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You're fired

To balance out the 'best resignations' thread. Share your experiences of being 'let go' or fired.

The first time was on my 17th birthday on my first day back at work after a new year's break.

Was called into the manager's office. Told the news and was in total shock. A month earlier a lot of staff had been let go, in one of those early nineties recession led culls, everyone else had been told their jobs were safe.

I went back to my office, wining and moaning about how unfair it all was. My line manager had a quiet word with me and explained how they had kept me on for the extra month because of my age and the timing (xmas). They allowed me to look for work whilst working my remaining days. I had another higher paid job within a week of leaving. The experience helped me to decide to eventually return to education.

Comments

  • johnny73 said:

    To balance out the 'best resignations' thread. Share your experiences of being 'let go' or fired.

    The first time was on my 17th birthday on my first day back at work after a new year's break.

    Was called into the manager's office. Told the news and was in total shock. A month earlier a lot of staff had been let go, in one of those early nineties recession led culls, everyone else had been told their jobs were safe.

    I went back to my office, wining and moaning about how unfair it all was. My line manager had a quiet word with me and explained how they had kept me on for the extra month because of my age and the timing (xmas). They allowed me to look for work whilst working my remaining days. I had another higher paid job within a week of leaving. The experience helped me to decide to eventually return to education.

    I've never been fired but luckily you go on to refer to a redundancy.

    Our company overpriced an annual quote by 1.5million, spent every penny and then the claims that came in only came to 1 million leaving 1.5 million to pay back to the client.

    As the money wasn't there the company made 100 people redundant and had to do 12 months at no fee.
  • I've never been fired - but I've fired quite a few.

    Never easy to make a decision to deny someone their livelihood and I like to think all of mine have been based on sound and reasonable judgements - but I can't guarantee that.
  • Have had to sack a few people and run redundancy programmes over the years.

    It's a horrible thing to have to do, even sacking someone who's had plenty of chances to improve.

    The worst one was when I had to let a couple of people go the week before Christmas.

    Obviously it's nowhere near as bad as being on the other end of a redundancy/sacking but I hate having to put people out of work.
  • I was working on a building site in Germany in 79 (original Auf Wiedersien) having never set foot on a site before (office worker) - agent said that if I did woodwork at school and can hit a nail with a hammer that I was a chippy. I decided to take the day off and go to Munich for the European Cup final between Forest and Maimo. Great day out and worn my old Charlton satin scarf to try and blend in with the Forest fans. On the way back at Munich station I found out that I'd been sacked. Went to the site in the morning anyway and learnt that quite a few British lads had been sacked too and they were proper tradesmen. I was sacked because I took the day off but nothing mentioned about my capability on the site. I was quite chuffed really. My parting words were to the site manager was about an English football club winning the European cup. I might have also mentioned the two world wars and one World Cup. That's my only time that I've been sacked.
  • I got fired for showing up the inadequate arithmetic of the publican of The Bugle Horn, summer 1977 or '78. He accused me of dipping in the till to cover it up.
  • work in sales so had to let go of a few people. It's never pleasant but then if you're not performing in your job is it the right place anyway
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  • Was sacked for Gross Misconduct from my first ever job at the age of 16, but I suspect I'd given the company a convenient way of getting rid of me. Essentially I'd booked a day off but didn't get it in writing - and there was no computer system, it was all done via word of mouth rather worryingly. So come mid-day on my holiday day I received an email telling me they'd taken that as a form of gross misconduct and were terminating my contract. They were a huge shower of shit though, and quite a large company too.

    Since that day I've learned the art of "pre-emptive resignation"..
  • myself and a friend once got told that in a few minutes we'd be called into a meeting with a load of other staff and made redundant but the 2 of us would have a new job to come in to the next day. so we got a full payout and started a new job the next day in the office next door. we then got made redundant from thi one a few months later and got another payout. my friend had previously been laid off by the same owner from yet another business so this was 3 in a row for him
  • edited September 2016
    Got sacked from 1st ever proper job, literally folding A4 sheets in three and stuffing into envelopes. Only guy amongst about a dozen older women. Probable output as much as the rest of them put together because all they did was chat. Lasted two days. Got told I didn't fit in. Their loss.
  • redsek said:

    Late 80's, independent Pizza Restaurant Bexleyheath. Mixed the dough base with sugar instead of salt. Job over.

    Sweet pizza with a custard topping? I'd try it.
  • LuckyReds said:

    On a similar note to firing though, I once conducted an interview with a young Polish chap. The interview was dire to the point I nearly cried afterwards - it was my first interview and the candidate was woefully unqualified and, when called out on certain things, he launched a tirade about "driving for nearly 24 hours to get here". I felt half sorry for him and half angry.

    When the other interviewer and I left the room we agreed it was a no-go, and went back in to let him down. He kicked off majorly, and after persuading him to leave I was scared to leave the office to grab lunch as I figured he may have been irate enough to be waiting for me by the entrance.

    I suppose his time keeping for a Monday to Friday job would also have been a problem.
  • In my first year of teacher training, I had a two-week placement. It didn't involve any teaching, it was just observing the class teacher and getting a feel for the school; the plan is that you'd go back to do a teaching placement there about 6 months later.

    After the first week of the initial observation placement, the school asked me to leave. Because I fell asleep while watching one of the lessons.
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  • William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, 1985. Working as a 'Domestic Assistant' pending other ventures. Got told, out of the blue, that they were not renewing my 'contract'. Pretty gutted to be fair as I was having 'fun' with the nursing fraternity in all honesty. Day after I was told that I was given the 'boot' I got a letter saying that I had been accepted to join the RAF! All's well that ends well.
  • Made redundant (along with 2,000 others) 3 years ago. I found out about it about 6 weeks before it was due to happen as I was a member of the Employee Representative Body (as close to a union in an un-unionised company).. Was shocked at the time as had no idea it was coming and was worried how at 43 I'd have to go and find another job (the industry I work in is staffed mainly by people in the 20s and 30s, I was already the only 'grey hair') but I was offered a new job, with a 30% pay rise the same week that I was officially let go....I just had to serve out my 90 days consultation period at home (on full pay) and then 3 month notice period at home (on full pay) before starting my new, improved job, with a 6 month salary pay off too as the terms of my redundancy. It was bloody marvellous and possibly the most lucrative year of my life so far. The one thing it really did (apart from give me 5 months at home on full pay) was to remove the fear of losing my job...if it happened now I know it's be a struggle (especially as my son has just started senior school and I have signed up to 7 years of school fees - another debate I know) but the fear has been removed...I know that I can always do/find 'something'...
  • edited September 2016
    Addickted said:

    Worked in a vegetable preparation factory in the early 80's.

    Also known as the Crystal Palace supporters club.
  • Addickted said:

    Worked in a vegetable preparation factory in the early 80's and was sacked for sticking my dick in the cucumber slicer.

    Bit unfair really as they didn't sack her.

    To be fair she was asleep at the time.
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