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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
Worked at a tire shop and just by a fluke of pertfect timing I caught the Asst. Mgr take an upskirt picture of a customer who was bent over looking in her trunk for a lug key. I broke his nose. They fired me and it was absolutely appropriate to do so, and I don't even feel bad about it cause they fired him too.
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#2
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.
#3
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.
Bored Panda reached out to Dawn Moss, the founder of “Your Interview Coach” who has been helping both candidates and hiring managers through the recruitment and selection process since 2013.
When asked what are some of the most common reasons employers may fire their employees, Dawn said that there are three main reasons: poor performance, misconduct, and sickness absence.
“One of the most common reasons is poor performance,” the recruitment coach told us. “Typically, most jobs will have a probation period. This is a set period hiring managers get to assess the new employee’s performance. Hiring managers will have certain expectations depending on the job.” Dawn said that if an employee doesn’t meet those expectations, then it’s time to have a serious conversation.
#4
I got fired once in college for giving a burnt fried shrimp dinner to a homeless dude. I was a floor manager. The burnt food just sat in the window for like three hours. He came in, said he was hungry and would take anything. I bagged up the dinner and gave him a togo cup with water. I was fired for "feeding those f*cking stray dogs."
#5
I worked in a bar with an awful boss. He would always flirt with the young female bar staff making us all uncomfortable, even though he was 50 y/o. We all knew his wife and two young children but about 6 months into me working there he began to ‘date’ a 22 year old customer. By date, I mean he used to go downstairs to his office and sleep with her ...while he was on shift. No one was allowed to talk about it but we all knew. Quite quickly he knocked her up and ended up breaking up with his wife, but he still flirted with his staff relentlessly even when his new baby was born. He once told a male employee that he liked asking female bar staff to pick up things from low shelfs so we would bend over and he could check out our ass. EW.
So anyway, he always used to break health and safety rules if he could get out of doing a task he didn’t want to. He was prolific for asking bar staff to clean human waste (vomit/poop customers had done on the floor) even though legally anyone cleaning that stuff needed to have passed a certain health and safety qualification. I spoke to my assistant manager about this and she confirmed that only management can do it, and I should refuse next time.
One day he demanded I cleaned up vomit in the male toilets, and I refused, repeating what the assistant manager told me. My boss went absolutely mad (he wasn’t used to people standing up to him) he told me to come downstairs to his office to speak about it. At that moment I knew I wanted to quit, so I told him I won’t be going downstairs with him. He asked me why, and I replied: “The last girl who went down their with you ended up getting pregnant so that’s gonna be a nope from me”
Lost my job but worth it
#6
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.
Another reason the employee may be expelled from their job is misconduct. “There are several behaviors that would be unacceptable in the workplace. It could be anything from swearing, bullying, harassment, discrimination, stealing, industrial espionage, disputes about Intellectual Property (IP), and the list goes on…”
And when it comes to sickness absence, most companies will have an absence management policy in place. “If too much time is taken off due to ill-health this may result in dismissal, or medical retirement,” Dawn said.
#7
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.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
In the Netherlands you get all the money that your employer owes you, when you're fired. No way they can get out of paying you all your extra hours and vacation money that you saved up.
#8
Went into a business meeting for the ice cream shop I managed Bold Stone I was told that the girl that was 7 months pregnant need to be written up as much as possible so they could have a legal reason to fire her. Told them it wasn’t going to happen and they suggested that I put in my two weeks and find other work. So I did, then I was told that I was going to be gone in two weeks and might as well just fire her. Was no way in hell I would do that.I walked into that meeting with a 50 hour a week decent paying job and left with nothing but my integrity. I then preceded to drive to my store and pull the girl aside and let her know what was going on. Last I checked I believe she manages the store now.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Would be illegal in the Netherlands and if they fired the woman during her pregnancy, the judge would order the employer to hire the woman again or pay her a hefty compensation. Judges over here don't buy that women who never had any warning, suddenly become incompetent when they are pregnant.
#9
Worked at a "big" supermarket chain. Did cashier job, placed out products and some behind the scenes management. One day i get called to the back. It was the regional manager, said my deficit after my shifts as cashier is getting out of control, about 10-50 bucks every shift. Threatened me with cops saying that they surveillance videos showing me stealing the money. I said sure, get the cops here, i'll just wait. After 30 minutes cops arrived. When we started watching the footage there was nothing showing that i stole the money, cops said there is no evidence against me, and took off. I still got fired on the spot and they even banned me from entering their stores all over the country.
Few weeks later i get a call from the girl that was working there with me, covering me for smoke breaks when i was cashier. Teared up, choking from crying. It was her stealing the money all the time while i used my breaks. Got charges pressed against her, did 120 hours community service and paid a huge fine.
Few days after that i get a call from regional manager apologizing for the inconvenience and asking me if i want to return. Told him to f**k off and hung up.
We also asked if you should hide the fact that you were fired from your previous job. “This is going to be a tricky situation,” Dawn said and added. “No one wants to admit to being fired. However, I’ve always said, honesty is the best policy.”
“If you don’t admit you’ve been fired and the new employer finds out later, then you may be dismissed anyway. It’s not worth the risk,” she said. Dawn also suggested thinking carefully about how you are going to handle this question; “Why did you leave your previous job? If you got fired, admit it, and take responsibility, and talk about the lessons you’ve learned.”
#10
Had this English works supervisor in Ireland once who was really nasty to Polish migrants. I had been asked to help out on the project and this as**ole who had been used to pushing around Polish immigrants got a shock when I hauled him up in front of everyone for workplace infringements. He tried to accuse me of being racist against English people but all the Polish got behind me and compiled a catalogue of outstanding grievances which got his a*s kicked off the project. Last I heard he'd gone back to England.
#11
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.
#12
I worked at a place in Grand Bend Ontario. I was the chef.
The year before I was hired; they'd left the place a mess and violated health code to the point where they had been cited, I was working up hill against that and a crazy owner who would rather act like she was 21 than run her f**king business.
On a July evening, someone stuck a hot, dirty, sautee pan into my stack of cool clean pans. I wrapped my hand around it and...man. That was an intense level of pain. Literally had to peel the pan from my hand.
Crazy owner wouldn't let me call an ambulance because it would be bad for business. Insisted I run service from the other side of the line.
I took a few days medical leave after that, all the while fielding harassing phone calls saying how I was letting them down.
This place was awful and I'd had no staff for weeks because, again, ownership ran them off. I handed in my notice and was promptly escorted off the property.
It was gratifying to watch their reviews sink after that. Food going out cold. Moldy mushroom burgers. Etc.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Never stick around crazy employers for long. On the first sign of crazy, you start looking for another job. There wil be a moment in the very near future where either the employer fires you on the spot, or the craziness gets so out of hand that you quit on the spot.
Moreover, it’s probably best to “not go into lots of details and try not to waffle on and on. Keep it short, concise, and factual.” Dawn also reminded that bad-mouthing the previous employer or your previous manager is also a bad idea since “that’s only going to reflect badly on you.”
#13
My ex-manager here at the cinema. I cant fully tell his story because i wasnt directly involved but did have to stand at trial for claims etc as a witness.
He got fired over "budgetary reasons", in other words "We dont like your face because you wont bend over when we tell you to, wage-slave" just after he got cancer and had to take days off for treatment. Happened right around Christmas, so Jan 1rst we come in and he's officially off the roster etc. Thing is, he never really took vacations, or days off even as well as never claiming the extra hours he'd work here (fixing cameras, projectors, computers and databases etc. Everything here is semi-autonomous) so over the past 30 or so years, he tallied up a fair bag of extra unpaid hours. Thing in Switzerland is, you can only claim the past 5 years as far as policy goes, so he did just that. It damn near bankrupt the company (they owe him around 60k atm), and they still havent paid up fully because of it.
I see him now and then, he looks way better, less stressed out and happier. Works with helping old people now in his free time and coaching kids play volleyball.
#14
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.
#15
I got fired from a restaurant job that I hated. The unemployment I got was more than the restaurant had been paying me.
#16
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.
Eva the Egg 3 years ago
Hoping your mother would die in a fire oVER TWO DOLLARS? People are crazy
#17
Several years ago I worked for a veterinarian. He was such an *sshole. Verbally abusive to all us tech and office staff on almost a daily basis. I cant remember why, but he called me a dumb b*tch. After the day, on my way home I always dropped his mail off at the post office. That day I tore up his house payment check and didn't send it. F*ck that guy. That was the last day I showed up at work.
#18
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.
#19
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.
Shelli Aderman 3 years ago
Retired at 53?! Way to go! I’ll be working until I’m in the grave, I’m sure… 😳
#20
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.
#21
I was working a full time job and three part time jobs. I worked everyday and on the weekends I would work nights. I rarely slept and this went on for 6 months. One of the jobs was for the well known lotion and scents store. The pay and hours really didn’t make a difference but I enjoyed working there. My manager was going out of town and was leaving a new supervisor in charge I hadn’t gotten to know all to well and he did not like me for some reason. Well, the stars aligned and I got a weekend off except for a morning shift with them. My manager before she left offered me the day off but me knowing it would leave her short handed I declined. She told me that if I overslept or was late it was ok due to how much I’ve been working. So I go home that night and crash out hard. The feeling of my bed was the greatest thing. I set my alarms and out I went. I woke up over 30 hrs later not realizing I had slept through my shift until I saw the voicemail on my phone. The new supervisor had “fired” me and put me down as a no call no show which was rightfully so. I called the store and he refused to talk to me. So I called the manager and told her what happened. She said it was fine and would take care of it and to come for my next scheduled shift. Well long story short this little a*s of a supervisor submitted my termination files to corporate and classified me as a no rehire. My manager was pissed and fired him shortly afterwards. The sleep was the best I had had in years and still on my top 10 sleeps. Totally worth getting labeled as a no rehire.
Scarface's Mom 3 years ago
You really need to focus on more self care, less part time jobs in my opinion. You sound like an asset to companies but what about being there for yourself?
#22
I was let go because I refused to put pressure on the kids on my team and would let them go as soon as their shift ended.
Thing is, the middle manager liked when the guys left 30 minutes after their exit hour so his boss would think they were working hard. After 5pm, we were there sitting idly because all of our customers had already left.
So, I was let go because I refused to suck up to the higher ups. Got let go one day before my birthday, but got paid for 2 whole months, which was when my contract ended. F*ck them.
#23
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.
#24
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.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
Hope you got well, found a terrific job, are really happy, and hardly ever even think about your old boss—-the best revenge of all is their total failure to stay in your head and f**k up the rest of your life.
#25
My mom worked at a sh**ty retail place, I was 16 so she got me a job there. One of the co-workers basically bullied my mom daily, she'd cry and eventually quit. Week or so later, girl who bullied my mom's fiance gets hired and I proceeded to talk about how nasty of a woman and how ugly she is-- pretending I wasn't aware they were engaged.
Got fired that day. Not even mad, that place was a soul sucker.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
There are better ways to take revenge. Like reporting them to management for stealing and having sexual relations during work.
#26
I was assistant manager at a popular no longer in business electronics store (lets call it Shortwave Shanty) and never got along with my regional manager. Basically half of every team meeting was all the other managers kissing his *ss and talking about how awesome a sales guy he was, something I never participated in.
But because I was an excellent assistant manager who basically trained up half the actual managers in the district he never had an excuse to can me. We were opening up a new store and he picked me as full manager of it.
It wasn't open yet, so he pulled me out of my current store and told me I would get a call when the new store was ready.
Meanwhile I got to wait around at home unpaid until then. After weeks of hearing nothing, and not having my calls returned I figured out what was up and found another job. Months after that I get a call from him, the new store is ready, I start on Monday. I just laugh and tell him to f*ck off. He angrily replies that if I don't show up I'M FIRED! I just laugh more.
#27
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.
Vivian Orr 3 years ago
Good thing smart people don’t think like you Joe Blow. We’d have no radio shows or hosts.
#28
I was livid and already contemplating walking out and while I went to go take a water break I looked at my phone for the time. I'm never the person to sit on my phone at work every chance I get. I like to try and be a good employee. Well the Manager saw and straight up told me to get out and leave and to call her before my next shift. I wasn't even sh*tty, I got to leave and get drunk with friends instead of working until close.
I texted her next morning, said that there won't be a next shift for me and I'll be there next Friday to pick up my last paycheck.
I ended getting a nice job with great management and coworkers, they pay me $14.75/hr in Indiana as a college student and they always worked around my schedule. Getting fired was the best thing for me. I'm still there as a senior and I never looked back.
#29
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!
#30
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.
What do you think ?
Uncommon Boston 3 years ago (edited)
Awful job. Making the company a lot of money. I wasn't paid as well as other programmers, but the company billed the customer as if I was. The customers loved my work. The company moved into a bigger building, I was given the absolute smallest cubical in the building. The new assistant project manager wanted my office furniture. I traded furniture for 3 years to get a matched set. A temp programmer told me, "I don't like people and I don't like you, but what the other programmers are doing isn't right. I am disgusted by their plans. Quit soon." Slowly I took all my private belongs home, except one plant. At the perfect moment, I picked my plant and quit. They were unable to the do most of the work on the contract, lost the opportunity to bill for my hours and were forced to hired a more expensive programmer. The project managers job was to maximize profits, opps. The contract was not renewed. I was the only woman programmer and office furniture was too nice. In 1993 it was a problem.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
My sis died. Hubby took so much time off to be with me (and we weren't yet married, just dating) that he lost his job, but said he said he'd get another job, didn't want to not be there with me. Got a good one, thank goodness.
Colin L 3 years ago
In the early 2000s I was working in a bank as a secondary marketing manager (basically selling our loan contracts to other agencies so we didn't have to service them). Then word comes down: our bank is being bought out! People started abandoning ship almost immediately. My boss hands off another job assignment essentially tripling my workload without paying me any more. Then the new HR department asked us to sign their ethics statement. It literally stated "I promise to uphold the highest standard" and I asked them to define their terms. They said, "you know what we mean." I asked "so... does this mean if I eat meat on Friday I'll get fired?" Without answering they told me to sign it or else. I signed, and they fired me after saying that the process wasn't open to comment. Holy crap that place was toxic!
Uncommon Boston 3 years ago (edited)
Awful job. Making the company a lot of money. I wasn't paid as well as other programmers, but the company billed the customer as if I was. The customers loved my work. The company moved into a bigger building, I was given the absolute smallest cubical in the building. The new assistant project manager wanted my office furniture. I traded furniture for 3 years to get a matched set. A temp programmer told me, "I don't like people and I don't like you, but what the other programmers are doing isn't right. I am disgusted by their plans. Quit soon." Slowly I took all my private belongs home, except one plant. At the perfect moment, I picked my plant and quit. They were unable to the do most of the work on the contract, lost the opportunity to bill for my hours and were forced to hired a more expensive programmer. The project managers job was to maximize profits, opps. The contract was not renewed. I was the only woman programmer and office furniture was too nice. In 1993 it was a problem.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
My sis died. Hubby took so much time off to be with me (and we weren't yet married, just dating) that he lost his job, but said he said he'd get another job, didn't want to not be there with me. Got a good one, thank goodness.
Colin L 3 years ago
In the early 2000s I was working in a bank as a secondary marketing manager (basically selling our loan contracts to other agencies so we didn't have to service them). Then word comes down: our bank is being bought out! People started abandoning ship almost immediately. My boss hands off another job assignment essentially tripling my workload without paying me any more. Then the new HR department asked us to sign their ethics statement. It literally stated "I promise to uphold the highest standard" and I asked them to define their terms. They said, "you know what we mean." I asked "so... does this mean if I eat meat on Friday I'll get fired?" Without answering they told me to sign it or else. I signed, and they fired me after saying that the process wasn't open to comment. Holy crap that place was toxic!
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