After 40 years of dedicated service, a man was fired just before retirement, leaving his family and the internet outraged. His daughter, u/DriverOk9165, shared his heartbreaking story on Reddit, sparking a debate about corporate loyalty and the treatment of longtime employees.
Representative photo by Maxime Agnelli | Unsplash
Her father had spent his life working tirelessly, often holding down two jobs to support his family. For decades, he remained loyal to the same company, believing it would carry him through to retirement. Instead, just weeks before Christmas, he was told that his store was closing and he would not be transferred elsewhere.
His daughter explained that the store would close within a month, leaving him with little time to find another job. His role involved heavy lifting, which had already taken a toll on his body. To make matters worse, he had recently undergone surgery and likely needed another one soon. The only small comfort? The company couldn’t immediately cut off his health insurance.
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His struggles didn’t start with this job. From a young age, he had worked to survive, taking on difficult labor from childhood. "He dug graves as a teenager and roughed. He went to a couple of years of college before he had to drop out to support his family," his daughter wrote. Despite the hardships, he had always been a hard worker with dreams beyond the jobs he took.
"He wanted to be a writer. He even wrote a book for the family, and it's funny as hell," she shared. Seeing her father lose everything just when retirement was in sight felt cruel.
Her father’s dedication to his job went beyond just showing up. A few years ago, he posted on Facebook about a country musician he loved coming to town. His daughter commented, telling him to close the store early and go. His response was heartbreaking.
"He laughed it off and said something about needing to have a good work ethic. Look where a good work ethic got him. Don’t make the same mistakes he did. They will use you until you are broken and throw you away because you cost too much," she wrote.
The story resonated with thousands of people online, many of whom had experienced similar betrayals in the workplace. u/compost-me commented, "I'm so sorry to hear that your dad is going through this." Another user, u/newwriter365, pointed out how corporations often take advantage of dedicated employees, saying, "It sounds like he’s the type of person who is fiercely independent. And CVS is taking advantage of that."
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This isn’t just one man’s story—it’s a reflection of a much larger issue. Many employees dedicate their lives to companies, believing their hard work and loyalty will pay off, only to be discarded when they become “too expensive.”
Representative photo by Clem Onojeghuo | Unsplash
Unfortunately, in the corporate world, loyalty often isn’t rewarded. But as many in the Reddit thread pointed out, respecting your own well-being over company loyalty might be the most valuable lesson of all.
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