Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Listener Angela Fired for Using Company Resources

Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo
Listener Story: Angela
Main Theme: The fallout of using work resources for personal reasons and the harsh realities of corporate policies.

Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness centers on an email from listener Angela, who shared her recent experience getting fired by a major bank for using company resources (printing her sons’ homework and personal online shopping). The hosts dissect Angela’s situation, discuss the broader implications of corporate cutbacks, the nature of employment audits, and offer career (and life) advice. The episode is packed with characteristic banter, irreverence, and tongue-in-cheek advice, reflecting the show’s signature style.

1. Angela’s Story: Fired for Printing and Shopping at Work (01:11–09:31)

• Angela’s email (01:11–03:46):

  • Angela details being terminated after an audit revealed her and ten others using company equipment for personal reasons:
    • 100 pages printed of kids’ homework over the year
    • Online shopping on a work computer
    • Signed a paper admitting to using resources, thinking it was minor
    • Immediately terminated; 11 people fired in total
    • Asks hosts for advice, feeling Holmberg “somewhat responsible” since she left teaching based on his advice
  • Quote: “I feel you're kind of responsible for my career track. I don't blame you. I'm just venting.” – Angela [01:26]

• Immediate reactions (03:46–06:02):

  • The hosts are both incredulous and acknowledging:
    • Holmberg: “Wow, they'll can ya for printing some papers that aren't work related. And you should have known better.” [03:38]
    • Joke about the company being right; printing large amounts signals regular abuse.
    • They speculate about employer surveillance or a “rat in the house” tipping off management about Angela’s behavior.
    • Recognition that the climate is cold: large companies sometimes look for reasons to cut staff.

• Insight on Signing Papers During Audits (04:24–06:02):

  • Holmberg shares a personal story about signing a performance audit at a previous job only to be fired:
    • “So anytime bosses come in and hand you a piece of paper that says, here's 12 things you don't do good, I wouldn't sign that right away.” [05:09]
    • Advice: Don’t sign anything under pressure; ask for time to consider.
    • Suggestion: “Let me stew over this. I'm not sure I agree with it.” [05:27]

2. Advice and Life Lessons for Angela (06:05–08:32)

• Career advice & humor (06:05–08:32):
  • The hosts joke about offering Angela a spot on the show (“Maybe you could come work with us, Angela” [06:00]).
  • Continuing their long-running riff on the worth of teaching:
    • “If you’re in it for the money to teach, you’ve made a terrible mistake.” – Holmberg [07:01]
    • “Nobody wants to hear you scream and yell about wanting more money.” [07:08]
    • “I've probably got seven or eight [teachers] that have told me that listening to me gave them the courage to quit the job.” [07:03]
  • Joking guidance-counselor advice: OnlyFans as a fallback ("I was gonna suggest OnlyFans, but I don't know what you look like..." [07:25]):
    • Hosts riff on Angela's sons, jokingly suggesting her OnlyFans would not go "gangbusters" because “mom” is too busy printing their homework.

3. Corporate Culture & Fairness (08:32–12:54)

• Office Supplies & Morality (08:32–09:31):

  • Analogy: Letting guests overuse your towels; employers shouldn’t have to monitor supplies, but they do.
  • The hosts suspect the layoffs may have been cost-cutting disguised as “audit outcomes.”

• Productivity & Time-Wasting at Work (11:15–12:21):

  • Holmberg reflects on why management cares about how time is used:
    • “If you're sitting there shopping... why aren't you using that time to be more productive?” [11:35]
    • “If you’ve got time to shop, maybe you're not as good an employee as you thought.” [11:28]

• Corporate Cutbacks and Faceless Management (12:21–12:54):

  • Sympathy for Angela, but acknowledgment of reality: “There are definitely some cutting back on employees.” – Brady [12:21]
  • Joke about management tracking dinner expenses (“…definitely going to have cutbacks based on that dinner we had the other night. I heard what the bill was…” [12:35])

4. Teacher Pay Rant & Performance-Based Salary (16:26–18:59)

• Teacher compensation and expectations (16:26–18:59):
  • Holmberg unleashes his classic “stop complaining about teacher pay” tirade:
    • “If you go back to teaching, it pays what it pays. Nobody wants to hear you complain about the day.” [17:15]
    • Draws a comparison to highly paid athletes: “Teachers, you're in the same boat as Dak Prescott. If we do this to athletes where we scrutinize their pay by their performance… pay you annually based on your performance… Otherwise, we give it to the cops. How about that?” [17:57]
  • Proposes an absurd solution: pool tax money, let teachers and cops “fight over the pile.”

5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Wow, they'll can ya for printing some papers that aren't work related. And you should have known better.” – John Holmberg [03:38]
• “So anytime bosses come in and hand you a piece of paper that says, here's 12 things you don't do good, I wouldn't sign that right away.” – John Holmberg [05:09]
• “If you’re in it for the money to teach, you’ve made a terrible mistake.” – John Holmberg [07:01]
• “OnlyFans isn’t such a bad idea. But you have to be ready for that.” – John Holmberg [07:23]
• “Work ain't fair. That sucks, and you can get fired for something. Sometimes you have to hang your head and go, they got me. As silly as it seems, they got me.” – John Holmberg [16:26]
• “Stop stealing office supplies. Use your time better.” – John Holmberg [16:41]

6. Lighter Tangents & Comedic Relief

• Anecdotes about Italian restaurants and real calamari (13:07–15:41)
• Joking about OnlyFans, printing, and embarrassing “mom” moments (16:13–16:26)
• Riffing on company management, dinner expenses, and office rats

7. Key Timestamps

• Angela’s email read & reactions: 01:11–06:02
• Audit & signing advice: 04:24–06:02
• Teaching as a career & OnlyFans banter: 06:33–08:32
• Productivity, layoffs, and work culture: 11:15–12:54
• Teacher pay debate: 16:26–18:59

Episode Takeaways

• Corporate America can be harsh and impersonal; small personal uses of company resources can be grounds for termination, especially during cutbacks.
• Employees should be cautious when signing HR documents and should not rush to admit fault without reviewing documents.
• Teaching, the “noble” profession, is not financially rewarding; don’t expect pay to improve despite demands.
• Personal time management at work is scrutinized—if you have time for shopping or personal chores, your productivity may be questioned.
• The show’s advice is both tongue-in-cheek and practical, laced with the hosts’ trademark cynicism and humor.

For Angela and similar listeners:
Work isn’t always fair, and layoffs sometimes have little to do with individual performance. Don’t use company supplies for personal reasons, be smart about what you sign, and go into teaching (or any profession) for the right reasons—not the money.