It is estimated that in 2022, over 158 million Americans were in some form of employment and that roughly 10% of them (15.4 million) were laid off in that year.
Reddit user Strykazoid got interested in why this happens, so they made a post on the platform, asking everyone to share the dumbest reason they've been fired.
From refusing to date the boss' daughter to asking how much you're going to be making, here are the most memorable stories from that thread.
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I was 16 and accused of following a coworker home on a regular basis. I explained that it's going to keep happening because they kept scheduling us on the same shift, and she lived up the street from me, but that wasn't good enough for them.
Covid-19 forced everyone to work from home on hastily setup computers and infrastructure. Then they fired the IT staff because we were deemed ‘nonessential’. Bit them in the a*s hard enough to remove chunks.
For surfing the internet.
Punchline: part of my job was to surf the internet and find content for their social media platforms. I wish I was making that up. I am not.
BK . Manager said a customer complained that he could hear me cussin in the back. I was off the day they said it happened
I got fired from a supervisor job at an amusement park because I was “too friendly with the staff”. The staff member in question was my girlfriend, and had been my girlfriend the day we both came in and applied for jobs at the same time with the same person who fired me. We just didn’t like each other, which was fine. In hindsight I think he had a thing for my gf.
Joke was on him though - the woman who ran the cash office had used me as a temp fill-in several times counting money and manning the window that supervisors came to for change. I ran into her while I was turning in my radio and she offered me a full time job on the spot.
So I went from walking around outside in 90 degree weather with high humidity dealing with crowds of dipshits to sitting in an air conditioned office all day, and unlike the previous job I could now coordinate breaks so my gf and I could eat meals and hang out even more.
Technically not fired as I resigned but they were going to not renew my contract.
As a teacher, we had 12 days you could take off. My mother had extreme stages of cancer at the time and ended up falling unconscious for two weeks and then dying. The principal calls me as I’m in the ICU with my dying mother to tell me I was out of days. She died two days later and I took 2 extra days off unpaid. They didn’t renew my contract because I wasn’t reliable. No lies.
I filed for unemployment even though teachers usually can’t get it when non-renewed but f**k them. We were in hospital for our first born child later that year in October when DOL/unemployment called to verify my case. I told the person on the phone what happened and he didn’t say anything for a good 20 seconds and finally goes, “what…the…hell.” I said, “yuuuuuuup….” He goes, I’m gonna get this written up asap so I can turn it in for you. They call back a week later and are like, “no question you got approved. They tried contesting it but the unemployment office shut them down with a quickness. We’re so sorry to hear about your circumstances and can’t imagine someone let alone a principal/school district acting in that manner.”
I guess your principal was afraid you'd take time off in the future if your mother died again.
Performance was bad. one of the reasons given was
"Reading newspapers in the lunch room".
Which was during my scheduled break.
I wasn't fired for it, but at one job I worked, due to the timing of the last bus for the day, I would arrive an hour early to each shift. I would just get in, read a book in the break room until my time, and get started. My manager took me aside one day to tell me the evening shift said I was "creeping them out" whenever they saw me on the security camera just...sitting there, silently. The manager was less than amused when I said I was creeped out to learn they chose to watch me on the cameras, and maybe if they stopped doing that their issue with me would go away
I was 16 and refused to date the owner’s niece
I was 17. My Grandpa died unexpectedly from a heart attack. My Mother called my work’s office to let me know. I was called to the office to talk on the office phone to my mother, and staff (who were told what was going on) left the area so my mother could privately break the news to me.
I was obliterated of course, and walked outside for about 15 minutes to clear my head. I then went back to work.
The woman who was in charge of the entire operation fired me for leaving the building. Human Resources stepped in and stopped the situation before I could be notified that I had been fired.
I only found out that this had happened after my grandpas funeral days later. I quit immediately.
For complaining about harassment. Boss’ way of determining if people were harassing me was to ask each person if they were harassing me. They all said no, so I got fired.
I worked too fast. Local government job.
I was too tall.
The owner was shorter than me by a big margin - about a foot - and he didn’t like looking up at me.
I refused to endorse a paper, because it was missing key data and method. I guess the department head wanted it rubber stamping for funding, and I have my integrity.
I worked one day at a gym, i got fired because the bosses wife said she didnt like how friendly i was LOL
They didn't know I could touch-type.
In undergrad, I got a temp job doing data entry for some extra money. The temp agency didn't tell them that I could touch type. Long story short, because I can type relatively fast without looking at they keyboard I was able to plow through all of the data they had for me in a little over two days. That there was no access to the outside world and I had headphones with me meant that I was able to just get it knocked out.
Basically, they escorted me out and called the temp agency to tell them that I'd spent the last three days dicking around without even checking. The temp agency asked me to come to their office and explain myself, so I did. I asked them if they told the client that I could read the documents they wanted typed in and type on a keyboard at the same time, demonstrated what touch typing was, and asked them to ask the client for an apology because that was really shitty of them.
Nothing is more severely punished than competence. It's the one unforgivable offense.
Took a day off for my Grandpa's funeral which was out of town. Fired me when I came back the next day
Claimed I stole a 2 dollar check. That they later found behind the managers desk. Manager later got fired for sexual harassment
I (software engineer), together with 5 other engineers, was deemed unnecessary and they hired a bunch more managers instead.
Now they had 1 manager for every 2 engineers.
Soon after, they had 1 manager for every 0,5 engineers.
Then the company died. They never understood why or how.
Like any other position, the more incompetent managers you have the more managers you need.
I worked at Walmart while I was in high school and one of the managers kept scheduling me to open or for me to be there at 2. I told them, many times, that I was in high school and those shifts wouldn't work. I guess they didn't get that memo; the store manager fired me for missing work and being late.
Worked fast food years ago. Most of us were high school students. One night someone called in sick. The manager was trying to find someone to stay and cover the shift. One girl said she couldn't, she had to study for a test the next day. Manager actually said "What's more important, your job or school?". Girl looked at him for a moment, said "School' and punched out. She never did come back. Good choice on her part. That manager didn't last long.
I was working as a personal trainer for a fairly large/swanky gym… the general manager was “interested” in one of my clients ~ she and I quietly started dating & about three weeks later I was out of work based on completely peripheral and fully erroneous “complaints” from other members.
Worked out for me ~ she became my wife & we have an amazing (now 21yr old) son together.
I gave Highway directions to a customer. They fired me for talking to my friends at work.
I had an alcoholic handy man who was promoted to manager. He "fired" me several times a week for not bumming him a cigarette or not wanting to work the second dining room when we had 5 reservations or taking my approved unpaid time off. But he was a drunk who started with scotch and moved into amaretto so never remembered. I'd just come back the next day.
TL;DR - arbitrarily fired from video game job because of someone else’s mistake.
I wrote a video game script for a small developer. They “forgot*” to tell me when they started voice work—part of my job required me to help with voice acting sessions. I finally was invited to a session with a big name actor, especially known in video games. The director asked me why I hadn’t been present for the past two weeks’ worth of recording. Apparently, telling the truth, that no one had told me recording had begun, was the wrong move. The developers fired me the next day despite my work already being done, which essentially meant I’d have no part in DLC or sequel(s).
*They didn’t forget to invite me. They just wanted me out of the way while they brought in their yes man.
Not "fired" but let go with severance. CFO told me to make up historical reports because they weren't done in the past, but now required, and wanted to show how so much better metrics are now than in the past.
What they were asking for was literally not possible to do since the data was not tracked to what they were asking and wanted to tweak the past numbers into a full-on made-up breakdown. I told the controller I wasn't comfortable doing this. Next week got paid out
A month later I found out the CFO was canned.
Worked at a Footlocker way back. Manager says to me, "hey if you have some free time this weekend, another store could use some help. Let me know if you are able to help out." I turned that down as I had other plans on the weekend. Show up on Monday and he asks why I didn't show up to help out the other store over the weekend? I reminded him I said no and that I had other plans on the weekend.
"Man, you should've told me that before. They were expecting you to show up and help out. Since you didn't show, I'm going to have to write you up for that and let HQ know."
Got fired after that shift ended. Stole some shoes and clothes, walked out and never went back there again.
It's crazy reading these posts. Do people not realize that they have recourse for wrongful termination? This is where you contact corporate and explain the situation. Let them know you've retained counsel & know your rights. Most employers count on you being either unaware or too afraid to exercise your rights. I don't like generalization, but I swear, (most) people in the US have no idea that stuff like this is illegal as hell. Employers try to throw that "at will" BS at you to make you feel like they have no obligations but they do, and you should be aware. 99% of the post I'm reading, if true, violate employment rights. Edit to say: I am just assuming this is US, so apologies if it's not, but it seems like something that would happen here (I'm currently living in the US)
As a consultant, a company ended my contract early. (Not fired, but let go?)
I was hired by the "Company" to help them save money. I did indeed fact help them cut costs in areas that were not needed. Help restructure some areas and help consolidate key parts of the business. Without having to fire anyone or let anyone else go. (Some people did move to full-time status to part time.).
The "Company" did not like this. They thought they were just going to "let people go" and continue as normal. No. They ended the contract early. Jokes on them, I still get paid and billed the same if I was there for a day or for the full time alloted of 3 months. I worked 1 month and got paid for 3. So put that down your pipe and smoke it.
My manager told me to go home, I left, and the next day they fired me for leaving my shift in a bad spot because they got busy.
Manager: Do thing! OP: Ok. (Does thing) Manager: *inhaling goose meme* HOW DARE YOU-
Best friend and co-worker died in an accident after work on Friday, Monday was the funeral, I could not give 2 weeks notice for a day off, went anyway and got fired
It's so unprofessional for accidents not to give two weeks notice.
Hired as a busboy in a bar/club. I showed up, asked the owner/boss what I would be making. He cursed me up and down and had me thrown out. Total time working there: 5 minutes
putting in my 2 week notice
Gave 2 weeks notice and 2 hours later was told they didn't want me for 2 weeks. Cool for me as I had 3 weeks before my new job started. They only hurt themselves. 2 other employees quit that same night.
Note: this post originally had 49 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
My (19m) girlfriend (21f - divorced mother of three) called on her way to the hospital - her appendix almost ruptured. I was cleaning the dining room at the restaurant I worked at. Told my manager I had to leave to take care of the kids and go to the hospital. He said if I left, I was fired. "Well, I guess I don't work here anymore." Handed him the broom and my apron. I was up for 48 straight hours between the hospital and the kids. She was fine after the appendectomy. The owner of the restaurant hired me back as his assistant and eventually I made management. My girlfriend and I eventually got married and our 24th anniversary is in two weeks.
As a European, I simply cannot comprehend how little job protection Americans have.
It's the land of the free, where you are actually free from any annoying Employee rights!
Load More Replies...
I once worked for a big name defense contractor, on a project for the US Army. One day my boss told me that "the customer" (ie the Army) didn't want me on the project anymore. No explanations, no nothing..just don't come in tomorrow. Not technically fired since I worked for the contracting company, not the Army, and they found me a new position on another project within a week. Never did get an explanation, the best we could figure is that I had somehow pissed off the Army officer who oversaw the project.
My (19m) girlfriend (21f - divorced mother of three) called on her way to the hospital - her appendix almost ruptured. I was cleaning the dining room at the restaurant I worked at. Told my manager I had to leave to take care of the kids and go to the hospital. He said if I left, I was fired. "Well, I guess I don't work here anymore." Handed him the broom and my apron. I was up for 48 straight hours between the hospital and the kids. She was fine after the appendectomy. The owner of the restaurant hired me back as his assistant and eventually I made management. My girlfriend and I eventually got married and our 24th anniversary is in two weeks.
As a European, I simply cannot comprehend how little job protection Americans have.
It's the land of the free, where you are actually free from any annoying Employee rights!
Load More Replies... I once worked for a big name defense contractor, on a project for the US Army. One day my boss told me that "the customer" (ie the Army) didn't want me on the project anymore. No explanations, no nothing..just don't come in tomorrow. Not technically fired since I worked for the contracting company, not the Army, and they found me a new position on another project within a week. Never did get an explanation, the best we could figure is that I had somehow pissed off the Army officer who oversaw the project.
