Not sure whether or not I should resign or wait to possibly get fired.

by Chris
(Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

I'm not sure if my situation is ground for termination, but it really has me scared. A couple days ago I made a joke towards a female co-worker of mine about dating another co-worker. Little did I know that the male co-worker I said she was dating, made a pass at her a day or so ago, and she was not happy. Four days later I was told by my supervisor that the female co-worker had filed a complaint against me and it was under investigation. I told my supervisor that I never meant to upset her or insult her. It was just a joke, and had I known she would've gotten upset, I would have never said it. I explained this to my supervisor, but I am terrified that I might get fired over this. The fact that I have had more than one complaint filed against me in the past (none like this, but for my attitude/demeanor), and since the last time, my supervisor told me that he didn't want anymore complaints about me; it all has me so scared. With that in mind, I don't know whether I should just wait to get fired or resign. I am scared in that I will not be able to use them as a reference if I get terminated. I’m scared I will lose my benefits and my income. I’m losing my mind over this.

Response from Carl: I'm sorry about your predicament Chris. I'd say at this point the best thing you can do is not to quit and instead get some legal advice. Even if you do quit and they were planning on firing you anyways, you might not get that positive reference anyways so you wouldn't be any further ahead. Plus, if you quit, this might impact your ability to get unemployment benefits should you get terminated. I don't know your local labor laws so I'm just surmising. In this regard, perhaps the best thing you could do if possible is to consult a labor lawyer just to be safe.

Having said that, perhaps things will turn out well or at least better than you think so sticking it out might be your best bet based on what you told me. Again, consulting a labor lawyer could also help to at least give you some peace of mind as to where you stand legally.

Carl