Woman fired for 'no work' gets rehired to train replacements, internet goes huh?

A woman shared how she was rehired to support and train her replacements after being laid off under the pretence of "no work" for her, sparking debate on workplace boundaries and respect.

In Short

• Woman let go due to 'no work' but later called back to support replacements
• Felt invisible and excluded from team interactions from the start
• Online users advised setting boundaries and questioned workplace respect

A woman shared how she was asked to return to a company that had earlier let her go due to “no work,"only to end up supporting the very people who replaced her, in a situation that left her confused and questioning workplace norms.

Posting on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell, she detailed her experience, writing, “Company said there was ‘no work’ for me... then replaced me and called me back to help my replacements.”

She explained that while she had been putting in her best effort during her time at the company, things never quite felt right from the beginning. “Every new person would usually be introduced in the team channels, but I was never posted or properly introduced,” she wrote, adding that it made her feel “kind of invisible from the start.”

The disconnect didn’t stop there. She shared that others in similar roles were included in meetings she wasn’t invited to, sometimes even prompting colleagues to question her absence, moments she described as “honestly uncomfortable and a bit humiliating.” There were also instances where she felt singled out in meetings, being corrected directly without much context.

Then came the turning point.

“One day, I was told there was ‘no work’ for me any more, and they let me go,” she wrote. While she accepted the decision calmly and even saw it as an opportunity to focus on her own projects.

She then explained, “Later, I found out that two people were hired after me for the same role. That honestly shocked me.”

Months later, the company reached out again, this time asking her to return temporarily to help out.

“I accepted because I needed some continuity on my CV,” she explained, adding that she wasn’t aware they had already hired others again for the same role.

Now back at the company, her situation felt even more unusual.

“I’m supporting people who were hired after me, and they’re the ones assigning me daily tasks and telling me what to do,” she wrote, describing the dynamic as “really strange.” She also pointed out that she was the only one in a temporary position, while others were treated as full-time employees, leaving her feeling “kind of on the side.”

While she admitted she’s no longer emotionally attached to the job and is focused on moving forward, she didn’t shy away from how the situation made her feel. “I can’t lie, the whole situation does feel a bit humiliating when I really think about it,” she wrote, adding that it’s also been “kind of humbling in a weird way.”

Take a look at the post here:

Her post led to several users weighing in on how the situation could have been handled differently.

“When they asked you to come back and train your replacements, you probably should have started charging consulting fees. $200/hr here we go,” one user commented.

Another pointed out the importance of setting boundaries, writing, “When they called you back the second time the negotiation should have been ‘Only if it's as a FTE. Otherwise, no.’ You validated their prior treatment of you when you came back on the same terms.”

Some users also took to pointing out a broader issue around workplace dynamics, where communication, transparency, and respect could make all the difference, especially in situations that already feel uncertain.

- Ends