Have you ever been fired?

[boomhauer]

Yup - After 8 years. I sent a joke email on a Friday afternoon to 5 guys in the office telling them they could leave for the day. It was an inside joke making fun of one of the guys who just used to leave whenever he felt like it. 3 months later, HR was going through another guy in my office's email who had recently quit and found that email. I was questioned, along with everyone else. It was investigated. Obviously, noone had left that day and they were told by everyone it was an inside joke. They didn't care. Canned me.

Of course, they gave me a severance package with the condition that I sign a release form agreeing not to sue them.

It was actually very devestating to me. I busted my butt for that company. As it turns out, since I was canned, they've terminated at least a dozen more people that were there even longer than I was. No money problems. Just a manager on an ego trip who wants to make a name for himself.

Best thing that ever happened to me. Found a much better job, making more money, working less hours.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

I was fired from a financial job that was causing me tons of stress.It was really my manger's fault becasue he wouldn't le me use his computer and a few million $$ came into the firm late. When I finally pulled it up, I let it sit until morning. OOPs! And it was the last day of the fiscal year- double OOPS! WHen they told me they would have to let me go all I felt was releif. My manager asked if I could at least pretend to be upset!

 

[RadioNate]

yep - radio, everyone gets fired at least once. they don't call it firing though, it is 'moving in a different direction' or 'not renewing your contract.'

most of the time you can see it coming.

my dh used to work in radio too and it was far more devastating to me when he was let go than any time I was. I'm still not over the most recent time. I have serious amounts of anger toward the people responsible but I believe in karma so they will get theirs.

 

[Acklander]

Yup - when I was a teenager I was fired from McDonald's for "Insubordination". Aparently calling the manager an incompedent ****, even when done when you're off the clock, still counts against you. Live and Learn.

 

[Heidict]

Yup, I got fired once. I was a supervisor over the phlebotomy department of a lab. I oversaw the scheduling of the phelbotomist making sure that all the offices were covered and home draws were done. It was an easy job.

In January of that year I put in a request for a weeks vacation for the end of August. It was signed off and approved. I trained someone to fill in for me while I was away and everything was good to go.

Then a few weeks before vacation the company sold out to another one. I verifed that my vacation would stay the same.

The last friday before my vacation started they told me I couldn't take it. They didn't feel that the replacement could handle it. Trust me, it was easy and a monkey could have done it. Didn't matter, they wouldn't let me take my vacation. However, my vacation was a working on. I was working as a chef at a kids camp for the week. If I wasn't there, then these kids wouldn't have camp and they would all be sent home.

So, I forced her to say the words "you're fired" instead of dancing around like she was.

Actually, good thing it happened. Every since they sold out the job sucked and I was able to get unemployment and enjoy a little bit of the summer.

 

[Hedy]

I was told not to finish out my two weeks', does that count? I wasn't willing to play their games, and dared to point out that maybe my colleagues weren't being truthful in their stories.
I was 17, I'm more complacent now. Live and learn.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I was fired from the strangest job. I was paid cash and didn't have to deal with taxes or cashing a check.

This was back when I was 19 and I was Playboy hot. (Now I'm Marshmellowy Fluffy!) I worked at an auto-parts supplier and my job was separating invoices. All I did was take two pieces of paper that were stuck together, pull them apart, and file one set and give the other set to the boss.

I was told one day that they were firing me and I was paid the whopping sum of $400 to leave. I was asked back three months later and was paid a $400 "come back" fee. I later found out from a friend who worked there that I was the eye candy and there was no reason for me to be there at all. He knew all the time and swore he didn't tell me because he knew I needed the money. Some friend. There were even faxes of my photo sent to a sister office in Chicago...

And I didn't figure that part out until after I was fired for the second time. I still feel stupid about it to this day. I seriously, seriously thought I was learning clerical and/or the auto parts business. I gave it my best, was never late, treated everyone there with respect, etc.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

I was hired once under false pretenses and when they fired me, it was pretty traumatic to me (at the time anyway... it was my first real job). I got this job as a legal secretary to replace a woman who moved away. The attorney who hired me insisted I move to the city -- and the job had so many great benefits, that it was worth it for me to do so! Unbeknownst to him, the other "senior" secretaries had promised their friend her job back if her new one didn't work out. So, they planted stuff in my trash can and in my drawers to find a way to get rid of me. One of the women must have had a guilty streak, because she tried her best to help me find another job, but it just didn't work out for me and I had to lose my apartment and move back home.

It took a while for me to find out the whole story, but one of the attorneys let some things slip to my job recruiter, and one of the junior secretaries filled me in on the rest.

That's just so wrong, I hope someone got fired for doing this to you.


Now for my story. I got fired only once in my life. I was working for a private fixed base operator (FBO) at the Albuquerque Airport (now Sunport). Basically what an FBO is, is a place for private and corporate planes go for fuel, and overnight parking and such. Like all FBO's we had several people, and companies, call us home for their aircraft. One night I was pushing a King Air, a twin turbo prop aircraft that's worth about $1.5 to $2 milion, into the hanger. Well, I clipped the edge of the wing against the hanger door causing over $375,000 in damage. I was let go the next day, after my next shift. I guess I should have seen it coming. Oh well, live and learn, right?

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I was canned once, although it didn't stick.

I was working at TGIFridays during college and I blew off a shift to go down to the Florida Keys for Bartenders Weekend. The Asst. GM fired me when I got back, but I ended up talking the GM, with whom I had a great relationship, into giving me back my job...the AGM hated me after that!!

 

[kdudley3]

Get this one. I have a Paralegal degree. I worked for a movie rental shop for some extra money. The owner's husband dies and she decides that I should wear his company shirt. I said I'd buy my own....and she fired me. The first time I'd ever been fired. I know it's not a high paying or prestigious job....but a lady firing me for not wearing her dead husband's shirt?!?!

 

[Handbag Lady]

Get this one. I have a Paralegal degree. I worked for a movie rental shop for some extra money. The owner's husband dies and she decides that I should wear his company shirt. I said I'd buy my own....and she fired me. The first time I'd ever been fired. I know it's not a high paying or prestigious job....but a lady firing me for not wearing her dead husband's shirt?!?!

HAHAHAHHA! That is crazy! I wouldn't wear it, either. What a crazy lady!

 

[OK!]

What inspired this thread is I have a friend who was recently fired from his job. He doesn't know that I know, but I have been trying to call him for several days and he won't answer the phone or return my calls. I think he's embarassed or just feeling down and doesn't want to talk about it.

I had a friend like that, too...I called him and called him, just to make sure he was OK, and he was, but just wanted to "withdraw" for a bit to sort everything out in his head before talking to anyone from work.

I've never been fired, but I have been downsized, which isn't much better. I mean, yeah, you don't have the stigma attached that being fired carries, but you also have the "I did nothing wrong, and yet I'm still out a job," idea to deal with (especially when some of the people who weren't downsized are grossly incompetent and are only still there because they had higher seniority than you did. Not that I'm still bitter or anything. )

 

[pearlieq]

I got real, honest-to-goodness, terminated for cause fired once while I was in college.

I had taken this job as a bookkeeper for a guy who was kind of a jerk, in an environment I didn't like, doing something that was very different from what I expected it to be. Of course I didn't pay any attention to that while I was interviewing, because it paid 50% more than I had made previously.

However, instead of dealing with that head on and just finding another job right away, I just kind of slacked off and called in sick a lot. They fired me after about a month of that, and rightly so.

I learned a lot from the experience, and luckily it's been pretty much an isolated thing in my work history.

 

[lajones81]

I've never been fired.

HAHAHAHHA! That is crazy! I wouldn't wear it, either. What a crazy lady!

I wouldn't wear the shirt either!

 

[dturner]

I was fired once in 1997 - I had been working as an Intellectual Property secretary for a small law firm and had been there for 1-1/2 years. One day my DS - 19 months at the time was sick (running high fever)so I took him to the doctors and called in to work - they called me back that afternoon and told me "my services were no longer needed."

No real reason either. When I applied for unemployment the state had to send a letter to my employer asking why I was fired and their response was something to the effect of "had nothing to do with ability to do her job." I have kept that letter and will always keep that letter just in case I ever need it.

That law firm had a revolving door - no one stayed long as they always found some STUPID reason to fire whomever.

Now, I'm running an entire law firm and have been for the last 8 years.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I was fired from a job in March 97. It was a string of bad luck- in 3 weeks I was fired, my grandma died and I had a miscarriage. Yeah, not a good time in my life.

I had been at the job for almost 5 years. I went in one Tuesday (had Mondays off) and was told I was no longer meeting their needs. The owner and the general manager were both male chauvinist jerks. They would make rules, then when we tried to enforce them we would get in trouble for not giving good customer service. The final event was when an employee that worked under me yelled at me, where customers could hear. I got fired and she kept her job. They said I should not have engaged in coversation with her. I told her we needed to take it to the back room, but aparently that wasnt enough for them.

I got a month of severance pay and collected unemployment. It was the best thing that could have happened there. I really was unhappy.

 

[coles1mom]

Yep got fired. After 12 yrs on the job. My husband wanted a different person to do the job.

I like my new "boss" of almost 3 years a whole lot better.

Sometimes being fired is a good thing.

Judi

 

[ZPT1022]

twice. the first time I just got called when I was out sick. I woke up around 11 am and checked my messages and I had one saying "your services are no longer needed" re-read that, that sounds bad- I had called out and went back to bed- 103º fever, etc..... a few months later most everyone in my department and the few surrounding it had been "fired" for some equally ridiculous reason and within 6-8 months they closed the entire branch down. I guess I just went first because I had only been there a year. Does that count as fired? I was insulted but it's not like I was embezzling or something

Second time was at Babies R Us. DD was a few months old and I wanted some part time work just to get out of the house. I was thinking along the lines of 5-10 hours a week. I kept getting scheduled for 30+ hours, and past my availability. I kept telling them what my availability was and leaving at that time. I got called into the office and asked why I kept leaving at 9:30 if I was scheduled til 10. I explained to the woman that I was very clear on my availability and I certainly wasn't going to jeopardize my husband, who works full time, carries our health insurance, pays our bills, and is funding our retirement account, getting to work on time. Not for a silly $8/hour job. She said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, I'm going to have to let you go then" OH well. Can't jeopardize the primary breadwinner for a PT "fun" job.