New employee let go for missing manager’s weekend text. Is that fair?

Embarking on a new job can bring a host of questions about whether the company is a solid fit. Occasionally, red flags appear before the first day, as one newly hired employee—Reddit user u/nostalgicflame—discovered when they were let go for failing to answer a message over the weekend. Seeking clarity, they shared a screenshot of the text exchange to figure out if they were in the wrong or if they had dodged a bullet.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Ono Kosuki

“I didn’t immediately respond to the manager for a position I had already been offered (I have already received emails from HR with the paperwork ready to go) and received this message the next morning,” the employee wrote. “For context, I received their question about paperwork on a Saturday, and today is currently Sunday. Should I have been expected to reply to a work message on a weekend? Additionally, it seems excessive that it hasn’t even been 24 hours since receiving their question and I’m being cut from the team due to unresponsiveness,” they continued. “Genuinely confused about what’s just happened.”

Giphy

The newly hired worker had given the manager their cell phone number in case of emergencies. At first, the manager sent a courteous note: “Hi, I hope you are doing well. Just reaching out to inform you that your information has been passed on to HR. Please keep an eye out your email for your formal letter and onboarding documents.” Roughly five hours passed before the manager messaged again: “Hi, just checking in on the status of your onboarding. Have you received any documentation? If so, please let me know.” By the next morning, with no reply from the employee, the manager stated, “Good morning, due to no response, I will be taking you off the team. Thank you.”

Giphy

The abrupt firing left the employee feeling bewildered, so they asked the internet for opinions on whether they should have responded over the weekend. Commenters were split, with some agreeing that the manager’s behavior was excessive, while others maintained that the employee should have replied promptly. One Redditor, u/Swabia, shared, “I answered the phone once on vacation. My boss wanted me to fly to Mexico to look at something I’d already checked via images. I said, ‘Oh, hey, I’m drunk right now, and I don’t have my passport on me because that’s in WV and I’m on Lake Erie. Why don’t you stop by my office on a working day and tell me what is going on? While you’re at it, why don’t you bring HR with you?’ No one showed up in my office.”

Image Source: Reddit | u/MoreRopePlease

Image Source: Reddit | u/the_champ_has_a_name

Another user, u/ancientastronaut2, remarked, “On the one hand, brand new job and they text me? I am going to see that and respond. On the other hand, HR is expecting new employee paperwork over the weekend.” A different perspective came from u/Dr_A_Mephesto, who wrote, “Yeah, new job, with an offer on the table. I’m keeping my eyes open for everything and responding as quickly as possible.” Meanwhile, u/Idlertwo summed up the paradox: “I don’t think mid-hiring is the time and place to be hardcore on work-life balance for your weekend. It’s just genuinely not a big issue to just respond and continue enjoying your weekend. On that note, having the offer rescinded for not responding is bizarre.”