Anybody ever been fired?

[oldfart]

Yeah and have been a victim of a "reduction in force" or two. No big deal, just move on and most times you find a better gig anyway.

However, you sound like you know you screwed up and you are interested in keeping this job or you wouldn't be busting tail and worried about it. I know this is hard to believe....ahem but I was real smart arss. Every time my boss had an idea I would tell him how stupid it was & in front of others. I was young and it was a game to tweak him every chance I could.

One day I realized he was going to fire me and I deserved it. I went into his office, closed the door and apologized for being an a**. I told him I had been working against him and I didn't want to work for him, I wanted to work with him.

Long story short - after about a year he made me his district manager & I worked there for 18 years. We had a pretty decent relationship after my little revelation. So if you really care about this job - schedule a come to Jesus meeting and let them know that you are serious then follow up with the right actions. You will gain respect and probably keep the job.

If they fire you anyway, you did your best and you will have your self respect as well as a positive story when the next company wants to know what happened. It worked for me. I know after becoming manager you don't have time for disruptive employees or game players. I suspect I was only days away from the axe at the time I got smart.

Good Luck !

[Smoke_Works]

Joe, I've been in several industries over the years and have been fired, for me it was standing my ground and refusing to cow to a direction I thought was the right one. Your employer can't tell the next hiring company you were fired in most states, just your employment dates. To me, you aren't doing your job unless you've been fired once in your life. I push limits, test boundaries but having been fired before, never left without my integrity intact. Don't worry about it, go see your immediate supervisor or manager and tell them what you are doing, that you made a mistake and want to make up for it, not cover it up. As a hiring manager I always respected that more than a cover up from my employees.

I have discovered that I do not work well under alpha females who hit the proverbial glass ceiling, men and women don't think along the same patterns, most men are goal driven and women are process oriented, we give the answer they want the process to get there.

It's just life, not the end of the world.

[LUVMYSIGP225]

I have only been fired once, and it was from a New Car Dealership. I was fired for lack of productivity. Not selling enough cars. I barely count that, though. Turnover is so high at car dealerships that it is kind of expected.

I have to say that anyone that can make it at a car dealer, regardless of what department you are in, has to be sort of a scumbag snake in the grass to begin with. So, it was for the better. I had another job within a week. No biggie.

[Cannibul]

Originally Posted by Smoke_Works

Joe, I've been in several industries over the years and have been fired, for me it was standing my ground and refusing to cow to a direction I thought was the right one. Your employer can't tell the next hiring company you were fired in most states, just your employment dates. To me, you aren't doing your job unless you've been fired once in your life. I push limits, test boundaries but having been fired before, never left without my integrity intact. Don't worry about it, go see your immediate supervisor or manager and tell them what you are doing, that you made a mistake and want to make up for it, not cover it up. As a hiring manager I always respected that more than a cover up from my employees.

I have discovered that I do not work well under alpha females who hit the proverbial glass ceiling, men and women don't think along the same patterns, most men are goal driven and women are process oriented, we give the answer they want the process to get there.

It's just life, not the end of the world.

+1 on this.

I constantly butt heads with the Stupidvisors at work. I know the contract and they either don't know it or just choose to ignore it.

In my job the immediate Stupidvisors are mostly those who Can't, Wouldn't or Couldn't do our job. We even have Stupidvisors who have never done our job but try and tell us HOW to do our job.

Some people think that Unions are obsolete. But without the Union covering the workers backs there would be a LOT more "Going Postal".

[Ride the Lightning]

Originally Posted by Smoke_Works

Your employer can't tell the next hiring company you were fired in most states, just your employment dates.

That's right, but a smart prospective employer will ask them if they would hire you again and they can answer honestly. That is the only info most need to make their decision.

[Sparks007]

Originally Posted by tomfoolery

they said someone saw me out and that i was "presenting a poor image of the company

That's called against the law. You were not at work. I'm really surprised they used that as an excuse.
They must not care about getting sued.

[Brickboy240]

Yes, once...and it was a blessing in disguise.

I worked directly under a supervisor that was an alcoholic and was cheating on his wife (so I already had very little respect for the guy) but as his "affair" got hotter and heavier, he started making more and more mistakes and omissions on the job. He conveniently blamed many of these on me.

I was maybe 28 years old, newly married, no kids and sort of a greenhorn with the company only about a year. This guy was in his mid 40s, married with kids and had been pretty successful with this company for 10 years. Played golf with the president and big clients, too. A brown-noser type that would throw co-workers under the bus, if you got in the way of making him look golden to those above him. (you know the type)

When I was confronted about the mistakes by angry account reps and the president...it was me...the young new guy's word against an old favorite. I had little proof that I was not directly to blame for the mistakes. The fact that one or two very minor mistakes WERE my fault did not help matters.

Well, eventually, I got canned. At the time, I was bummed about it, because despite the boozing cheater that I worked directly under, I liked the overall company and my job. It was somewhat fun and had lots of perks.

Eventually, the boozing cheating supervisor WAS canned...but it was years later an he had gotten a divorce, a DWI and cost the company alot of money in mistakes.

I found another job fairly soon after and life went on. I am not one to raise a stink about what that scumbag put me through. The company biggies still loved the guy when I was canned, so it wold have done me little good. Learn..take your lumps...and move on...thats what I did. Thats also what I suggest to you.

Its not the end of the world, but like every other bad thing that happens in your occupational life...learn something from it...and move on.

- Brickboy240

PS: Working around people like this along with the many overpaid and incapable MBA types ARE the reasons I left the corporate world entirely 8 years ago and could not be happier because of it.

[Bree]

Been there done that... done it to people and had it done to me. It's an opportunity for a job upgrade.

Had my own business for 15 years as well. Fired myself many times towards the end of the week. Of course, I had the good humor and common sense to rehire myself on Monday. The regular companies just don't have a sense of humor or smarts about stuff like firing. So F'em.

[Gman]

Been Fired, quit, laid off and stayed at jobs for 14 plus years. I think a person must make several moves before he plants the feet. But keep all options open.

[can'tshootstrait]

Never been fired but man it feels great to quit on someone when there a piece of work if you catch my drift. On the other hand i have got to fire one person thought it might be hard to fire someone till you find that one guy that you really don't want around anymore.