You’re Fired.
“I got fired today!” Ever say those words? Lots of people have – more than once. While they are never easy to say, they are usually always a blessing. Today we’ll look at some reasons why people get fired.
1) Stealing from the company. Whether it’s a pen collection, a chair, files, software, ideas, or the owner’s wife, taking something that doesn’t belong to you is never a good idea. Lots of companies these days have high-tech cameras that are hidden with the purpose to “watch” employees more than customers. If you stole something – and they have the video to prove it or they absolutely know, with a doubt, that it was you who took it – admit it, apologize for it, and make restitution for it. When I was in college I worked part-time at this swank seafood restaurant. One of the chefs there, Freddie, got busted for stealing money out of the cash register. For several weeks the owner felt that Freddie was stealing from him, but didn’t know how to prove it. Since it was always $5 bills that were missing, one day the owner gave Freddie a $20 bill and said, “Hey, do you have change for a $20?” Freddie did. When he handed the owner some $5 bills in that change, he didn’t realize he was handing over $5 bills that HAD BEEN MARKED by the owner. The owner called the police, had Freddie arrested, and was, of course, fired. Moral of the story? Don’t ever give your boss change for a $20! Seriously, don’t steal.
2) You complain all day long about how much you hate your job. You complain not only to your co-workers, but also to customers. Eventually word will get back to your boss and you’ll be fired. And rightly so. Who wants someone to work for them if they don’t really want to be there? There’s around the corner from my office. The guy behind the counter is relatively new; I think he got hired this summer. He complains all the time. To me, to the customer in front of me, to the guy waiting to be waited on. He drones on and on like a broken record about how much he “hates it here!” and how “any place would be better than here!” Finally one day I said to him, “Geez, life is too short to complain!” Of course he got offended. He said, “I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the guy in front of you!” I said, “Yeah, I know, but you complained to me about the same thing last time I was here!” He said, “Oh did I? Well, I wasn’t talking to you now!” Needless to say, I left my things to be purchased at the counter and walked out. The customer in line behind me walked out as well. Now, the owner of that deli and I have been good acquaintances for a long time. We know each other by name and always ask about each other’s families, what’s new, and so on. He is a very nice, very polite owner. Nonetheless, I will not be back to that deli. I know I am not the first or only one who was tired of hearing this new guy complain about his life, his job, the deli. I am certain one day soon he will be fired. (I am also sure that that one day would be sooner than later if I spoke to the owner about him, but I won’t – I like to just leave that kind of stuff alone to work out for itself; it always does.)
3) Perhaps as bad as complaining about your job, is telling your colleagues you are getting a resume done and are starting to go on interviews. YIKES! You should NEVER tell anyone where you work that you are a) unhappy about your job, and b) you are interviewing with other companies. The minute your current employer finds out you are exploring opportunities elsewhere – you will be out of a job immediately. One of my clients was a Service Director in a car dealership’s service department. He came in to get his resume created by me, and by the time he came back the following week to pick up his proof #1, he had gotten fired. He was so excited to get a professional and creative resume written and was so unhappy at his job, that he spent the week talking about leaving the place soon. Well, sure enough – he was fired.
Ever get fired? Share with us why!
