Everybody’s Replaceable
At any point, in your career, have you ever thought, “Why am I killing myself for a job that will replace me in a week?”
Some may say “Never”, while others may say, “Absolutely”. Even though these answers are based on personal experiences, it’s the reality of the workforce, business world, or however way you word it. No matter how hard a person works for a job, there’ll always be another person who could do the job better, cheaper, or for whatever reason.
And unfortunately, young sales manager, “Gerald” would concur.
He had it all, a remarkable sales reputation at his company and the great wealth that came from it, and a respectful relationship with his boss. Or so he thought. That all changed when one day, out of the blue, he was let go.
How was that possible? He was on the top of his game, but when he discovered the real motive behind’s his boss’s decision, he knew he had to play another type of game, as we all know it, “Revenge.”
No way was he going to be let go and replaced so easily.
~
Team Player
He might’ve been young, but when it came to his job as regional sales manager, Gerald meant business. Even though he only was responsible for the markets in the Western States (of America), he made quite a name for himself throughout the company as he made quotas and kept costs within budget. And with that, his boss saw him as an asset and he definitely felt it.
At times, he would get re-assign to other markets that were performing poorly and more often than not, made those sales numbers grow. His strategy?
He knew how to play the game, especially back then, when certain things weren’t considered illegal in today’s business.
The company had something called, “Market Development Funds”, “MDF”, or better known as “Making Days Fun”, it was money the sales department used for almost anything imaginable: wining and dining, sending buyers to the Super Bowl, or taking “market research trips.” At one of these “market research trips,” Gerald took six buyers for a weekend fishing trip in Mexico. Now we can understand why its nickname is “Making Days Fun” and why this practice is considered wrongful today.
But back then, no one saw it as that. Not even Gerald’s boss, “Carl”.
As long as the salesmen had their receipts, and Carl knew, except for those occasions where he specifically asked not to know, they were free to spend the money as they deemed fit for the situation. If a weekend trip to Mexico for fishing got the “thumbs up”, I don’t think the criteria was that high. But hey, it was their funds, their “old school Mad Men-style slush funds,” as Gerald liked to refer to it.
The MDF money was two percent of their total annual gross sales and unfortunately, it didn’t roll over for the next year to be spent, so it was a “use-it-or-lose-it” situation. And like many others, Gerald didn’t want his money to go to waste, so being a team player, he would let Carl know how much he had leftover and offered him to use it. It was no big deal, they were a part of the same team, so why not?
Well, it didn’t take long before Gerald realize what a huge mistake that was.
~
He Was Hung Out To Dry
Towards the end of the year, things started to get strange. Gerald started receiving additional sign-offs for payments to a supplier he’d never heard of before. It definitely wasn’t one of his suppliers, so maybe it was a mistake? Maybe it was supposed to be billed to another associate? He called around, but no luck, no one else had ever used that supplier or even heard of them. Trying to figure out what was going on, he finally brought it up to Carl’s attention, and to his surprise, they were his suppliers. And to an even bigger surprise, this was no mistake. Carl told Gerald to not worry about them and assigned them to his MDF. That didn’t make sense, since normally, this type of supplier would be assigned to another fund, like marketing. But that was his boss, so even if he didn’t agree with it, he wasn’t going to refuse. He agreed and signed off on the payments.
But things didn’t get any better from there.
About three months later, he got called into HQ for a meeting where he was told he was being transferred to a market he had never worked before and had to relocate. Maybe if he was a single man, he would consider it, but he had a pregnant wife and just started an extensive remodel on their newly purchased home. There was no way he would be able to pick up and leave for the Southeast, so he declined the offer. He wanted to stay at his position, but that was no longer an option either. He was then told he had to look for another job within the company or receive a severance package. Since he didn’t want to work in another field or start over, he wound up taking the severance, but in the back of his head, he kept thinking, “Why was I being let go?”
He was a top performer for the company and he was well-liked, he even had a strong and respectable relationship with his boss, so what was the problem?
The problem wasn’t necessarily with him, but with someone else, his boss. The one person he trusted the most at the company.
~
The Truth Came To Light
Several months later, Gerald got a call from one of his former co-workers, “Bria.” In the conversation, she let it be known Gerald’s once region had been taken over by a new hire, “Kelly,” who also happened to be one of Carl’s former work associates who he managed at another company and she was doing an incredibly lousy job. In other words, the region was tanking. ‘How could it be?’ Gerald thought. When he left, that region was up to par, so why would he be terminated and then replaced by someone who lived in another city, and who couldn’t do the job?
This had him speculate the real reason why he was let go. After some research, he found out the supplier Carl had him bill to his MDF was based in Carl’s previous city and, the address wasn’t a real company address, it was only a PO box, that belonged to none other than the new hire, Kelly, who he later found out, was also having an affair with Carl.
The evidence pointed at Carl as the person who sabotaged his career, but why? So he could work with his mistress? It was absolutely a disgrace and straight betrayal, especially because he trusted him and he knew just how badly Gerald needed the job, with a baby on the way. And for that, he needed to get even. It didn’t matter how long it would take, how much it would cost, what line was crossed, nothing was holding him back from getting his revenge on Carl.
At first, he thought about just ratting him out to the company on what he found out about the supplier and the Kelly situation but knew he wouldn’t be taken seriously since he was just terminated and was going to be seen as just another disgruntled former employee with vengeance.
Not entirely false, but he wanted Carl to lose more than his job. If he snitched, he would be letting him off the hook. He had a better revenge plan for him.
~
Game Time
The revenge scheme was set, now Gerald only had to act on it. He was going to pretend to be a recruiter, but he wasn’t from just any recruiting agency, he was a retained corporate headhunter, someone paid to onboard people for big jobs. Luckily, Gerald had some years of recruiting experience from a large exclusive headhunting firm and knew exactly what transpired in the process. He had it all, “international telexes, a phony letterhead, fake English accents, and overseas friends to do his bidding.”
Now since he knew Carl had an obsession with expensive watches and golf, he knew exactly how to lure him into his trap. He would approach him with an opportunity to work for a major Swiss watch company for an executive position, where he would be able to network with major sports organizers (golf and other elite sports), fly first class around the world, and basically work his dream job. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he wouldn’t pass on, even if it seemed too good to be true.
And he indeed took the bait, but it didn’t all happen at once.
Gerald, pretending to be the recruiter kept close contact with him until “the time was right to close the offer.” But of course, there was a catch. Carl had to report to Switzerland for the final offer in the hiring process and it had to be done in the same week his current job had important division meetings and reportings, which Gerald knew of. He knew those meetings were mandatory and inexcusable to miss without raising major concerns. So to attend both meetings without any repercussions, Carl requested if the recruiter could move up their meeting a few days in advance. Knowing what he was trying to do, Gerald agreed, but with that, he told Carl he now had to purchase his own plane ticket and hotel suite and the watch company would reimburse him when they meet.
Carl agreed. He heard “Save your receipts!” and “reimburse”, and booked himself a luxury hotel suite since he knew he wouldn’t be paying for it. He must have thought he pulled a fast one on both employers but little did he know glory would soon be crashing down on him. When he got to his hotel, he received a note from the watch company. Due to a major corporate crisis, they had his meeting rescheduled for the following Monday, the same day he had the mandatory meetings in the United States. Uh-oh!
Panicking, he called Gerald, his recruiter, to tell him he would be in deep trouble if he missed the meeting in the States, but Gerald reassured him, to not worry and call in sick. He wouldn’t be at that job much longer, so just enjoy the weekend in Europe. And big things were coming his way. And that they were.
~
The Aftermath
While Carl was living it up in Europe, Gerald decided to make a little phone call to Carl’s boss, the President of the Division. Once again, he acted as the recruiter and asked him for a reference on Carl’s work ethic and dates of employment, in hopes his call would alarm Mr. President on his employee’s loyalty. But he wasn’t reactive at all, instead, he referred Gerald to Human Resources. But before he was let go and after he apologized for mistakenly dialing the wrong department, he mentioned how Carl was in Europe, finalizing his new job offer. Oh, Mr. President didn’t know that? Oops.
That sucks for Carl.
When Monday came around, Carl wasn’t able to reach the recruiter or this infamous Swiss watch company. He was livid, calling Gerald 20+ times that whole day before realizing it was all a scam and his dream job was a sham. But it didn’t end there, Gerald heard from his former co-workers how Carl returned to his office where all of his things were packed up. He was soon met up with HR who handed him his severance package and took away his company car and other company belongings. He wasn’t the only one who got canned, his mistress was also fired for theft. Not only did he lose his job and his secret affair, but also his wife. Soon after, his wife gave him divorce papers. It was over.
He was left with nothing, but a 10K bill in travel and hotel expenses from his Europe trip.
Gerald did tell him, how “big things were coming his way.” Unfortunately, they weren’t better things. But now, Carl knows how it feels to be betrayed and lose his career, and that’s all Gerald wanted.
~