“Set Up to Fail”: A Wrongful Termination Tale

I’ve been laid off, terminated, or just left to find new opportunities throughout my professional life. For all the times that happened, I walked out, peacefully, without regrets, and with no drama. I pride myself on being able to self-reflect and know when I’m wrong. I know when to walk away when there’s no fight to be fought.

Not in March 2023. This was different. For the first time, (I know) I was wrongfully terminated. Maybe it’s because of the same ability to “self-reflect” that made me realise that I can’t and won’t take this lying down. I was unjustly terminated following an arduous and unreasonable “performance plan,” which was supposedly rendered null and void after March 1st and was based on an evaluation that did not pertain to my actual role as a UX Designer, the job description^[Img2] I was hired for^{[Claim 01]}.

Beginning

I was brought on board by M Corp as a User Experience Designer^{[Definition 1], [Definition 2], [Definition 3]}. Upon joining the team, the sitting Vice President of Engineering, whose name I’ll mask as “A.G.“, was highly impressed with my work on the design and UI development of the school Module and the central Module Hub we were tasked with creating. The end product, which we now call “CAIRHub” for the CA Department of Public Health, was a resounding success.

As the sole UX Designer on the team at the time, I served as a one-man department, cross-functioning to collaborate with project managers on Agile User Stories, Defining Personas for the Business Analysts, providing UX guidance to QA, and even went on loan to the development team, which was headed by our Dev Lead, whom I will refer to as “S.Y.”. S.Y. was responsible for the Frontend, which in Web Development refers to the tangible visual output that people see in their browsers. S.Y. found my work very impressive because no one on the team yet displayed such mastery over CSS (Cascading Stylesheets). I developed the entire Angular Theming Library for M Corp’s CAIRHub.

Unfortunately, S.Y. eventually parted ways with the company after a dispute about how the projects were being managed. To fill his shoes, M Corp brought on this new bloke, Anthony Henderson as his replacement, and I worked under his supervision. Initially, there didn’t appear to be any issues with “Tony”. However, it would later become apparent that this was not the case.

I would like to apologise for the run-around, but this story, “the beginning”, is very important to understand why Tony Henderson would have an issue would me.  Early in 2023, my team and I were tasked with a project to implement new features in our current application.  Anthony Henderson introduced a change in the code that was faulty and caused visual issues down the line.

(Technical Jargon)

Examples of code for anyone technical (via Stackblitz.com)

• [Code] This is how an AngularJS Table is supposed to look by default.
  
• He modified an Angular table markup, applying a new NPM package called “fxFlex”. He was trying to make the column width distributed and more “responsive”.  I know HTML5 and CSS3 (more than anyone in the company at that time), and what he did ruin the table styling.^{[Claim 02]}
• [Code] This is how Mr Henderson did it. ^{[Claim 02]}
  
• When I saw this on the code repository, I corrected it so the table will look proper again. This is routine for me way before he boarded with the company: The developers work on the functionality; I work on the User Interface.
• [Code] This is how I fixed it.
  
• When he saw this, he flustered and just went: “No, no, no, no.” He proceeded to dismantle (revert) all of the code to the state where he wrote his changes (coincidingly reverting all the other developer’s codes, which create a time setback).
  He seems to suffer the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” and has these delusions of grandeur that he was an expert on “All things Development”, including project management, testing, React, backends, User Interface, UX, and CSS.  This faulty, arrogant reasoning and lack of self-awareness were reflected in the next thing he did on chat:
• He messaged me, saying: all I had to do was add padding: 8px 8px 8px 0;

• This was awful because he converted the containers into “Flexboxes”. If he was attempting re-align the objects to the centre of the parent element, at least he would use align-items: center (with justify-content: center), as I’ve accurately indicated in my comment.
• Never mind that he used the wrong method to fix it… converting the table to a flexbox in the first place was already wrong, and the method to distribute set column widths in a table is achieved differently.
• After correcting him, did he apologise and accepted my correction? No, he doubled down on his mistake and even threw a slur at me to “Do your research first please” like a common Facebook comment jerk:

• Ironic, because according to “research” (did not have to do much research, really) the facts are that he was wrong as I’ve indicated on the chat a link to CSSTricks that documents the proper way of doing it.
  
  Even AI agrees with me.
  

(End Technical Jargon)

At the end of that embarrassing tirade, he backpedalled with a “Please stop” (indicating his cognitive dissonance) and this spiralled down into uglier behaviours until the end as he exhibited intense animosity towards me.

Retaliations

In the days that followed, he prevented me from making any changes to the code. As a result, I had little work to do on the development front and instead focused on creating User Story Acceptance Criteria.

Let’s talk about User Stories. They are not created without Research and Design, and the Design is typically led by the UX team. When a User Story is developed, the Acceptance Criteria must align with the design requirements and it is assigned an “Effort Level”. The Development process must conform to these Acceptance Criteria, and any deviations are not permitted.

However, Anthony Henderson lacks knowledge of these Agile practices and failed to follow them. Rather, he insists on drafting Acceptance Criteria based on the Development he leads.^{[Claim 03]} This approach is akin to moving the bull’s eye to where the arrow lands, and if this was a movie, imagine shooting the scenes before drawing the storyboard. That’s NOT how it works!

From that point on, the Acceptance Criteria were at the mercy of Mr Henderson’s changes in the development process. If the code changed, the Acceptance Criteria had to change accordingly, which fell under my responsibility.

Quality Assurance Testers use these Acceptance Criteria to ensure that the application meets the established requirements. However, because of how the process has been reversed, if the application fails to match the Acceptance Criteria, the fault doesn’t lie with the application but with the person who wrote the Acceptance Criteria – me, in this case.

Mr Henderson seized this opportunity to attribute a delivery stagnation to me and set me up for a “Performance Improvement Plan,” claiming that my work was subpar.

I raised my concerns with HR but to no avail. HR not only neglected to act but even suggested that I endure the harassment and retaliation under the guise of a “Performance Improvement Plan.“ ^{[Claim 04]}

Regrettably, this retaliation isn’t only the negative projection I’ve experienced. Anthony Henderson has subjected another developer and me to verbal abuse^{[Claim 05]}, and the other developer resigned as a result. Regarding the other developer’s reasons, she beat around the bush that her decision to leave was driven by a desire to reclaim her time with her family, which had been increasingly compromised by the relentless schedule of three daily meetings and weekend work demands imposed by Mr Henderson.^{[Claim 06]} Regrettably, she did not feel able to communicate her concerns openly, but her reasons for departing are both comprehensible and justifiable. In an age where balancing work and personal life is of paramount importance, employers must be attentive to the needs of their employees and strive to establish a healthy and sustainable work-life balance.

The Farce of the Performance Improvement Plan

In the absence of any substantial charges to justify disciplinary action— just the Acceptance Criteria mistake, Anthony Henderson resorted to conjuring up a host of misdemeanours. What is particularly galling is that several of these allegations were not even attributed to me but to other team members. Moreover, some of the supposed misdemeanours were well within my legal rights and did not constitute any form of wrongdoing whatsoever. To add insult to injury, many of the accusations were grossly exaggerated, further highlighting the dubious nature of this alleged “performance plan”. Such behaviour contradicts the principles of integrity, fairness, and transparency underpinning any effective and equitable workplace.

I challenge anyone to peruse the unaltered version of the initial performance plan^{[Claim 07]} and render their verdict. To save you the trouble, I will provide a summary below for ease of reference:

1. Despite my official designation as a Senior UX Designer, he demanded that I undertake “Full Stack Development”, a task that is beyond the scope of my assigned responsibilities. Adding insult to injury, the “performance plan” that has been presented to me stipulates that if my coding fails to meet the requisite standards, I will be summarily dismissed. This appears to be a thinly veiled pretext for what is known as a “Setup-to-Fail“^{[Legal Ref 1], [Legal Ref 2]} scheme, yet this glaring issue was either overlooked or dismissed outright by HR.^[Addendum01]
2. He accused me of being perpetually tardy, unresponsive during meetings, or having multiple absences. I work until night. I work weekends. I even work on Holidays. Such an accusation is a wholly unfounded charge. While it may devolve into a “he said, (s)he said” scenario, numerous individuals can vouch for my unwavering dedication to my work^{[Claim 08]}.
3. He attempted to implicate me in “Absence Without Leave” by utilising a previously approved vacation that I had requested and had been authorised THREE months prior, which was intended for November as quality time with my family. This was erased from the revised “performance plan”^{[Claim 09]} as a means of sidestepping potential legal issues. (It is amusing how HR failed to recognise this manoeuvre as a red flag for unscrupulous intentions – it was glaringly blatant that he was resorting to desperate measures to unearth any possible faults to attribute to me).
4. In connection with the preceding matter (#3), it is worth noting (as speculation) that he might have been considering using my service as a juror in November as a pretext for claiming that I was not performing up to expectations or that “I was taking too much time off”. However, it should be noted that punishing an employee for serving on a jury would be unlawful, so he chose not to include it in his allegations.
5. As stupid as it sounds, he accused me of having subpar equipment and claimed that my microphone or headset was “consistently malfunctioning” during meetings, rendering me unintelligible. However, this accusation was baseless, as other team members were experiencing these technical issues^{[Claim 10]}. Furthermore, even if I had experienced such issues, these should not have been held against me as a measure of my performance. Anyone experiencing a technical hiccup could simply excuse themselves briefly to recalibrate their equipment or restart their computer, and such incidents are not a regular occurrence.

The accusations made against me are of a trifling nature that many others within the company also commit frequently. Typically, being away from one’s workstation for over two hours or experiencing a two-minute microphone malfunction should not raise concern. However, I am a singled-out scapegoat, which is why these insignificant misdemeanours have now taken on exaggerated importance.

Suffice it to say, this so-called performance improvement plan was a complete joke.

(While I provided (and can provide more) evidence to support my case—as the accused—I had no burden of proof to bear, the delightful part of this case is that Henderson does not have any evidence to back up his accusations.)

In the absence of support from HR (See my initial attempt to report Harassment to HR), I felt that my options were limited to either endure the tedious process and eventually face termination or face immediate termination. Despite my reservations, I decided to go along with the performance plan. We were even urged to reconcile, and I took it to heart. I was under the impression that he could change and that he was genuinely invested in my welfare. While I wanted to believe that he had good intentions, my wife was astute in her observation that the underlying tension would be difficult to ignore. I was cautiously optimistic, but as the end of March approached, her premonitions were proven to be entirely accurate.

(Entr’acte): Signs of Disrespect & Passive Insults

Throughout February, Anthony Henderson had already implied numerous times during our one-on-one meetings that he didn’t see me as capable. Coincidentally, The company just recently hired a new UX Designer (whom we will call in this article, “K.H.”) in January, whom I suspected Mr Henderson handpicked. I don’t have concrete evidence, but I speculate that they used to work together at a previous company before joining M Corp. It’s possible that Henderson hired K.H. (speculation) as a replacement once his plan to terminate me succeeds. During our meetings, Henderson would always suggest that I report to K.H. and that I would learn a lot of “Cool UI Development stuff” from him (regardless of that comment completely missed the point of my User Experience specialization role).

K.H. is a nice person, and it pains me to involve him in this article. I spoke to him personally and discovered that he has a strong background in Development, and someone might have mentioned him as a Street “Artist”. However, he is not a UX Designer but a “React UI Developer” if I had to give him a title.

In my observations:

• K.H.’s command over Figma leaves much to be desired, as evidenced by his production of a prototype that lacked advanced features.
• Moreover, his familiarity with the Design Thinking Process, an indispensable facet of User Experience that is comprised of the “Five Stages”, was found to be virtually non-existent at the time of my observation. Concepts like Feasibility Matrix, User Journey Maps, and Brainstorming sessions were completely foreign to him.
• He even offered me a suggestion, expressed warmly, that we take the “Google UX Design Professional Certificate” course to expand our knowledge of UX – a proposition I respectfully declined given that I had already completed it in 2021. ^{[Claim 11]}
• To add to the aforementioned shortcomings, his mock-up for the Shots-for-School redesign displayed a remarkable lack of attention to brand guidelines, featuring non-compliant colours such as pastel green and light blue.

Hence, I remain sceptical regarding his capabilities in the realm of UI design as well.

It is a striking display of Mr Henderson’s detachment from the competencies of individuals that he would even contemplate suggesting that someone like K.H., who has only recently joined the company in 2023, assume authority over me, who has been an established member since 2021. He blatantly lacks respect for me (but expects me to respect him) and insults my talents. K.H. was Henderson’s Pet UX Designer.

Furthermore, he employs K.H. as a mere tool to flatter his own ego, resorting to him whenever we dare to question his design intent. For instance, in response to our proposal to alter the Table header to read “Vaccine Name” instead of “Name” for specificity, he haughtily retorted, “Oh, don’t worry, K.H. is a “UX expert” and he doesn’t see any issue with it” (note, K.H. wasn’t even on the Project nor confirmed that K.H. actually said what he claimed)^{[Claim 12]}.

That wasn’t the only time he had to use K.H. to stroke his ego. The funnier instance was with a meeting with clients where he ordered K.H. to compliment his use of “Pastel colours” on Material UI chips.

Surviving for No Reason

Time flew, it was March, and I passed that ridiculous “Performance plan”. I signed the Performance Plan’s agreement to start on 30 January and run for 30 days (1 March 2023).^{[Claim 13]} After that, I should no longer be legally bound to any contract with him or at least (I thought) he shouldn’t possess the power to terminate me because he wanted to.

Also, note at the beginning of March, our Project Director assigned me to a different team. This was my request because I did have something to work on other projects, and mainly because I didn’t want to continue working with a ticking time bomb.  However, I still had to work with him. My Reason? I can’t tell him I don’t want to work with him anymore for fear of retaliation, again.

I thought this thing was over, but…

I received a dubious note from him that this “Performance” review must continue for two more months^{[Claim 14]}. He explained that this was “company formality” (and it got HR’s blessing *shakes my head*) and he assured me that this was nothing serious, and I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Remember, that I didn’t sign any agreement for two more months to undergo a “Continued Performance Review”. I just carried on.

Termination

As we delve into the intricacies of the project we were tasked with, we come across yet another hurdle. Our client, or so he claimed, requested some minor features be reintroduced into the application we were developing. My role was to build the User Interface, so that the other developers, including Anthony Henderson, could work on the complex functionality of the application. However, Mr Henderson had other plans. He wanted me to build the entire feature, despite my lack of expertise in certain areas. Though I tried my best to complete the tasks, with the expectation of receiving help, the delivery day arrived, and two critical components of the application were not functioning as they should. As he blamed me yet again, I had enough and didn’t care about his retaliation anymore, so I told him “I’m sorry, that’s not my Forte”^{[Claim 15]}.

You may be asking yourself, was this truly my fault? The answer is not as straightforward as one might assume. While I made a mistake, it was not severe enough to warrant termination. The true cause of the problem lies with him, Henderson, who committed the egregious sin of Scope Creeping.

In the world of Agile Project Management, Scope Creeping is the addition of even the tiniest of features that increase the Effort Level required to complete a particular story, resulting in a breach of the scope and timeline. The Scope is a comprehensive list of features designated for development after the entire team agrees on which ones are feasible to obtain a “Minimum Viable Product” (MVP).

To elaborate further, a week before delivery day, Anthony Henderson had a “delightful lunch” (17 March 2023) with a high-profile client from the CDPH^{[Claim 16]}, who happens to be the main man for the contract with M Corp. Mr Henderson, in his unbridled enthusiasm, mentioned some new “cool features” that the client would appreciate, which were not part of the original project scope. He did so without consulting the Project Managers or making an effort-level estimation, and thus the project fell behind schedule.

The lack of understanding regarding the Agile process is a major cause for concern in any organization. In this case, the disregard for fundamental Agile principles has led to a setback in the delivery of the project. To compound matters, neither the customer nor any executive from M Corp had explicitly set a deadline for the project.

Anthony Henderson had established a self-imposed “timeline” for developing these features, yet the Effort Level required to achieve these objectives eluded his estimations—or perhaps he neglected to make estimations altogether.

The reason why it was an issue with me is that he accused me of not reporting that there was something wrong in development, but I did. I did, and he didn’t listen. I outlined all the details of his accusations in the last email I sent to HR and the executives^{[Claim 17]}.

From the very outset, Anthony Henderson’s wounded pride over his CSS expertise led him to retaliate against me with a “Performance Plan”, a weapon of harassment that stripped me of my autonomy and silenced any dissent against his harmful actions. He unfairly accused me of making a reversible error in the Acceptance Criteria, only to then scapegoat me for his lack of oversight in the project’s management, which ultimately led to his embarrassment in front of the newly hired VP of Engineering.

He promptly reported to HR, who hastily organized a meeting to execute my immediate dismissal, leaving me with no opportunity to present a defence. So it was that on 27 March 2023, in a stunning display of unjust power, he terminated my employment without any reasonable cause or due process.

I recall during the day of my termination, the final words from Anthony Henderson during the video conference were along the lines of “I understand that you want to pursue your creative side and design” (*blah blah blah)… with all of us on camera, I found myself grinning, even lightly snickering in mockery. Biting my tongue and suppressing the urge to tell him to stop talking.

“Shut up. Shut the bloody hell up. No, you don’t understand what I do, or my passion. If you did, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

I would have said.

This travesty, it is clear, was the product of a petty and insecure man’s need to prop up his ego at the expense of those around him.

Why do I need to write this?

1. The Blatant Unfairness

First of all, getting terminated does not necessarily mean that future employers will view you negatively. However, being terminated from a job you strongly believe you did not deserve to lose can leave a bitter aftertaste. It’s a perplexing situation, and I find myself questioning the legality of such an action, especially when it occurs despite your proficiency and hard work.

Think of it this way: a retirement is akin to peacefully dying of old age, a lay-off is akin to dying of disease, and a (proper) termination is akin to being executed for your crime, but a wrongful termination is akin to getting murdered, but your murderer gets away with it.

Usually, a termination could prompt one to re-evaluate their own professional goals, skills, and credentials to ensure that you’re an optimal candidate for the jobs you’re applying to. However, when you know you possess the expertise and education to excel in your role, it can be challenging to find ways to improve beyond perhaps recalibrating your “Asshole-Boss Detector.” I was not wrong. I was doing the right thing by not enabling an incompetent, toxic manager.

2. We have a “Legal” System, not a Justice System

If anyone reading isn’t aware, most States have an “At-Will Employment” law that allows employers to fire employees without due process and for any or no reason. For example, a boss may fire someone they have a ‘personal’ interest in when they find out they have a spouse or a partner. Or they did make a move and got rejected outright. They can lie about it in a termination letter and cite them for imaginary reasons such as “violation of company safety protocols”—or they can say no reason at all. From what I understood, all of that is perfectly Legal (and it’s insane.  Ironic for a country that touts itself as a “Democracy”). In my case, Anthony Henderson may have terminated me for insulting his ego, but he can use a “Performance Plan” or provide no reason at all to justify it.

That’s the second reason why I need to write this. Unfortunately, I may not have a case to fight against this unjust termination. All I can do is share my experience on the internet, hoping to raise awareness of how poorly I was treated.  Unless of course, a talented law firm steps forward to inform me that I was wrong in my assumption of a flawed legal system and that we do have a strong case. In that case, I hope my former company continues underestimating a blog of a socially unpopular, soft-spoken, 159cm brown-skinned slim bloke as “insignificant whining.“

What Do I Want Out of This?

The quest for closure can often be a daunting task, particularly in the face of corporate bureaucracy. In my case, I cannot achieve closure until my former company acknowledges that I am blameless or states that my former team lead committed harassment and retaliation against me. However, I understand that the likelihood of the company admitting fault is slim, as doing so would be tantamount to corporate suicide. Therefore, I have no choice but to let this information out in the world—or another avenue I could explore is to seek litigation. Is litigation possible or even worth it? That’s classified information. 

This unjust dismissal could tarnish your professional reputation, and you’ll have to explain the circumstances behind your departure whenever a new job or security clearance interview is on the line. It’s a textbook example of “reputational harm”.

The emotional distress^{[Legal Ref 1], [Legal Ref 2], [Legal Ref 3]}, and financial impact of an unjust termination can be severe, as it was for me, but more especially for my wife. I have a 1-year-old that goes to daycare. Daycare alone can be financially overwhelming, let alone when one is suddenly unemployed, and I have to juggle her care with the search for new employment. The current crisis facing the nation, with tech giants shedding over 138,820 jobs (at the time of this writing), only exacerbates the challenge of seeking re-employment. The stress and anxiety from reputational harm, loss of income, and the uncertain future can be emotionally taxing and even lead to depression.

Nonetheless, I have no personal vendetta against the company itself. I will never claim that “I’m still looking out for the Company” since they didn’t have any interest in reciprocating that sentiment. However, I hope for M Corp’s continued success. It is particularly important to me, given that my name rides on the success of the CAIRHub project^{[Claim 18]}. Despite my negative experiences, I believe in the potential of the company and fear that a situation such as mine could adversely affect its relationships with its clients. I would love to sue only one individual if it were possible.

I have no intention of seeking financial gain from them. In fact, I have no desire to continue my employment with them whatsoever. If I had been aware of the true extent of what was happening (Update, below), I would have left on my own accord. Even if they were to offer me a substantial sum of one million dollars to stay, I would prefer death and unemployment over accepting it. However, there is one scenario in which I would consider removing this blog post and all other social media posts related to my termination. If the toxic manager responsible for the mistreatment I endured is fired, and if I were to receive an apology—whether private or public—that acknowledges their failure to address my concerns fairly and their failure to thoroughly review and consider the evidence, then I would entertain the idea of eradicating those posts.

Closing Statement

Ah, the woes of a disgruntled former employee. How unfortunate that I was fired for my “inability” to fix a code issue. But wait, it gets better! Apparently, this “code issue” shouldn’t have been a huge problem in the first place if not for Anthony Henderson’s “Scope Creep,” which I assume is some sort of obscure business jargon for making things difficult for other people.

That’s not all. This poor soul was not just fired for their “technical incompetence”, but also for the sheer ignorance of his “team Lead” who apparently couldn’t tell the difference between a “User Experience Designer” and a “full stack developer.” How dare they not understand the intricacies of the industry jargon that this person clearly holds in such high regard? And to add insult to injury, this “Lead” apparently has no idea how Project Management works or what the Agile Process is. Shocking, I know.

Fear not, dear reader, for I have not simply given up and accepted this fate. I am bravely speaking out and I will try to hold those responsible accountable for their egregious actions. Even if I may have been slightly “complicit” in my own downfall by not articulating myself more understandably in my emails to HR, or not living in the same town as where M Corp is and bringing doughnuts to the office (how unfair!), I am taking a stand against the system.

Shame on me for letting him fire me, but if Anthony Henderson is still with the company after April—well, shame on them.

Update

I recently learned from an opinion on the web that Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) were never intended to actually help an employee improve. According to the opinion I read, PIPs are charades, more like a sham of a notice that essentially says, “We’re going to fire you, but first we want you to run around this circus, like a fool.” A PIP essentially is a strong indication that it’s time to start looking for another job.

I realise there was a reason why the majority of the accusations on the PIP were a lie. Because the truth doesn’t matter if you’re fired regardless.  A reason why Anthony Henderson didn’t care to explain “extending” a 30-day PIP to 3 Months. 

Despite the circumstances, the fundamental issue remains unchanged.  regardless of its actual legal definition, I will persist in using the term “Wrongful Termination,” because I was unjustly terminated based on falsehoods, and tasked with duties outside of my job description. Most importantly, I was terminated because from the outset, I wanted the application to look right, but Henderson wanted his wrong way of doing it. 

I will repeat it (and this time read it slowly): I was terminated because from the outset, I wanted the application to look right, but Henderson wanted his wrong way of doing it.

End Notes

1. Material – Here is the Job Description posted by M Corp that I applied for. [LINK]
2. Evidence – Please Subpoena: GitHub Repository “cdph-iz-mod” for revision history, date range: 01 Jan 2023 – 01 Feb 2023. I can personally search for the file and the code in question.
3. Witnesses will be available if they agree to testify. Evidence: Alternatively, subpoena M Corp MS Teams chat logs.
4. Material – This is the detailed email I sent to HR when I felt the PIP was a form of retaliation and harassment [LINK]
5. Material – See details/screenshots of verbal intimidation/abuse and threats. [LINK]
6. Witness – This witness may be available if I request, I have their phone.
7. Material – The “Performance Improvement Plan”, as originally written courtesy of Henderson (with its glorious spelling and grammar errors intact.) {LINK}
8. Witnesses – Colleagues, and former colleagues; Evidence can also be acquired. I used a time logger that detects if there are keyboard and mouse movements and takes screenshots of my screen, it records my actual time working by the second. I employed this tool for personal accountability, this was not mandated by the company. (Note: the company may compel impartial parties from within its ranks to testify against me, but they cannot exert any influence over my former colleagues (such as the blokes in the USAF or SAIC) who can attest to my stellar work ethic.)
9. Material – Here is a copy of a revised “Performance Improvement Plan” [LINK].
10. Witness – I can put names on a few employees at M Corp who had connection issues or hardware problems, but is it worth considering how nonsensical it is to discipline somebody over a 2-minute microphone malfunction?
11. Evidence – Subpoena: MS Teams log for direct messaging between employee K.H. with Vernard Mercader
12. Witness – There are several witnesses during this stand-up meeting. I can name these individuals at an attorney’s request.
13. Witness – HR, Anthony Henderson, and several others can be witnesses. Tangible evidence here as well [LINK].
14. Subpoena – MS Teams log, or email logs of vernardm@the-mcorp.com.
15. Subpoena – MS Teams log for direct messaging between employee Anthony Henderson with Vernard Mercader.
16. Witness – I can name the CDPH executive at an attorney’s request. A number of employees from M Corp are also aware of this.
17. Material – The full email that was sent to HR, Executives, Anthony Henderson, and a few employees mentioned in the email. [LINK]
18. Reference – At the time of posting, my name is listed as the most code written on the Project’s GitHub repository. I am also using the project as a marketing tool for myself in my Portfolio.

• Addendum 1 – It is worth noting that as a User Experience Designer, advanced software and web development are not mandatory for my role. While I have held senior frontend developer positions in the past and am involved in Development, my role in this regard is limited to ensuring UI consistency. This includes theming in AngularJS, using SCSS, and ensuring pixel-perfect UI. These are not the tasks he asked me to do.