I had to do some research for my boss and fell behind on my work, so I used ChatGPT. Well, somehow she figured that out and fired me for producing fraudulent work. How is that fair or legal?
I asked ChatGPT to write a response to this question and it came back as an angry post about how tiring it is to be so smart and blamed for everything.
The truth is, I’m not sure how to answer your question other than the law in most states for most private sector employees says you are employed “at will” — meaning you can be fired for any reason or no reason, or even a stupid reason.
You can’t be fired for a protected reason such as race, religion, age, etc.
I guess your boss didn’t like what ChatGPT came up with, but it’s more likely the problem is that you lied about where the work came from.
Lying is actually a fireable offense for cause, in which case you can also be denied unemployment benefits, severance and so forth.
Last week in your column you advised a cashier who was being hit on by a delivery guy to speak to him directly to stop. Shouldn’t she go to her boss and ask him to deal with it? Isn’t that putting her in a dangerous position? She doesn’t know this guy, who isn’t a company employee. What if he’s crazy or something?
Which do you think is more likely to trigger a negative reaction: going directly to the person and explaining that the attention, while innocent and flattering, is making her uncomfortable and asking him nicely to stop, or first reporting him to someone who could get him in trouble?
Unless the behavior or person is in some way threatening or egregious, reporting an associate to the boss may end the behavior, but it may also lead to a different uncomfortable dynamic.
The best course of action is to try to work it out if you can. And if not, then escalate. At least then you can say to the person that you tried and they didn’t respond.
Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a chief human resources executive. Hear Greg Weds. at 9:35 a.m. on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. Email: GoToGreg@NYPost.com. Follow: GoToGreg.com and on
Twitter: @GregGiangrande