“Are you having a laugh? You fired me last week,” the ex-employee replied.
The boss decided he should insist: “I know this is awkward. I promise you will get a coffee for the favour.”
“I will do it, but I want it to be a remote tutorial, and I will charge you for half the day,” the former staff member said.
“Remote work is fine but half a day’s pay? This will only take a few minutes,” the boss replied
“That is the deal,” the ex-employee said.
“Fine but I am disappointed this is the way you are playing this,” the boss answered.
Askins shared the exchange saying the boss was “pushing his luck” and highlight the need for companies to have training guides instead of relying on the knowledge of former staff members.
He also argued that the former employee was right to want to be paid for his time and expertise.
“The fact he is charging is completely okay. He is giving up his time and he really doesn’t have to do it,” he said.
Online commenters agreed with the workplace expert and were shocked by the exchange. A lot of comments highlighted the fact that the boss expected a coffee to be enough compensation, particularly just days after firing the staff member.
“A coffee? After being fired? I would not have even answered the text,” one person wrote.
“Half a day? I’d charge them my “consultancy fee” and it would be astronomical," someone else said.
Others also questioned why the boss fired someone who appeared to be “the one person that knows how to do something”.
