Woman gets fired after refusing to buy breakfast for her boss

By Brooke Villanueva Published Sep 28, 2024 12:59 pm Updated Sep 28, 2024 1:04 pm

A woman got dismissed by her employer after rejecting her boss' request to buy her breakfast.

South China Morning Post reported that the worker in Shanghai, surnamed Lou, was being asked to buy a "hot Americano and an egg" every morning along with a bottle of water since she was hired by the company.

The woman called her superior (surnamed Liu) out for it one day in a group chat. Instead of discussing things with the Human Resources department, however, she ended up getting reprimanded by her administrator and terminated from the firm.

She was also informed that she was not going to get any compensation for the work she had done. Lou asked to reimburse all of it from her boss as she said it made her feel "helpless and absurd."

The incident became a hot topic among social media users, causing outrage about the unfair treatment. How it reached online remains unclear.

"This boss treated her subordinate like a free assistant, which is unethical and constitutes bullying," a social media user said.

"Lou displayed significant bravery by exposing her boss' misconduct," wrote another.

Days after garnering attention on the Internet, the company announced that Lou's boss has been fired due to abuse of authority, which included asking her subordinates to help her even with her personal needs.

It also said that Lou is now back in the firm with the same position.

According to a report by local media outlet Dafeng News, the HR clarified it was only Liu who decided to have Lou fired as it noted the initial decision "did not align" with their policy.