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Article created by: Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Normally, getting fired is not something you’d picture as your best day. With dreams, hopes and credit balance shattered, for many, it would feel like things are getting out of hand and hey, saying it that it wouldn’t be the most pleasant feeling would be an understatement.
Unless you’re one of a bunch of ex-employees who say that getting fired was “totally worth it.” So in order to find out in what exact scenarios getting expelled from your workplace is a happy ending, we are going to look at the answers people posted in response to “What's your 'got fired, but was totally worth it' story” on r/AskReddit.
The got-happily-fired stories are to remind everyone that context is everything, and if your job is a toxic rat hole in disguise, you are better off without it.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The woman I loved was dying in hospital. I asked for time off to be with her. Since I was still in my probation period they cancelled my contract.
We're engaged.
RELATED:
#2
Reported coworker for sexually harassing a minor.
Manager fired me for making the accusation against her friend.
She got fired, the district manager got fired, he got fired after he was caught in a bathroom with a minor.
#3
Was working at Little Caesars at the time, was probably my 2nd month or so. About an hour before my shift starts, my mom calls and says my grandma fell down the stairs and is at the hospital, and I need to go right away since she works farther away and I can get to her first. I call LC to tell them I can't come in, and my boss said if I don't come in, I'll be fired. I say ok and hang up. A few hours later I get a voicemail saying I've been let go from LC. Totally worth it to make it to my grandma to check on her.
#4
Was an assistant store manager at Lowe's and decided to go back to school to become a teacher and drop down to an hourly position for three months and then I was going to leave the company after that to study full time. The day before the transfer they fired me which saved them from paying me half of my saved up vacation time which was worth about $300.
As I am being led out of the store my buddy in HR says you can get unemployment and slides me a note with the phone number. I get 6 months of unemployment at $300 a week.
#5
I was working in a small accounting firm making less than minimum wage $30000 (minimum wage in Australia is $38,000). The boss was exploiting the fact that people like me were desperate to get their foot into the door of accounting as it is very competitive in Australia.
One day i was stupidly posting on a forum about my situation and looking for advice. The boss found out and fired me on the spot.
Feeling pretty spiteful about the whole thing, i reported my situation to fair work ombudsman Australia. A month later i got payment for the amount i should have been making at minimum wage for the 6 months i was there.
About a month after that i landed a much better role at large company making almost double what i was making previously.
The icing on the cake is the firm ended up getting investigated by fair work and i can only assume they received a hefty fine because they are no longer in business.
#6
I worked at a cafe chain know for soups, sandwiches, and salads throughout high school. I was good friends with exactly three people, but whenever our group got to close the store it was always a fun time. We ended up taking the headsets (for the drive thru) after that had closed and we were just messing around chatting while cleaning up. There was a particularly attractive new manager that had been hired recently and she was a bit of a hot topic between a group of high school guys.
We were unaware that the store mics and cameras ran to an app on the manager’s phone. We all got called in the next day. They didn’t fire us ... oh no it was much worse.
The manager had a good sense of humor. She made printouts of our conversation and made us repeat it verbatim to the new hot manager, who was in tears laughing at how terrible we felt.
Taught us a good lesson. Good managing right there.
#7
I got fired from a restaurant job that I hated. The unemployment I got was more than the restaurant had been paying me.
#8
I kept avoiding calls at the company I worked at because we sold cable and every single customer that walked in and every single call was someone screaming at me and telling me what a piece of sh!t I was cause they were angry about something on their bill.
I got told by an old woman she hoped my mom died in a fire over two dollars. So they call me in and tell me I'm fired for call avoidance and I just shrugged, said okay and left. Didn't feel bad. Didn't wallow in it. Felt a giant weight come off my shoulders.
#9
Worked in a govenment office where it's typical to wring hands, deny responsibility, and shift the burden onto citizens even if it's the state that made the mistake.
I had a county prosecutor calling repeatedly trying to obtain some documents. It was a drunk driver case, the guy was facing down some serious charges and they were trying to build their case and determine the extent of charges against him. Absolutely someone who needed to be put away.
Everything in policy said they were entitled to it, but the person who normally furnishes it was constantly out with all manner of excuses. I finally got sick of putting it off, stalling them, making excuses for her. I pulled the info myself and sent it. That didn't break any laws or policy, but they decided to sack me for it because I'd overstepped. But I'd do it again.
#10
The treasurer of a club I was working at accused me of stealing beer from the cooler (I don't drink). He said "we need to talk when I finish my round." He heads out and the phone rings. It was the father of kids I coached for several years. He offered me a job paying several times what I was making. Something he had done several times in the past, but I liked the job I had. I just retired at 53 from the new job he offered. No regrets, and for those interested - I never stole a penny, or a beer. The treasurer admitted later he had forgotten to count inventory. Too late. He's actually a nice guy, but I never appreciated being accused of something I didn't do.
#11
Was working in dialysis when another competing company came to town effectively eliminating the monopoly my current company had on treating kidney failure. The company I worked for had already lost their physician group and was so afraid of losing staff (and the patients that would follow them) to the new company they gave out huge retention bonuses. After receiving my bonus I was fired for a manufactured problem beyond my control. I was hired by the new company, got a $10,000 signing bonus and took a couple dozens patients with me to the new company. Got my picture in the new company's brochure they mailed out to all the dialysis patients so they knew where I ended up. Just having a new company come to town to provide competition was also amazing for the patients. They got new heated massage chairs and new TVs with more channels and better/more staff to take care of them. The old company's dialysis centers across town that did not get competing dialysis units put nearby didn't give those patients anything.
#12
Hated my corporate job, was going to wait one more week before I turned in my two weeks, so I could get paid for Xmas and New Years. Finally lost it on my boss, told her "If you spent one-third the time actually doing your job that you spent covering up for not doing your job, you could pretty much sit in your office and listen to talk radio for the rest of the day and nobody would have a problem with you."
CEO was standing on the other side of the door. He was like "I'm real sorry, but..." and off I went. I could tell he didn't disagree with me. I had another job in seven hours.
#13
Sure thing. I worked at a liquor store for 2 and a half years owned by this guy and his family. Got to learn alot about alcohol, meet lots of people in my neighborhood, formed a great bond with customers and coworkers alike. I tell my boss when i begin work i have lupus and i may end up with a flare sometime in the future. Fast forward 2 and a half years i end up with some obscure infection in my esophagus and stomach where i lose roughly 70 or so pounds, have fevers, night sweats, and awful arthritic pain. My coworkers see this and support me every step of the way, giving me register work instead of lifting boxes and things while i waited for my doc to give me my results. I got called into hospital to stay a few nights and told my boss that i needed a week to get pumped full of steroids, id be back to work better than ever. I get back and they move my schedule from 5 days to 1 day because I was "unreliable". I throw a fit because i feel pretty betrayed and it was just not at all how our discourse went/would lead to. He told me he would have to look for someone new soon. I got the message). So I helped one of my coworkers look for an accounting position at a nice place while he was getting his accounting degree and my other coworker we helped file and manage to help him do his CDL license application and test (english second language). Both coworkers find fantastic jobs compared to the store and we all call out for the week at the same time and after a freakout from management just quit. They sold the store shortly afterwards and I consulted the new owners who hooked me up with a nice lifetime discount.
#14
I worked at a radio station in the late 80s. Part time.
The way up the ladder was that you got hired part time, then as the full time people moved up and out, you were slotted in for promotion based on how long you'd worked there.
I'd worked my way up to the top of the part-time heap. The next full time slot that opened was mine by virtue of seniority.
But the next job that opened up was the mid-day show. That show had always been hosted by a female, and while I was next on the list, the job was given to a woman who'd worked for the station for a grand total of 2 weeks. She was terrible. It was unfair. And I expressed this in a letter to the program director.
I got fired for having "an attitude."
It was the best career move I ever made. I walked out of that place with my head held high, and within a year was working at a much larger station on my way to a career in major markets. Last I heard, my old boss is still there in charge of that little station.
#15
Unreasonable sales targets and in the middle of a 1:1 with my boss, who was asking me how I planned to make up for the deficit. I said, "find Jesus." She responded she'd given it a lot of thought and admitted not being able to think of anything on which I could be doing better, but used the, "find Jesus," comment to later get me fired. In such a better role now, not only was the sarcasm worth it, where I am now is!
#16
I waited tables at a restaurant/bar and this drunk chick tried to chuck a hot fajitas skillet at me with no success. I then threw her drink right back at her and the guy she was next to. I kinda felt bad because the guy seemed nice, but sometimes there are casualties in war.
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