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April fools’ joke backfires: Canadian employee fired after posting ‘this sticker’ in washroom

An employee was unexpectedly fired over what she thought was a lighthearted April Fools’ prank, which got a green light from HR.

Sharing her side on Reddit, the former employee explained everything

A Canadian worker says she was unexpectedly fired over what she thought was a lighthearted April Fools’ prank–despite getting a green light from the HR department. Sharing her side on Reddit, the former employee explained she put a sticker on a staff bathroom mirror that read, “Employees must stop crying before returning to work.” According to her, it was meant as a harmless joke to boost morale, not offend anyone.

“I had joked about doing it beforehand,” she wrote, adding that HR had even suggested which bathroom to use. “Everyone besides the boss knew what I was doing.”

But the following day, things took a turn. When she returned to work, her belongings had been moved, and a trip to her boss’ office confirmed her fears. She said she immediately owned up to the prank and apologised: “As a leader, I shouldn’t have done that,” she recalled telling him. “I knew immediately I was getting suspended for it.” But instead of a warning or suspension, she was fired on the spot.

See the post:

Got fired because of a sticker.
byu/Dear-Description3215 incoworkerstories

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The employee, who had been at the job for 10 months with no prior disciplinary issues, suspected the prank wasn’t the real reason behind her dismissal. She mentioned an earlier disagreement with her boss about “currency handling” that may have played a role. “My heart is broken because a lot of the staff believed in me as a leader,” she said, adding that even her ex-boss shed a few tears during the final conversation, which she found surprising.

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Wondering whether she has a case, she asked Reddit if it’s worth approaching the labour board or if this is just a case of “he said, she said.”

Redditors were divided on the issue. One noted, “This is wild, we have these signs at work in the employee-only areas. No one cares.” Another user said, “We had this in my bathroom at my old job, and it was my manager who put it up lol. We all thought it was hilarious.” But not everyone was sympathetic. One user said, “Sounds like they were just tired of your moves.”