I “m going to answer this from the perspective of “fired for cause” and not “laid off” or “made redundant.”
(These all trigger completely different emotions, but the question specifically mentions “Fired.”)
I have been fired from three jobs in my life.
The first time it happened, I was actually confused.
I had made a mistake at work – the only one I “d ever done actually – I had been employee of the month 3 months in a row – but it cost the owner $150 in business. He was so angry (rightly so), that he fired me on the spot.
I didn “t know what to do. I went from being embarrassed that I “d made a mistake to completely confused as to what to do. I ended up removing my apron (it was an ice cream store), looking around at my fellow employees, and just slinking out of the store. I didn “t even go into the back and grab my keys and purse, and had to wait for my friend to get off shift to bring my stuff for me.
I never even went to get my final paycheck, nor did I ever go back to the store.
The second time it happened, I was a bit more prepared. I had learned that if I made a mistake, I should immediately come forward about it, but also have a solution. People make mistakes, right?
So, in this company, I was doing great. In fact, I was doing so well that I was consistently in the top of my division – and my calls were frequently being used as examples for training calls.
And then one day I “m brought in for what I thought was yet another “spiff” meeting – where they were going to give me another bonus for my great performance.
Nope.
I was apparently making my unit look bad by comparison, and the tactics I was using were non-standard, so it had come down from “above” that I had to go. I was out, that day.
Ouch. Big ouch.
The third time didn “t happen for around 10 years. In this case, I was doing a great job, serving my clients well and generally doing a great job – however, in doing so, I had to regularly, well, “overlook” one of the terms of my employment agreement.
I knew my days were numbered from the beginning on that one, and was prepared, but it still felt like my world was ending when time finally caught up with me.
What did I learn?
Well, I “ve ensured that I don “t include onerous clauses in my employment agreements for my own employees, that I will never fire anyone on the spot – you always get feedback and the opportunity to work on your mistakes – and I truly value out-of-box thinking.
And, that being fired, even if you “re prepared for it, reaaaaaaaaaally sucks.
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/Whats-it-like-to-get-fired-from-a-job
Originally Posted On: 2016-06-13