New employee gets fired before joining company, even after HR admits ‘that was my mistake.’ Why? It is the HRs’ world and we just live in it

A new employee found herself terminated from a job before she could even start work, despite following the start date information provided by the company’s human resources department. The case, shared on Reddit by user Alice14_VS, has started a big discussion about being fair at work and whether bosses should be responsible for how they hire people.

The employee received conflicting information about her first day of work. Her original offer letter stated September 2, 2025 as the start date, but a follow-up email from HR explicitly stated her start date would be “Monday, September 22, 2025” with the date both bolded and underlined. The employee chose to follow the more recent and clearly emphasized information from HR.

When September 2 arrived, the company sent a termination email stating her employment was ended due to “not reporting to work on the first day.” The HR representative later acknowledged the error, saying “that was my mistake,” but maintained the termination decision. The company told the employee they could not allow her to start on September 22 and said “you’re still fired and good luck.”

Employment experts weigh in on workplace accountability

The situation highlights the complexities of at-will employment laws in most US states. While employers generally have broad discretion to terminate employees, employment law attorney Amy Epstein Gluck notes that terminations based on miscommunication can create legal complications, especially when the employer’s own error caused the confusion.

Most employment relationships in the United States operate under at-will employment, meaning either party can end the relationship at any time for almost any reason. However, experts suggest that terminating someone based on the company’s own documented mistake could potentially create grounds for legal challenge, particularly if the employee suffered damages from the decision.

The case gained significant attention on social media, with many users expressing outrage at the company’s handling of the situation. Reddit commenters pointed out the lack of basic communication, noting that the employer never attempted to contact the employee on September 2 to ask why she hadn’t arrived. Many suggested that workplace communication failures like this reveal deeper organizational problems that employees should view as warning signs.

The employee mentioned she was working with former and current employees to potentially resolve the situation, though her final update indicated the company remained firm in their decision. Employment experts recommend that workers facing similar situations document all communications and consider consulting with employment attorneys to understand their rights and potential remedies.