I Refuse to Work With the Manager Who Fired Me Years Ago

Workplace drama can turn into a real career crisis when a toxic boss returns, forcing tough choices about mental health, job security, and professional growth. From HR decisions to office politics, situations like this can make even a dream job feel unsafe. Today, a reader sent us a letter about facing her former manager again at work.

Josie’s letter:

Dear Bright Side,

Hi! My name is Josie, I am 31.

I was fired from my old job by my supervisor, Simon, after I refused to keep doing his work for him. He would dump tasks on me, disappear for endless coffee breaks, then take the credit at the end of the day.

After two weeks, I finally confronted him. He called me “lazy” and accused me of “avoiding responsibilities”. Since he was senior, he had the power, and he fired me.

I left and eventually found another company. I’ve been here for 3 years, and everything has been great. I’ve grown a lot, learned so much, and genuinely felt happy here.

Then I found out Simon left his old job, got hired at my current company, and is joining our team. Worse, he’s going to be my supervisor again.

When I heard the news, it felt like my worst nightmare coming back. I went straight to HR and said, “I’m not working with the guy who fired me unfairly. He’s unprofessional and avoids his duties.” She just smiled and didn’t say anything.

The next day, HR emailed everyone:
“Dear colleagues, please join us in welcoming Mr. Simon L. as your new supervisor. And to get him acquainted with our workflow and customs, our team member Josie will be assisting him and guiding him for the first two months.”

I read it twice, thinking it had to be a joke. It wasn’t. HR had decided I would be the one to “assist” Simon, because it would help us “move past the tension” and “start fresh”.

I smiled and nodded.

After lunch, everyone walked in and froze when they saw my desk empty. I told HR I was leaving. I can’t work in an environment where I’m expected to support the person who mistreated me and fired me.

Now I’m torn. Is leaving a mistake?

I’ve spent 3 good years here, and it feels unfair to lose a job I love because of one person. But I also can’t imagine working under him again.

What should I do?

Josie

Josie, thank you for trusting us with your story. Before you make your resignation final, pause and evaluate your next best move with a clear career strategy.

You deserve a safe workplace, real accountability, and a fresh start on your terms. This is our advice for you:

Create a “paper trail timeline” dossier.

Before you decide anything, write a clean, factual timeline of what happened last time with Simon: dates, tasks he dumped, credit he took, the confrontation, and the firing reason he used. Bring it to a private meeting with HR’s manager (not the same rep) and say: “I’m documenting a prior employment conflict with my incoming supervisor.”

Ask them to add it to your file and confirm in writing who handles escalation if retaliation repeats. This isn’t a “feelings talk”; it’s risk documentation that makes HR take you seriously.

Flip the onboarding: visible deliverables.

If they insist you “assist him,” turn it into a structured onboarding plan with public artifacts: a checklist, owners, and sign-offs that the whole team can see. Set it up so every task you do is logged as “Josie delivered X” and every decision is recorded as “Simon approved Y.”

That removes his favorite move (disappear + take credit) because the workflow itself becomes evidence. If he tries to slide work onto you, you can point to the checklist: “That’s assigned to the supervisor role.”

Pre-negotiate a two-month escape hatch.

Use HR’s “two months” wording against them: propose a written plan that after 30 days you either (a) move to a different reporting line,
or (b) transfer teams—no drama, just a scheduled checkpoint.
Frame it as: “I’ll support onboarding, but we need a predetermined reassignment option if the prior pattern returns.”

It’s specific to your scenario because HR already created the two-month window and named you publicly. If they refuse even a checkpoint, that’s information you can use to decide whether staying is worth it.

Treat quitting as a strategic exit, not panic.

Instead of disappearing with an empty desk, re-enter with a controlled exit plan: apply internally first (other supervisor, adjacent team) while quietly interviewing externally. Tell HR: “I’m not resigning today; I’m exploring internal reassignment and will make a final decision by [date].”

That protects the 3 years you built, keeps your references clean, and stops them from painting you as “impulsive.” If nothing changes, you still leave—but on your terms, with options lined up.

Heather is facing rising workplace tension after refusing to take on the extra workload left behind by laid-off colleagues. But her decision triggered unexpected consequences with HR, putting her job security and mental health under pressure.