Young Boss Mocks New Elderly Employee, One Day CEO Becomes Bystander to It – Karma Story

Matilda was 65 when she was hired by a major marketing firm. Her advanced age and skills, unfortunately, did not sit well with her young boss, who mocked her for it. Little did he know karma would come back to bite him.

It was Matilda's second day at work, and she walked into the office with a pleasant smile. She arranged her desk and had just started checking her emails when she and her colleagues were called in for an emergency meeting by their boss, Jonathan.

As everyone arrived at the conference room, they all rushed to their seats except Matilda, who was stopped by Jonathan.

"I'm sorry; why are you here?" he asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you."

"Good morning, Mr. Farrel," Matilda said politely. "I'm a new recruit in the sales team."

"A what?" Jonathan laughed. "Look, ma'am, I'm afraid something must've really gone wrong, and I apologize for that, ok? We don't hire old people!" Jonathan couldn't help but sound condescending to the elderly woman.

"I'm sorry?" Matilda said, irritated."I don't believe my talent has anything to do with my age, sir, and I was recruited by a fair selection process. So, if you don't mind, let me have a seat now!"

Jonathan smiled wickedly. "Help yourself, MA'AM! Also, please let me know if you don't understand the marketing jargon... You know, the world has changed dramatically in recent years. Things that worked in your day don't work anymore!"

Jonathan was not only rude to Matilda that day, but he wouldn't stop mocking her about her age in front of the other employees. Only Matilda knew how hard it was for her not to explode.

Being young or old is about the mindset.

A month passed, and Matilda was confident that ignoring Jonathan was the best way to avoid his ridiculous taunting about her age. But unfortunately, things didn't quite work that way, and she eventually lost her calm.

What happened was Jonathan walked to her desk and began ridiculing her about the reports she'd made. He could have asked her to redo the data because there was a minor error, but he did not. Instead, he began shaming her for her age.

"That's why older people should stay home and spend time with their families! This report is ridiculous! Do you want me to present that during the meeting?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Farrel," said Matilda apologetically. "I'll redo it. An hour is all I need, and it'll be ready."

"An hour, my foot!" Jonathan screamed, tossing the report on the floor in front of everyone. "I think you should quit your job, Matilda! You're an old woman, and women your age should be raising grandchildren, not working! Who the hell hired you in the first place? That person must've been nuts!"

"Sir," Matilda said defensively. "I believe it's unfair that my age is being dragged into this. I told you I'll fix that report, and you should give me a chance!"

But Jonathan went on and on about how Matilda wasn't fit for her job because she was 65! In fact, he was so rude to her that she was on the verge of crying.

Little did Jonathan know that the CEO, Mr. Simpson, had witnessed the entire incident. Right after Mr. Simpson went to his office, he asked his secretary to call Jonathan. At that point, Jonathan had no idea his karma would come back to bite him.

***

"Did you call me, sir?" Jonathan asked as he knocked on Mr. Simpson's office door.

Mr. Simpson nodded and asked him to take a seat.

"So, would you kindly brief me about the mess I noticed this morning? I don't think we've ever been so enraged over a minor mistake as you were, Jonathan... I hope you know I'm talking about how you treated Matilda!"

You can't escape karma.

"Sir, I don't understand: Why hire a woman who isn't qualified for the job? I believe we should fire her! She doesn't belong here!"

"Well, have you seen Matlida's resume?" asked Mr. Simpson. "I suppose you should take a look. And she was hired by me!"

Mr. Simpson showed Matilda's resume to Jonathan, and his eyes widened as he looked at it. He was shocked to discover she was highly talented and sought after by many companies.

"She's got brilliant ideas," Mr. Simpson said. "She has the potential to take this company to incredible heights if we give her a chance, Jonathan, which I'm afraid we aren't. You might not know, but my mother started this company in her 60s and gave it her all. According to you, she shouldn't have done that, right? She should have raised grandchildren instead. Am I correct?"

"You know what? I have decided to demote you and promote Matlida. I'd like to give the right, unbiased talent the place they deserve. She's going to be the head of the sales team starting today."

Jonathan obviously was shocked. He attempted to persuade Mr. Simpson to reconsider his decision, but the CEO was adamant. Matilda was also surprised, but she was grateful and wanted to give her all.

Poor Jonathan. He expected her to mock him now that she was his boss, and he was sure she would exact revenge on him. But Matilda didn't do it, which surprised him even more.

"You're a bright man, Jonathan," she praised him instead. "What I want from you is your talent. For all I know, you could do wonders. So let's put our differences aside and take the company to new heights! Being young or old is about the mindset, young man!"

At that point, Jonathan regretted what he had done. He realized that Matilda's age set her apart from the rest of the crowd, but not in the way he had thought. Her expertise and experience proved she was a talented woman who deserved to be where she was and wanted to pass on her knowledge to her younger colleagues.

What can we learn from this story?

• Talent doesn't distinguish between ages. Matilda was talented and deserved to be where she was, and Jonathan realized that, though a bit late.
• If you do wrong, you'll be punished for it sooner or later. You can't escape karma. Jonathan realized his error when Matilda was promoted, and he had to work under her. He realized she deserved the promotion.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old man who was fired from his lifelong company job and how he became the company's owner just a month later.

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