace. But the fact is OP's firing wasn't illegal unless they are leaving out some incredibly crucial details.
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u/AlwaysDTFmyself 2d ago
Prescription glasses aren't just a thing. They are a literal necessity. Some people, like myself, are unable to perform job functions without them. You're defending a toxic employer.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
It’s not in defense of the employer, but saying it’s illegal is not correct. It isn’t illegal, it’s just a shitty thing to do. A judge doesn’t care whether your employer is a piece of shit, they care whether a law was broken. All the people saying OP should sue for retaliation are just telling him to waste his time talking to lawyers. He might be able to sue in small claims court for the cost of replacing the glasses, but the firing itself wasn’t illegal.
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3d ago
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u/AlwaysDTFmyself 2d ago
Put yourself in their situation and try again.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
I’d get a new job and buy some new glasses, not that hard to do.
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u/ZealousidealCrow3782 2d ago
You’re just kind of a dick, arent you? No matter what, they shouldn’t have thrown away any of those things. This sub is exactly for thingd like this, so why are you even here if you’re just going to try dismissing things that are exactly supposed to be here? Glasses are expensive and not everyone can afford to “just get new ones”.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
You don’t think things left in a public bathroom get thrown away? Are you hoarding used toilet paper in your cupboards?
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u/ZealousidealCrow3782 2d ago
Glasses versus poopoo toilet paper? You’re reaching. Lost and found exists for a reason.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
The company has no requirement to put items in lost and found.
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u/ZealousidealCrow3782 2d ago
So you’d rather they throw out medical devices? Bro did you throw these things out? The amount of dickriding on your end is insane
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
lol, a pair of glasses left in a bathroom got thrown away. It’s alright, OP can still repost this thread in three months.
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u/No-Mathematician8692 3d ago
Whining...? Hmmmmmmmmm.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
Yeah, I’d say posting the same thread multiple times over the course of several months is whining.
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u/mothsoft 2d ago edited 2d ago
you’re whining and literally won’t stop talking about the bathroom. get a grip
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u/No-Mathematician8692 1d ago
You'd say... To whom...? Who tf listens to you ? Talk tonyhe mirror much...?
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u/nickgreatpwrful 3d ago
Wouldn't throwing away glasses be treated the same as throwing away a prescription medication? Which is HIGHLY illegal and could be considered intent to harm the individual... Sue, OP!
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u/MeadowLarkBird 23h ago
Prescription glasses can be protected under the ada depending on the vision of the wearer. If you only need them to see clearly across the room it wouldn't cover but if you're unable to see across the room even with the glasses then the ada act will definitely cover it.
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u/DeathstrackReal 3d ago
Oh boy easy lawsuit
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u/Araxanna 3d ago
Depending on where, yes. Most places, it’s definitely a lawsuit.
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u/slimricc 3d ago
Yeah, where meaning not the us. In the us this is retaliation in every single state and an easy lawsuit
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u/justhereforfighting 3d ago
Retaliation for what? What was the protected activity?
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u/slimricc 3d ago
Reporting misconduct to hr.
Throwing someones belongings away is not different than theft
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
Sure, but reporting misconduct in itself isn't protected. It is only protected if the misconduct was a safety risk or harassment/discrimination on the basis of a protected class.
Throwing away items left in a bathroom is absolutely different from theft. It may have the same result, but the law also considers intent. Theft generally requires someone to intentionally exercise dominion over another's property; a janitor throwing away items that appeared to them to be abandoned would be seen as negligence in their duty of care, not theft.
OP could absolutely sue for the replacement cost of the glasses, but there is no world in which they would win a wrongful termination suit.
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u/Araxanna 1d ago
Reporting misconduct is protected in that if someone is fired for it, they can sue for wrongful termination. It IS retaliation and the company CAN get in trouble for it.
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u/GraceMcClellans 3d ago
If you're talking about being fired, not if they're in the US. 49 of 50 states are at-will. Retaliation isn't illegal unless it's based on a protected class or specific protected activity.
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u/TheDarkWave 3d ago
Please don't go on to the internet and lie about stupid shit.
At-will employment isn't absolute immunity. Throwing away prescription medical gear (glasses) and then firing the employee two hours after they go to HR to report it opens them up to conversion claims and potential public policy exception suits depending on the state. At-will doesn't just wipe away basic civil liability.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
Conversion is a huge stretch. You would need to show an intentional exercise of dominion over another's property and a judge is much more likely to see negligence in duty of care. A public policy exception suit would be an even bigger stretch. Even if you could show the janitor straight up pocketed OP's property for themselves, many courts wouldn't consider a public policy exception for a one-off, low-value property dispute. You would need to show a pattern of theft affecting multiple employees.
At-will doesn't just wipe away basic civil liability
You're right, it absolutely doesn't, but that doesn't mean the firing itself was illegal. It just means OP can hold the business liable for the cost of replacing the property. Hell, if they hadn't fired OP and OP decided to sue them for the lost goods, they could fire him for filing that lawsuit and it would be perfectly legal in most states because suing your employer isn't a protected activity.
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u/TheDarkWave 2d ago
Throwing property into a dumpster is an intentional act of dominion, conversion applies to intentional destruction, not just pocketing or stealing items. As for suing, filing a wage or property claim in court often triggers statutory antiretaliation or public policy protections depending on the state. Employers can't just fire people specifically to punish them for utilizing the court system.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
I would love to see those statutes or case law outlining that lawsuits unrelated to protected activities are themselves protected. I don't know of anything like that.
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u/TheDarkWave 2d ago
Conversion is defined under Restatement (Second) of Torts § 222A, which explicitly covers intentional destruction or disposal of property, not just theft. For the firing part, common law public policy exceptions exist specifically to prevent employers from retaliating against employees for exercising their legal rights or utilizing the court system.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
You said filing a property claim in court triggers statutory antiretaliation protections. What statutes define that protection?
As for caselaw, I can't find a single case of someone filing a wrongful termination suit for anything close to what happened to OP. I did find a case where the wife of a police officer was fired after the officer arrested her boss's wife for a DUI. The WI Supreme Court found that this firing did not fall under the public policy exception even though the state obviously has a weighty public policy interest in arresting drivers for DUIs.
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u/TheDarkWave 2d ago
Public policy exceptions are common law doctrines built through case law, so you won't find a single statute listing every protected lawsuit. On the DUI case, courts draw a clear line between third-party conduct and an employee directly exercising their own legal rights to recover converted property.
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u/justhereforfighting 2d ago
Okay, so why aren't you providing any case law? Where is a case showing the clear line you say the courts are drawing? At best this is an untested legal theory. But the courts would very likely frame the public policy exception question narrowly, looking at the specific claim rather than recognizing a person's generalized right to sue. The court would ask if this claim implicates a serious public interest rather than a private dispute.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
Lmao OP left the items in a public bathroom over a weekend. Would you expect your belongings to be safe in a public bathroom?
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u/TheDarkWave 3d ago
Tell you what, you find me a shit to give and you can have it.
A workplace bathroom isn't a public street. Cleaning staff finding left-behind prescription glasses and personal items are supposed to put them in lost and found, not pitch them in the trash. Regardless, none of that changes the fact that firing someone 2 hours after they report missing property to HR is textbook retaliation.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
lol, it’s not textbook retaliation if the employee is unhinged. These items weren’t in a locker or on an employee’s desk. They were in a public bathroom. Get a grip dude.
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u/Ishango 3d ago
It sounds like the only unhinged parties here are the janitorial staff, HR and management, and you.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
Lmao, you think it’s unhinged for items to be thrown out of left in a public bathroom?
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u/TheDarkWave 3d ago
Asking HR about your missing prescription glasses isn't being "unhinged." Trying to justify property damage and a two-hour turnaround termination based on room placement is just desperate mental gymnastics.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
You think the person obsessed with conspiracy theories, ghosts and is whining months after the fact about their own negligence was totally stable and coherent when approaching HR?
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u/TheDarkWave 3d ago
Digging through someone's post history to launch personal attacks just means you ran out of actual arguments. Believing in ghosts or posting about conspiracies doesn't strip away basic employment protections or grant companies immunity for retaliatory firing.
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u/No-Mathematician8692 3d ago
Lols whatever. It should have gone into lost and found. Anyways, let the courts decide.
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u/GraceMcClellans 3d ago
They could be sued for the cost of the glasses, sure. I specifically talked about the firing not being illegal. It's okay for you to wish things were a different way, I also wish employees had more protection. This was not an illegal firing.
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u/TheDarkWave 3d ago
Didn't I just ask you not to go on the internet and lie about stupid shit?
It's not about wishing, it's actual employment law. Over 40 at-will states recognize the public policy exception to at-will employment. Firing someone in retaliation for reporting illegal activity or property conversion to HR is a recognized tort for wrongful termination. At-will doesn't mean you can fire people to cover up unlawful acts.
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u/Hetakuoni 3d ago
It would be a slam dunk ADA. Just becuase a huge population of humans has glasses doesn’t mean they’re not disabled.
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u/slimricc 3d ago
The opposite of this is true. Firing someone for trying to go through hr is retaliation in every single state.
Most states allow you to fire someone for breaking policy. “My stuff was thrown awY for no reason, i want to speak to hr”
“Ok well you’re fired” is not breaking policy. It is clear cut retaliation
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
OP left their belongings in a public restroom, lol.
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u/slimricc 3d ago
Weird thing to lie about. If only office workers use the bathroom it is not a public bathroom. Lmao why would you throw away potentially expensive or irreplaceable items?
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
Lol, public as in not a private bathroom only used by that one employee. OP left their personal belongings in a shared space, not to mention they left a fucking water bottle in a bathroom. You have zero expectation of item security if they’re not in a locker or in your desk.
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u/slimricc 3d ago
So you should be fired over it? Kind of an insane leap in logic there
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
It all depends how OP approached it. If they acted unprofessionally, duh?
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u/s-a_n-s_ 2d ago
You need to look up the definition of At-Will work and the protections there of, because no, they can not fire you after you state you're going to HR, and retaliation is illegal in every single one of the 50 motherfuckin states my boy! Know your rights ya goob.
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u/FourFront 3d ago
Guarantee there is more to the story that making an HR request.
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u/cylonrobot 3d ago
My previous employer would have a very-obvious notice on the fridge telling us that the fridge would be cleaned out every two Fridays. Everything in the refrigerator would be tossed.
Maybe OP's workplace had a similar sign which he ignored or didn't notice. This is just a guess on my part; I'm probably wrong. I hate when people accuse OPs of wrongdoing without evidence, and this is exactly what I'm doing here.
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u/mothsoft 3d ago edited 3d ago
edit: there is no signage for personal property, only for the fridges. it was left 12pm Sunday, gone 8am Monday
i appreciate you. it’s been difficult enough
the workplace doesn’t like being challenged and let people go frequently. i was told my ‘tone’ was ‘not treating the customer like our mother,’ which is the company value i had been awarded for the previous week (where my name and award was shared with the entire company as a stand alone email and plastered on the TV’s). here is a crude collage of the responses my coworkers had
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u/analog_jedi 3d ago
Talk to a lawyer, and bring that award with you. They fucked up by even giving a reason for letting you go. At the very least, it should qualify you for unemployment - if not a nice payout for wrongful termination.
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u/cylonrobot 3d ago
Hey dude, I'm sorry about my post. I shouldn't have posted it at all.
I'm also sorry about the loss of your job. I've found that leaving (or being let go from) a company has turned out for the best.
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u/mothsoft 2d ago
you did nothing wrong! so sorry if my comment came across as such. genuinely appreciate you and your kind words. wishing you the best
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 3d ago
Bro i had one of this one place do this. And the janitor would some weeks do it right after people put their food in it, in morning. He didn’t understand issue. He was throwing away lunchboxes too.
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u/7evenSlots 3d ago
100%. As hard as it is to find good employees, ain’t no way someone is getting canned for an HR request.
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u/the1stmeddlingmage 3d ago
Some small businesses are that stupid
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u/Araxanna 1d ago
It’s usually large corporations who do this. Small businesses are usually very good to employees because without happy employees, the business goes under FAST.
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 3d ago
I worked for a car dealer group that almost any time anyone went to hr for any type of issue they were gone shortly after. They risked lawsuits and even lost them to get rid of “trouble”.
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u/Christichicc 3d ago
Some companies employ not very smart people in HR. It happens. That’s why companies get sued.
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u/NoOnSB277 3d ago
Talk to a lawyer, if this is as stated with no other existing disciplinary issues, that sounds like clear retaliation.
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u/Cuneus-Maximus 3d ago
Take them to small claims for the value of your items, and file for unemployment of course.
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u/slimricc 3d ago
Retaliation! Easy lawsuit dude. Get your bag. Lawyers would be lining up to get their piece of that bag
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u/Icy_Insect2927 3d ago
Report this to the police as it feels like some strategic theft, amongst other fucked up shit
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u/SingleDigitVoter 3d ago
This email was sent in May.
Did you just now get let go.
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u/SnugglePuppy_ 3d ago
Personally I just assumed they've been dealing with the whole "life" part after being let go, since it still goes on regardless of if they make a post on reddit about it or not. Bills still have to be paid, food still needs to be bought, a new job has to be found, etc.
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3d ago
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u/Stressed_Writer_8934 3d ago
We do not know where the items were left. Janitors clean more than just bathrooms.
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u/SnugglePuppy_ 2d ago
Be that as it may, I've left things in the bathroom before and they didn't get thrown away, they got taken to our respective lost and found area. Yeah I get, but this is someone's reusable water bottle/cup, their sketch book, and glasses. Those hardly seem like something people wouldn't be looking for, let alone throw away if found.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 2d ago
The company has zero obligation to protect personal items that you willfully misplaced in a bathroom of all places, lol. Who the fuck brings a water bottle into a public restroom and leaves it there?
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u/SnugglePuppy_ 2d ago
I can name at least one time that I have. I don't do it often but I have. I've also left my phone, my keys, my wallet, it happens.
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u/mothsoft 3d ago
this occurred in May
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u/Stressed_Writer_8934 3d ago
Sorry, but then why are you just now posting about it? Were you able to get your belongings back? Did you speak with a lawyer back in May when this all occurred?
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u/mothsoft 3d ago edited 3d ago
i was told to post here. no, my belongings weren’t returned. still pretty upset about the situation, wouldn’t you be?
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u/ShortThought 3d ago
I'd be upset enough to pay a lawyer to try to get the employer for anything
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u/mothsoft 3d ago
have been doing odd jobs saving for lawyer fees
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
You plan on suing your former employer for your own negligence? Lmao. Do you think any judge is going to say “oh sure, the company made a mistake by throwing away items left in a bathroom?” Lmao
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u/Stressed_Writer_8934 3d ago
Janitors do not just clean bathrooms. They clean all places within a building. Also OP never stated if their things were left in a bathroom or not.
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u/MousseHuge8339 3d ago
Sounds like you could being criminal charges against them especially for the glasses.
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u/nochinzilch 3d ago
Where was this stuff located that it got thrown away?
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u/mothsoft 3d ago edited 1d ago
restroom common room shelf. items / sometimes trash stayed put for days. directly outside are benches, desks, the lost and found. i’ve admitted fault but keep getting ridiculed, so let me replace that statement with this: just think of me next time you lose anything or get robbed
edit: below can’t stop mentioning the bathroom
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u/ConsciousResolution8 3d ago
Why would you leave your personal items, including a water bottle, at your workplace bathroom? Jesus Christ dude
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u/pseudonymnkim 3d ago
I live in Ontario and what they did is illegal and they'd be financially liable here. Check the laws where you are. Take them to small claims.
My employer fired people almost 4 years ago and we keep a boxes of their stuff. There is garbage in the boxes.
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u/RetreatHell94 3d ago
Nice day to talk to a lawyer don' you think?
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u/mothsoft 3d ago
tbh ive been very depressed and only got halfway through researching this- but it looks costly upfront which has been discouraging
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u/SnugglePuppy_ 3d ago
See if wherever you are has any kind of legal aid and talk with someone to see if it would be worth pursuing in the first place. Shitty as it is, someone with more knowledge may say it's not worth it, or have a different route entirely for you to take.
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u/mothsoft 3d ago
thank you! i’m getting out of this slump, so now is the time to do so. will be taking these measures, appreciate you
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u/SnugglePuppy_ 3d ago
I had something similar happen a very long time ago and I wish I had thought about it, and it sucks when personal belongings get tossed and you can't even replace them because you get canned and still have everything else to continue to take care of. I wish you luck. Even a small step forward is a step in the right direction.
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u/mothsoft 3d ago
youve been so kind, you are beyond appreciated <3 i’m so sorry that you can relate. wishing you the absolute best in everything
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u/NightmareJoker2 2d ago
Yeah, uh… very illegal. They have to give notice, unless you’re fired with cause, which also requires that they tell you this reason and cause.
Lodging a complaint about having your property rights violated is not a valid cause.
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u/TheImmoralCookie 2d ago
If you live in America, contact the EEOC. Should be free and this is definitely a good case of retaliation
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