I have just been given a summary dismissal from my job at Staples for inappropriate sexual contact. The facts of the matter are that about a year ago on of the junior female employees got irritated and kicked me because I was entering security codes in her till and checking what she had done. She was wanting to get on with the next customer. I retaliated (wrong I know and hit her back), my mistake was failing to complain first.

The next possible incident was when my boss (female) had fallen off the ladder and hurt herself, she was walking around in a daze and very depressed. I made the mistake of being sympathetic and putting my arm around her shoulders and giving a few encouraging words. I only realized this was a mistake a couple of weeks later when she asked me to her office and gave me a final warning for inappropriate contact, one more incident and I would be fired without warning.

Well today it happened. In all of this I was never given an opportunity to defend myself or explain my actions! I find this strange, as I am not sure that my assumptions are correct, but these are the only incidents that I think may explain her actions.

I should explain that I am nearly 60 and happily married, we have no children, but not due to lack of trying, just some rather nasty miss-carriages. 

I was thinking this over and the only explanation that occurs to me is that my boss is jealous and feeling threatened by me. I am a graduate in Computer Science and Mathematics and a former Computer Audit Manager. I started work at Staples as a technical sales rep. and quickly became the third key, just two positions below the General Manager. I was definitely the best qualified member of staff they had. The likely explanation is that she wanted to remove the possibility of me taking her job as a result of some recent poor audit results, the other possibility and I have actually seen this done before, is that Staples hire staff at ground floor and possibly try to make them leave due to stress etc. The reason being that these staff have no or little statutory rights and costs can be minimized by turning over staff before rights accumulate. In this case all of my benefits were cut off.

This type of action is perfectly possible where dismissal is summary and the employee does not have a right to review the file and even have knowledge of the complainant. Of course things have gone too far because bullying bosses can now easily dismiss anyone they like and they have no legal recourse unless they are mega rich, and what minimum wage employee is?

I am hoping that something good will come of all this. I just checked my Amazon  account and I have made 4 small sales this month. If I can only increase that 1,000 times! I could really do with some encouragement and maybe some mentoring from one of the bigger players here.

I am sure that I am not alone in suffering this type of treatment and would love to hear from any of you that have been through similar experiences. As a late in life immigrant to Canada I am feeling like the victim of prejudice and unable to defend myself due to a lack of friends and social networks here. This tends to make one feel suicidal and unable to take the necessary action to make lemonade from the lemons. Any helpful advice would be much appreciated.