If a company says it’s “business as usual,” it probably isn’t, especially when they start handing out surprise layoffs.

What would you do if your new employer promised nothing would change, then fired you without warning and refused to pay your earned commissions? Would you walk away quietly? Or would you hold on to the one thing they needed until they paid up?

In the following story, one sales manager finds himself in this exact situation and uses company credentials to get his way. Here’s what happened.

Buy out our company and then fire everyone before you change the system? Works for me!

I had worked at a small rural internet company for nearly 6 years. It was family-owned, and they paid us all really well for the work that we did.

Barely anyone ever left the company.

In my position, I was head of sales, and I controlled all software that was associated with clients. This had everything in it, including billing addresses, service addresses, and leads for new clients. It was an outdated program for sure, but it got the job done, and it worked for us.

Fast forward time, and we are still doing our regular jobs when there is an unscheduled meeting thrown at us. We walked in, and there were several new faces sitting on the other end of the table.

Knowing something bad was going to happen, he was prepared when HR called him in.

They announced that they had sold the company to XYZ. XYZ seemed like an okay place to continue working because they, too, were local, and the team seemed nice. I was told everything is business as usual and not to do anything different.

The transition took place, and ever so often, someone from the new company would come to me and ask how we would do things and get a feel for it.

I could tell they were trying to weed us out, so I got serious with renewals on old accounts.

They told me I needed to go to the HR department around closing time.

Having anticipated this, I saved all of my commission files and emailed them to myself.

Even though they laid him off, he expected the pay.

I went to the office and they laid me off on the spot because they do not pay commission to their staff.

I said okay and that I plan on them still paying me commission for the time I was there, as they had not discussed anything pay-related with me yet.

She said again, we do not pay commission.

I emailed my commission statement to the manager I was working with, and basically was told the same thing.

The next week, he had his commission check.

Fast forward to the next week when they realized they no longer had the credentials to get into our system, and they called to ask for the information.

I let them know that I would be happy to do that when I come up there to get my check for commission.

I did not hear anything the next day, and then I got a call that my commission check was in the office.

I went up there, grabbed the biggest commission check I had ever made, and gave them the credentials.

Never tell someone business as usual when you do not intend for things to be business as usual.

Bravo! His plan worked perfectly!

Let’s check out what the people over at Reddit have to say about it.

This would’ve been a great move.

Never fire the IT guy on the spot.

According to this comment, they would’ve taken the money and run.

Yet another person who would’ve taken the money but not given the info.

He got really lucky!

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.