punishedlad

🧙‍♂️

LinkedIn Post Pissed Off Former Employer

I started working for a seed stage software company back in April (jumped ship from a floundering Series A company because they gave me a very attractive offer). June 1st they hit us with a layoff. Funny thing is, they're trying their damndest to avoid saying it was a layoff to avoid negative PR. Not sure what else you call it when you cut 5 people from a 15 person company across departments.

Anyway, I very quickly landed with another company that seems to really have its shit together and sells into a recession proof industry (education). I put together a kind of lengthy LinkedIn post detailing the layoff, my experience with early stage startups, and how I'm leaving that life behind me because I have a wife and 1 year old child to support.

Immediately get an email from the HR lady at my previous employer demanding I either heavily alter the post or take it down entirely as it's "unfair to the team, full of inaccuracies (I'm assuming she's referring to my use of the term 'layoff'), and goes against my termination agreement." I capitulated and took out any mention of their name and the word layoff and it seems to have appeased them.

All of this is to say, it left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. Even more than the layoff, honestly. Anyone have any experience with companies getting snippy about this kind of thing?

☁️ Software Tech

🏙 Corporate Experiences

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15 comments

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SaaSam

Politicker

21

Account Executive

None of my business but you should have told HR lady to pound sand. If they're struggling so hard they likely wouldn't spend the money to hire a lawyer anyways. Besides, what are they going to get in a lawsuit aside from more bad publicity and bringing something to light that they seem dead set on keeping in the dark.

jefe

Arsonist

8

🍁

HR from the old company can GTFO.

Definitely important to carefully read termination agreements though.

TennisandSales

Politicker

2

Head Of Sales

ummm yeah fuck off HR sorry. they do not control you or your posts. if there REALLY is a clause in the termination agreement about "deformation" then tell them to sue you. I would go back and put the name and "lay off" back in the post haha

SDRzo

Fire Starter

2

Sales Rep

Oh wow, so sorry to hear that and your experience. No one shouldn’t have to go through that (it's business at the end of the day) but how you treat your employees is another. Smh. Once again so sorry for that experience. Plus why should it matter you don’t work there anymore I get how the company is trying to save face.

ego

Politicker

1

Bartender

Fabricate threatening emails from throwaway addresses telling you to take down the post. Then post that.

But you’ve got a family and stuff so you did the mature thing

desperado

Politicker

1

Head of Sales

I would've just said sue me tbh

GTMLeader

Good Citizen

1

GTM Leader

I do have a number of thoughts, but first a couple of questions: 1) Did the HR representative identify, or did you ask, what was inaccurate about your LinkedIn post? & 2) what is in your separation/termination agreement, especially if there is anything around company disparagement and what did the company offer you in exchange for you signing the agreement?

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

1

sales

tell her to mind her own business

Justatitle

Big Shot

1

Account Executive

HR lady on her high horse. Sounds like it’s not going to matter in a year anyway

sketchysales

Politicker

1

Sales Manager

Here's an idea, put a pic of their email I to the comments, even without the detail in the post. You know, just some real sneaky 007 shit on them

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

This is one if those in my opinion is to pick you battles, good move deleting the company name

Pachacuti

Politicker

0

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

You gotta watch out for those severance agreements and employment contracts. Your pissed but public forums aren’t the place to vent. They probably have deeper pockets and can cost you a ton of money in lawyer fees without ever even suing you.

Better off going on Glassdoor and vent there. Or just moving on.

nomdeguerre

Executive

0

Account executive

HR people are so dumb and annoying. Tell her to F off

rSmothersIII

0

Specialist

I’m confused as to why you responded at all.

IamBD

Personal Narrative

0

Account Manager

I had the same experience 5 months ago

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