It is unfortunate how one change in management can make a job you loved turn into a job that you hate.

What would you do if your new manager was constantly mistreating you and even went as far as to deny you your bonus and drive you to find another job?

That is what happened to the worker in this story, so when his company didn’t pay him out for his vacation correctly, he went straight to the Department of Labor and got them fined.

Here are the details.

No bonus? Enjoy dealing with the Department of Labor.

I had a great job I loved. Got paid decent, had a wonderful window office with a view, great supervisor, I was just happy.

Bad co-workers can make a good job seem worse.

I didn’t get along too great with my other co-workers, but no worries there because I liked being left alone to get my job done.

One day, our supervisor announces he’s leaving to move on to bigger and brighter things.

I was really bummed, he was cool and kept up the morale. Shortly after he leaves they promote this horrible vile creature to manager.

She was a terrible manager, I’ll call her Brenda.

Things are going to go downhill fast.

Brenda hated me. She never really worked with me and refused to talk to me

. She went as far as ignoring me in the hallway when I said hi, she would just avoided eye contact and walk on.

If I ever made a “mistake” she would hold a group meeting to have me tell people what I did, then she would tell me it was all wrong, I messed up bad, and told everyone I didn’t even understand basic things and the right way to do things.

Well, I understood the right way to do things, any mistakes were mostly due to miscommunications or me overthinking, not because I didn’t understand the basics.

But she never talked to me about it, only would publicly shame me.

She was making it personal.

Oddly I was the one she always went to if someone else made a huge mistake because I would methodically work to repair everything (even though she claimed I was incapable of understanding anything).

Brenda made my last few months there very difficult. I was working my behind off since we were understaffed and the only other person who could help just went off to work on his own project.

When we finally got new people, I was in charge of helping to train them. Once they got slightly trained up, it was review time.

Now she is impacting his money.

I was worried because Brenda hated me so I knew I wouldn’t get my full bonus. I had been reporting her to HR for the way she had been treating me and was told “you should look for a new job.”

Well I sit in for my review and am flat out told I didn’t understand how to do my job, didn’t understand the basics of the industry, and was pretty worthless.

Wait. I did all the work and kept our department afloat for months, I trained the new people, I repaired their mistakes, but I’m the bad one?

I could go on, but needless to say Brenda sealed the deal. I was done.

I bet it felt good to deliver this letter.

I typed up my rebuttal to the review (stating the lies she told me and attaching pages of proof). I printed it out, along with a resignation letter, and left.

(I work in an at-will state and company policy doesn’t require a notice) I had already been job hunting and had an offer so no need to stay.

And now for the revenge.

It is always smart to document everything and protect yourself.

I am always a fan of CYA. I save copies of emails, timecards, everything. When my final paycheck came in I realized I was short changed on vacation time.

No biggie in a way, quick call to HR and I would have had a check the next week.

Except HR were the ones who failed to do anything about Brenda when she was humiliating me and lying on my review. Instead I reported them to the Department of Labor.

They must have been a bit backed up at the time because it took them nearly a year to get to my case.

I wonder how much he got paid out?

That was fine by me. You see, the longer a company goes without paying you, the higher the fines and the more they owe you.

Not only did I get my missed vacation time paid out, but they had to pay me extra to make up for withholding that pay for so long, made up a little for the missed bonus.

I guess it pays to know the laws and take the right steps to ensure you get what you are entitled to.

Check out the comments below to see what other people have to say about it.

Why would he ever go back and help them out?

It just doesn’t make sense.

I was wondering this too.

Always exercise your legal rights.

A bad manager can turn a job into a nightmare.

Why do companies promote people like this.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.