How do you Handle Being Fired?

Let's see if people here are humble enough to talk about their experiences of being fired. And let's not get too distracted by my own stories - I want to hear about yours.

I think it's always important in these situations that you remind them of the times you agreed to work longer hours at short notice and so on. But is there any way that you can make it difficult for them if you find the whole thing to be unfair? Even though you know there's no point, you just can't help but make your arguments for why it's unfair... and in doing so you always feel like you're making a fool out of yourself, because your best points have no effect, or because you get tongue tied.

If it's a manager who ordinarily never seems to have the time for you, and all of a sudden that manager actually wants to talk to you, then you know you're about to get fired. It's also kind of funny when they ask you how you are when you know you're about to be fired! And then you kind of feel like an idiot when you give the standard answer of "yeah, good enough". It's also funny how sometimes you might deserve to be fired but they still won't tell you the real reason you're being fired. They'll tell you about a time that you did something you shouldn't, and therefore you won't be able to argue back... but you'll probably realise sometime later that there are plenty of other staff who constantly do the same thing every day, and get away with it.



One time I was fired recently it was on an afternoon about an hour or so before the new roster was due to go up. I had only got two days work that week and towards the end of that day I was told to go to the office by another member of staff. I knocked on the door and a bit later the manager opened it as she was on the phone. She then saw that it was me and told me to wait a minute and closed it again. When she opened it again I thought she was finally going to ask me to come in, but she instead asked me to get the assistant manager. So I did. When I came back with the assistant manager, as I was about to walk in, the main manager said "just give us a moment first". I was made wait again before I was finally allowed in. I tried to joke by saying "the suspense is killing me" but got no reaction with it. When we got down to the firing, the assistant manager referred to a time I was late. But he said that I was 6 minutes late, when I actually came in 1 minute late! He couldn't look me in the eye as he said it. The main manager stayed out of it completely for a while, and left this between him and I. We disagreed on it and the conversation moved on. I felt like saying "well this is all on camera so let's look it up". But I didn't. I guess the reason I didn't was because I knew that they would just say "oh well it takes three hours to dig out the footage" or some crap like that. But would they? Why did he have to lie? Why couldn't 1 minute late be good enough. They wanted to fire me that day, but I reminded the manager of the times that I had come in to work for others who called in sick so she agreed to give me an extra few days work.

The last time I was fired was by far the most unfair. As I arrived at the door of my boss I could see her tap her phone to start a recording. It made sense that she would record me as she knew that I could be furious at what was about to happen and it was just me and her in the room. Although I had my arguments prepared, as I sat down I made the mistake of letting speak first, and she got straight to the point, framing it in a way that made it seem as if it was all outside of her control. If I'd spoke first I good have played dumb to what I knew was going to happen. She pretended that the job specification had changed and that that was the reason for letting me go. She said that I could re-apply for the new job. Nasty way to be fired. I should've really brought another employee along to represent me.



It was only once ever that I was able to talk a manager out of firing me. And it was very interesting that I was able to do this during, what was, my first proper job, so I would have only been 20. I think why I was able to talk him out of it was because it was just me and him in the room, and that can make all the difference. Another thing in my favour, was that for some reason, it seemed important to this boss that he was fair to people. So if you get a proper chance to voice your opinion to a guy who prides himself in being fair, then you stand a good chance. However if there's someone else in the room, then the person who's supposed to be firing you will look like a bit of an idiot if they appear to be talked out of it. I remember him this guy later telling me about he hating letting guys go so much that he only done it twice over the last decade. I lasted at that job in the end, and I felt I would also have lasted the other times I got fired if only the managers were willing to work with me and find a solution.

 

I don't know I've never been fired, but I can tell how not to handle it..................

 

I was subject to some nasty bully who decided to be a vexatious litigant and make up a false report twice.

 

Have represented (many successfully) claimants who have been dismissed at Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeals Tribunals. First thing a former employee needs to do is acquire the Tribunal application forms, obtain the names and addresses of any relevant witnesses and then place the appeal in the hands of someone who knows how to deal with this disaster.

 

I never got fired... I always quit before I got fired.

 

When I worked for the bank I used to be an Accredited Union Representative and represented members for various things from one female member getting her suspender straps twanged by her male manager ( I kid you not ) to constructive dismissal which is very quite difficult to prove. One of the reasons I like working with people is that, lets say there is a lot of variety !

 

Under UK law, there is such a thing as ' Constructive dismissal' - in which an employer makes things so difficult or intolerable it forces the employee to quit.

 

Yeah... I don't live in the UK

 

Depends on the details like the exact reason and how easy I can find a new just as good job. I never had a reason to make a big deal about it. I also was never fired because of something i did or didn't do. It was more like, not enough work and stuff like that.

 

life happens, move on.

BUT, if there is legal recourse against an inappropriate or highly questionable dismissle, well, if you're able to take advantage of that, of course this needs to happen more often, and that's also one of the most important reasons to have good strong unions.

that's the logical thing, but i can't claim to have always done so. what i have done, is take a long vacation, move to a new scene, and take some college classes for a simester or two.

one other thing, when you have an income, and this is what i have done, stash as much in the back as you can, to be able to survive for a while when it does happen.

and of course it CAN happen to anyone for any number of reasons.

most places in the u.s., because money is god over here, its waaaay to easy, like that 'constructive' thing mentiond,
i mean that sort of thing happens all the time, waaay too often.

management changes and the new boss doesn't like someone's personality, that's just way to common.
and we certainly need better laws and unions to address that.

 

In UK law there are provisions for that too - "unfair selection for Redundancy" !!!

 

I've been fired a number of times. Laid off more times than I can count. Sometimes I saw my replacements coming while I was leaving. One employer dumped an entire night shift just to get rid of me (they actually told me this!) so as not to be guilty of discrimination. Imagine that one, will ya? My own co-workers shared that with me the night we were laid off, right after we clocked in.

I take a little vacation and enjoy my time off. Another job always shows up pretty soon, or later on. I never got upset about it, as my heart isn't in my job, nor is my sense of self-worth derived from it. These things happen in the construction industry where I grew up. I go to work and do what I'm told regardless of how stupid it may sound, and I work with whoever they assign to me without complaint. Always did. I made a decent enough living with a decent enough retirement. It would've been a lot easier if my former wife hadn't been hell-bent on living the lifestyle of the rich and famous, though.

As an aside, I've watched a lot of jerks and bad bosses fall over the years, and every one of these jerks brought it all on themselves. My favorite revenge was enjoying my time off and sometimes later coming back to work for the same company that dismissed me previously.

 

Usually with gratitude. Especially if it happens around spring when the weather is warm and i can collect.

 

I haven't been fired in a long time but Ive been retired for a long time. but...when I got fired, I flip them off, tell them to bite shorts and turn the water cooler over on the way out.

how quick they forget the employees are doing the bosses work.

 

depends on the situation. sometimes i get sad, sometimes i think it's better because the work was a pain in the ass and depending on how's my money i can even be happy to have some free time to enjoy while looking for a new gig.
but i never face it like an unfair thing. i always try to think that if i got fired, my employer had a good reason to do so. i try to learn my best from this reason to avoid making the same mistakes, although i end up doing one or another time and again.

 

I was "down sized" which feels a lot like being fired. A week later company called asking me to bring a coworker up to date on my project. I said I would, when I got a chance. That was 15 years ago. Maybe I'll get around to it this year.

 

I got fired from my job (wrongly in my opinion) working in a warehouse about 6 years ago.....as I was walked out the building I held it together perfectly, I was however totally consumed by anger at how I was treated and it took me a number of months for me to truly move on from the experience. In truth I should have left before I was sacked.....but hey, that's life! You live and you learn.

 

i didn't realize getting fired was such a common thing.

 

That happened to Jane, when her new bosses thought that her job could be done by computer. Although she was over retirement age, to avoid age discrimination they had to pay her redundancy. (new luxury car type money)
2 weeks later, her bosses handed the mess that they had created over to another department and they re-employed Jane through an agency. Then after 6 months put her back on the payroll as a consultant.

Guess what......She works for your good friends, the UK government.

 

generation y issues