Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

New boss’s method of firing swift, brutal

Kathy Mitchell/Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: I just got fired yesterday. In all my 18 years of working, I have never been fired. I was completely blindsided. My boss never addressed any issues she had with me. Yesterday, she called me into her office and simply said, “It’s not working out. I don’t think you’re a good fit.”

I was outraged at her approach and “reason” for firing me. She’s new and has never been in management before. I am the second person she has fired since she became boss six months ago. My question is, should I contact her supervisor and let him know how things went down? I don’t want to be spiteful. I simply want to express how unfair and unreasonable I believe she was. – Kay

Dear Kay: You certainly have little to lose by registering a complaint with a supervisor, and it could help this woman do a better job in the future. But please keep in mind that she may have been hired precisely to thin the ranks, and unless you were indispensable, you were destined to be canned. We wish you the best of luck finding another position and hope it’s better than the last.

Dear Annie: I’d like to respond to “Gargantuan Freak,” whose husband and family members think she’s so huge at 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds.

I am 22 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weigh 125 pounds. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called gargantuan, Amazon, giraffe and other such names. I’ve learned it is all about how you carry yourself (and of course forgetting all the insults). My tallest friend is barely 5 feet 4 inches tall, and I’ve finally worked up the confidence to wear heels out when I’m with her. Embrace your body. It’s the greatest thing you’ll ever own. – Long-Legged Freak

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast. net.