Fired after trying to fix a dysfunctional workplace
Trying to reform broken processes or challenge corrupt vendor relationships often disrupts entrenched political dynamics, leading leadership to push out the incoming manager during probation. This makes it nearly impossible to implement necessary changes without being framed as a failure or getting terminated for not being a "good fit."
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 142.3× more often in r/ITManagers than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Keeping your head down and doing recon for the first 30 days before making any changesDid this help you?
- 2Letting dysfunctional elements or corrupt vendor relationships self-destruct rather than interveningDid this help you?
- 3Leaving the job entirely when leadership resists actual reformDid this help you?
- 4deciding to leave the organization and start anewDid this help you?
- 5Ignoring early red flags to focus on skill developmentDid this help you?
- 6Changing physical seating to create distance when boundaries are crossedDid this help you?
- 7Finding coworker coverage for last-minute overtime demandsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Well, here I am. I made it to week #4 in my new role and was let go today. There was a 6-month probation period and they said that they felt I wasn't a good fit.”source ↗
“My problems started with a vendor who was ripping us off. When I brought in a new vendor that I trusted, I was accused of showing preferential treatment in spite of saving $15k on a single order. That began my downfall.”source ↗
“My other I’m experiencing the same thing right now in my job so far I’ve survived two years but they have tried so to make me look like a failure on more than one occasion.”source ↗
“I feel as if he built a lot of resentment towards me after he shared his personal matters and I stopped reacting how he expected me to and set my boundaries.”source ↗
“I’m honestly devastated because I don’t have a job all of a sudden but I also feel like it’s for the best.”source ↗
“Any advice on what I should’ve done differently and how to navigate such bosses and are they common ?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9Why is handling employee relations so overwhelming?
- 31How to quit a toxic workplace
- 4How to deal with an unqualified employee who is impossible to fire
- 8How to survive a toxic and micromanaging workplace
- 13How to deal with toxic leadership during company layoffs
- 9How to get fired from a public accounting job without legal consequences