Vault: She fired her because she was single

Summary

The Bert Show
Episode: Vault: She fired her because she was single
Date: May 6, 2026

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Overview

In this engaging and heated episode, The Bert Show crew revisits a polarizing workplace dilemma: an employer, Sheila, fired an employee after discovering she was single, following revelations that the employee had pretended to be engaged during her interview. The discussion covers workplace trust, personal insecurities, legal risks, and double standards regarding hiring based on marital status and appearance. The conversation is candid, at times humorous, and features honest listener input—raising questions about honesty, discrimination, and relationship boundaries in the workplace.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background of the Situation (00:57 – 01:37)

• Sheila hired an employee who wore an engagement ring to her interview.
• Upon noticing the ring was gone weeks later, Sheila confronted her, and the employee confessed she wore it because she heard engaged/married women have better job prospects.
• Sheila felt misled and considered firing her, especially since Sheila's husband works in the office—a setting currently devoid of single women.

"My husband works in the office, and we don't have any single women here around him, so I think I want to let her go." — Sheila (01:21)

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2. Sheila’s Decision and Rationale (02:15 – 03:56)

• Sheila confirms she did fire the employee, officially citing misrepresentation as the reason.
• When pressed by the hosts about whether insecurity about single women around her husband played a role, she insists trust is not the issue—at least not primarily.

"I do feel like it's not the best idea to have single women who lie around my husband. Yes, that's true, but the main reason was because I don't feel that she's trustworthy...I just find that unacceptable." — Sheila (05:20)

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3. Team Debate: Motivation and Honesty (04:49 – 06:57)

• The hosts challenge Sheila, suggesting her reasoning isn’t as straightforward as she claims.
• The conversation touches on the double standard between trusting spouses and distrusting people of the opposite sex.
• They debate if the same logic applies when hiring nannies or in other personal boundaries at home.
• Sheila admits that both dishonesty and the employee’s single status played into her discomfort.

"You're telling us about the fact that you don't care or didn't think about single women in the office with your husband is the same as her telling you about the engagement ring." — Host (04:53)

"The combination of the two [being single and lying] put me over the edge." — Sheila (06:40)

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4. Listener Reactions and Legal Perspectives (07:07 – 10:10)

• Caller Mike warns Sheila that her approach could threaten both her marriage and business reputation.
• Michelle raises a hypothetical: would Sheila fire an employee who became single following a divorce?
• The show consults Lisa, a listener with legal expertise:
  • Georgia is an "at will" state, so generally an employer doesn’t have to give a reason for firing someone.
  • However, giving the true discriminatory reason opens Sheila up to a lawsuit.

"The fact that Sheila here gave the real reason opens her up to the lawsuit." — Lisa (12:05)

"If that employee's smart, she'd go see a lawyer first thing this morning." — Lisa (12:10)

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5. Broader Discussion: Trust, Hiring, and Workplace Standards (08:04 – 13:00)

• Hosts question why hiring standards for domestic jobs (like nannies) often mirror Sheila’s logic—protecting marriages by avoiding hiring single or attractive women.
• The general consensus is that Sheila’s stated justification (misrepresentation) is shaky and that the real, more problematic issue is her discomfort with single women around her husband.
• Sheila and the hosts ponder how to legally and ethically handle marital-status cues in future interviews.

"Legally, I don't think you're allowed to ask [about marital status]." — Host (12:42)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On motives and trust:

"I feel secure in my marriage, and I do feel like it's not the best idea to have single women who lie around my husband." — Sheila (05:20)

On hiring biases:

"It's a hiring decision. And you're hiring, but you're being prejudiced based on looks and, you know, relationship status." — Host (08:20)

On legal risk:

"The fact that Sheila here gave the real reason opens her up to the lawsuit." — Lisa, legal call-in (12:05)

On honesty and irony:

"Are you telling me I could have lied the way she lied to me?" — Sheila (10:26)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:57 – 01:37: Recap of Sheila's original call and the engagement ring reveal
• 02:15 – 03:56: Sheila confirms firing and outlines her rationale
• 04:49 – 06:57: Hosts challenge Sheila’s motives; debate about single women in the workplace
• 07:07 – 08:28: Listener Mike calls in; debates about marital status and professional boundaries
• 08:28 – 09:19: Caller Michelle raises the divorce scenario
• 09:28 – 12:10: Lisa the legal expert calls in, highlighting lawsuit risks
• 12:42 – 13:00: Discussion of legal interview practices and closing thoughts

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Tone & Style

The episode is lively, candid, and occasionally irreverent, echoing the show’s signature blend of humor and authentic debate. The team pushes boundaries, asks uncomfortable questions, and welcomes listener perspectives—confronting tricky real-life issues with both empathy and wit.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode hooks listeners with a real-world scenario that exposes the complexities—and legal perils—of blending personal insecurity with professional decision-making. The Bert Show crew keeps it real, questioning motives, poking fun, and ultimately leaving Sheila (and the audience) with tough questions about honesty, gender dynamics, and workplace fairness. The legal risks of mixing personal feelings with hiring decisions are made plain, with a strong warning to employers: What you say—and why you say it—could land you in court.

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For more candid workplace dilemmas and lively debates, tune in daily to The Bert Show!

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It's the vert show. All right, so Sheila called us on Friday and said that one of her employees really sort of misrepresented herself in the interview.

[C]

Yeah. An employee came in, had an engagement ring on. So Sheila assumed she was engaged, and so she hired her based on her qualifications. She's been a good employee for a couple weeks. And then she noticed that the engagement ring wasn't on anymore. So when she asked her about it, she said, oh, you know what? I gotta be quite honest. I saw somewhere where married or engaged women had more of a shot of getting a job. So the employee actually confessed to the fact that she had never been engaged, that she had faked it just to get the job, and now she looks like. You know what? I don't like that misrepresentation. Plus, my husband works in the office, and we don't have any single women here around him, so I think I want to let her go.

[B]

And she trusts her husband. She just doesn't trust other women. And we debated this last Friday. Is she being insecure? She says no, but the bottom line is she doesn't want single women in the office. Hey, Sheila.

[D]

Hey, how are you?

[B]

Whoa, hold on a second. Hold on. The voice sounds a little sick.

[C]

Wait a minute. Made you sound like Beelzebub.

[E]

Go ahead.

[B]

Are you there?

[D]

I'm here.

[B]

Okay, that's much, much better. Yes.

[D]

What? Did I sound scary?

[B]

Yeah. Her voice disguiser was just adjusted a little too deep for you.

[E]

You were opening up the portal to hell.

[B]

Okay, so Friday, you leave the show here, and you still sounded very strong in your belief that you were going into the office very Passionate that you. This woman, had to go?

[D]

Yes, I was.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

And what happened? I let her go.

[B]

You did let her go?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

On what grounds?

[D]

On the grounds that she misrepresented herself in the interview. And that was enough for me to find her untrustworthy as an employee.

[B]

I wonder if that right there, because you admitted the reason why you were letting her go is going to be grounds for a lawsuit. Because if she gets a really good lawyer, can't she say, I never said one way or the other?

[D]

Well, I spoke to a lawyer friend of mine, and they thought that just the fact that she misrepresented herself in the interview was grounds for me, that it wouldn't be a problem. And.

[E]

But that's such a. Like she didn't misrepresent herself. You can wear a ring on your left ring finger for any one of a million reasons.

[F]

Her problem was telling you why she confessed to it.

[B]

Well, then it's in court, at least. It's going to be a huge he said, she said type deal. So I don't know that she. I don't know who's got the stronger.

[F]

Did you talk to your husband before you made the decision?

[D]

I did.

[F]

And what did he say?

[D]

Well, he wasn't. He was sort of in the middle of the road about the whole thing. He was like, you know, if that's what you feel. And I do, you know, I don't care for the fact that she lied in her interview. He wasn't too worked up about it. I mean, she was an adequate employee, but. And these these days, I mean, it won't be difficult to replace her. So

[B]

you did say. You did tell us on Friday you thought she was attractive, right?

[D]

Yeah, she's attractive.

[E]

Not as attractive as you.

[F]

What was her response in the. In that meeting?

[D]

What.

[F]

What was her response to you in that meeting?

[D]

Well, she said, obviously she was irritated, you know, and she said, well, I guess then I should have told you that we broke off our engagement instead of telling you the truth. And I said, well, I appreciate you telling me the truth, but it would have been nice if you had done that about two weeks earlier and just interviewed on your own merits.

[F]

Did she question your trust issues with your husband?

[D]

No, she did not. It wasn't. It wasn't about that. It was about the fact that she lied in her interview.

[B]

Come on.

[D]

What?

[B]

I don't think you're being real with yourself here.

[C]

Well, we had this debate last week,

[E]

and, I mean, she did what we knew she was gonna do.

[C]

You're telling Us about the fact that you don't care or didn't think about single women in the office with your husband is the same as her telling you about the engagement ring. I mean, you confess the real reason on Friday you confessed us. The reason that you were uncomfortable is because you're like, you know what? I never thought about it before because we have married women and lesbians in the office, but this is the first time a single woman be in the office with my husband, and I just don't think it's appropriate.

[D]

Yeah, I did say that, and I do think that, you know, but that wasn't the main reason. That was, you know, maybe 25% of my decision. I really. No, I really. Well, I can't convince you. I feel secure in my marriage, and I do feel like it's not the best idea to have single women who lie around my husband. Yes, that's true, but the main reason was because I don't feel that she's trustworthy. Someone who. Who misrepresents themselves in an interview. I think it's like lying on your resume, and I just find that unacceptable.

[B]

Here's Mike, who thinks you're doing more harm than doing good with your husband. Hey, Mike.

[D]

Hey.

[G]

How you doing?

[B]

Good, man. How are you doing?

[G]

Pretty good. I think that she's gonna run him away and she's gonna be without employment or a husband if she keeps on pushing the point

[D]

of business from. It's just wrong to not hire somebody

[G]

because they're wearing a wedding ring.

[B]

Yeah. I'm really, really interested to know, like, how the conversation went with your husband beforehand. Did you say to him, look, she lied to us, so she's not trustworthy? Or did at any point at all, did you say, look, you know what? I just don't like single women around the office.

[D]

I would say that I didn't feel comfortable with a single woman in the office. A single woman who lied. That's what I said. I don't have. I don't know that I would necessarily have a problem with any single woman, but that the combination of the two, what put me over the edge.

[F]

I mean, Bert, how would that make you feel if your wife said that to you?

[B]

It would insult me.

[F]

I mean, that's what I was thinking. Like, your husband has to be affected by it in some way.

[B]

Cause I've never bought this whole I trust you, I just don't trust other women thing. I've never. I thought that's just. That's just a cop out.

[E]

But if that's the way the relationship has been since day one. It's.

[F]

He's used to it.

[E]

He's like, you know, any spouse, it's a harsh term, but can be brainwashed into believing that's the way the world is.

[B]

If that's your world.

[E]

If that's your world. So, I mean, if she's telling him

[B]

what works for you, I mean, how long you've been. How long have you been married?

[D]

How long have I been married? Nine years.

[B]

Okay, so it's working for you, and that's the definition of your relationship.

[F]

Does your husband have to sit to pee?

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

What is it? Is it any different than when you hire a nanny in the house? You know, like, the whole idea of I'm gonna protect my marriage by not hiring, you know, a young, attractive female to come in and watch our children. I mean, is it any different?

[B]

That's a good point, because I think that if I had my wife on the phone now, she would look at it two different ways. That if it was in business, I don't think she'd have any beef at all with me hanging out with a whole bunch of single women. But a single woman that's attractive in our home all the time, I. I think she'd have a problem with that

[C]

because it's a hiring decision. And you're hiring, but you're being prejudiced based on looks and, you know, relationship status. So I just wondered what the difference was.

[B]

Hey, Michelle. Good morning. You're on Q100. It's a good point.

[G]

Good morning, guys.

[D]

I just wanted to know what she

[G]

would do if one of the women in her office gets a divorce, because not only is that person then single, but they're also an emotional, clingy wreck. So then what? Is she going to fire them because

[D]

they got a divorce? Okay, here's the point with this is. Yes. I mean, obviously that would be a terrible thing if that happened to one of our friends, but this is. These are people that we've known a long time. These are not people who came in under the auspices of one thing and then said something else. These are women who have been trustworthy and hardworking. It's just a different situation. I don't think you can apply this to that. That situation.

[F]

I'm curious from the Burchill community if anybody in the legal profession would think that this former employee now had any sort of case.

[B]

Let's ask here. Lisa may be able to answer that. Hey, Lisa. Here you have Sheila, who fired somebody on Friday who she feels misrepresented. Herself in the interview saying that she was. She didn't say she was single or married. She just had the engagement ring on. And then they found out later that she was indeed single. And now Sheila fired her. Does she have a legal case?

[G]

Yes, definitely. Because Georgia is an at will employee state, so it's protected just like race, ethnic background and so forth. So yeah, the employee totally has a case. But on the same side, Sheila didn't have to give her a reason why. She could have just simply said, this is not working out. I'm sorry. Here's your last check and on your way.

[B]

Yeah, my first impression was that's really where you made your mistake there.

[G]

Exactly.

[B]

When you were honest with her in how you why you were letting her go. Now she's got a case. You could have made up a million different other things.

[D]

So are you telling me I could have lied the way she lied to me?

[B]

Yeah. The irony.

[E]

She didn't lie to you. She told you the truth.

[B]

Yes, she did.

[E]

When you asked her about being married. The problem is with this whole.

[G]

You assumed she was married with this whole situation.

[D]

She told me that. She told me. It's not like I figured it out for myself. Oh, I hear that single. I hear that married and engaged women have a better chance at getting a job. So I put that ring on.

[B]

Had you lied then you probably wouldn't have opened yourself up to a lawsuit.

[E]

Well, that's the thing. Is every problem related to this outcome?

[D]

Then that's the outcome. But I will not, I'm not going to misrepresent myself as a knee jerk reaction to her. That's not. If I'm, I would be under the same. I would be judging myself on the same grounds. Then, oh, I'm gonna lie back.

[E]

Because every problem related in this whole scenario has to do with honesty. Like the girl was honest with her. Yep, I'm not really engaged. And that's. That caused a problem and now there's a problem in how she was fired because she was honest, which I think what are we seeing here? Start lying, people.

[B]

So Lisa, if you were, if you were her counsel right now, what would you say?

[G]

I would tell her she needs to sew her because that is not a ground for letting somebody go.

[D]

So you would not at all at

[G]

Georgia is at will. You can let someone go. You can quit without a two weeks notice. You could quit. I could go into work this morning and walk out and say I'm done.

[D]

That's it.

[G]

You don't have to give a reason either. On either side.

[B]

But the fact that Sheila here gave the real reason opens her up to the lawsuit.

[G]

Oh, definitely. Definitely. Is she. If that employee smart, she'd go see a lawyer first thing this morning.

[B]

Okay. Thank you for calling.

[F]

I wonder if the Birch show tapes would be subpoenaed.

[B]

Oh, could be.

[E]

That'd be neat.

[D]

What? What?

[B]

Yeah, you never know. Like, in a couple of weeks, we may get have a lawyer give us a call and say, look, they need, you know, the audio of the last couple of times that we've talked to you, and they're gonna use it in court. Seriously?

[D]

Fine. They can have it.

[B]

Serious, they can have it. All right, Sheila, thank you for your honesty with us.

[D]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

[B]

So now, how do you handle the next interview if somebody comes in with an engagement ring on or a wedding ring? Legally, I don't think you're allowed to ask.

[D]

That's a good question. I actually haven't thought that far ahead.

[B]

Yeah, you may want to ask a lawyer before you get into that next.

[D]

Yeah, I might want to.

[B]

Thank you.

[D]

Thanks.

[B]

Bye. Bye. It may be true. We may get a lawyer giving us a call here in a couple of weeks saying we need you guys help with something, and we'll know exactly what it's about. Here. Bircha.