Have you ever been fired ? It’s okay, no judgment, it happens to practically everyone.
Most of us have a boring story about an HR manager calling us into their office and talking about downsizing or whatever.
RELATED STORIES
But some of us have the kind of ridiculous firing story that absolutely needs to be told.
The r/AskReddit thread, “People who got fired for the stupidest reason, what happened?” is an absolute goldmine.
Failing the ketchup test.
“I worked at a bar that was notorious for firing people. It well known that no one lasted for more than a month, and it was a big deal if you made it longer than that. I made it to month three when I was fired for not putting ketchup on a customer’s table. They were eating shepherds pie and salad respectively and didn’t even ask for ketchup.”
Jobs over family emergencies.
“My brother had emergency gall bladder removal. I called in to tell my employer I’d need to take a couple days off to help him since our parents were out of town for something. They started cussing me out and asked what was more important my job or family. Then the same guy tried calling the next day like nothing happened asking why I didn’t show up for my shift.”
Serial firers.
“I once worked for a small private school. A new supervisor was hired, and she called an after-hours meeting the Wednesday night right before Thanksgiving. One teacher didn’t attend and she was fired. When the new supervisor was finally let go, I heard from the owner that they had 4 lawsuits from employees being wrongfully fired.”
– u/fannyj
Show more commitment to a minimum wage job.
“I took a job with a movie theater in high school, only accepted the job because they promised me a set schedule. Me and another coworker worked it out where one of us was always on shift. About a month after I started, they handed me a new schedule starting at 2pm. I was in class until 3. Told them no. Got fired for my lack of commitment to the theater.”
Not being there (during scheduled time off).
“Accepted job and notified them I would need X date off for my sister’s wedding (2 months after the start date). Came back from my sister’s wedding and [expletive] hit the fan while I was gone. Not my responsibility, but my name was on some of the changes in the document. Canned that day for ‘not being there when they needed me.'”
Blamed for someone else’s misdeeds.
“Someone was stealing from the register. I got blamed. Turned out to be the owner’s brother (who blamed it on me). I was let go just before Thanksgiving. I never got my job back, but the owner did apologize months later.”
Commitment issues.
“Guy preparing to retire, who had been training me to take over his job for the past 7 months, felt I was ready to take over completely.
“Boss was afraid to lose 30+ years of experience and fired me to keep the old guy for a little longer.”
Breaking your hand and wanting to see a doctor about it.
“I broke my hand and got fired for asking to take a day off to go to the doctor, I never called in there once in the five years I worked there.”
The phantom argument.
“Supposedly, I ‘argued with the owner’s wife about working weekends.’
“I specifically told them I can work weekends, but cannot work anytime with less than a day’s notice.
“I’m not at your beck and call for $8 an hour, [expletive] me right?”
Playing solitaire on your break.
“I was fired for playing solitaire on my 15 min break when I was working as a receptionist. The doctor who owned the clinic was dumb enough to put that as the reason in my termination letter. I collected unemployment after he tried to appeal it. They explained in great detail how stupid of a reason this was for termination.”
Can’t take two carts. One cart only.
“Got fired from a public library for taking TWO carts to collect books from the outside Dropbox instead of ONE. The past few times I emptied the dropbox on a Monday it required two trips, so I brought two carts instead.”
The magnets messed it up.
“The schedule was hanging off the wall and it was magnetized. Everyone’s names were little magnets.
“Someone knocked it off the wall and ‘thought they put the magnets back in the right places.’
“Naturally I didn’t show up for my shift.”
Providing water to a thirsty person.
“My wife got fired once for giving a high level donor (she worked for an art gallery) a bottle of water at a big dinner and art auction. Her boss had insisted that there be no water at the event, but when the donor asked for water, my wife went and found some damn water. Boss found out and fired her the next day for insubordination.”
Using a box cutter at a job that requires box cutters.
“I brought my own boxcutter to work at a temp job I had worked for 2 days already because they refused to replace the blades in their box cutters, and got fired because it looked like a knife.”
Getting mom to call in sick (when you have no voice).
“I had pneumonia and I couldn’t even talk (lost voice) so I asked my mom to call my boss to tell her I was severely sick and couldn’t come to work. She called me the next day saying I shouldn’t rely on my ‘mommy’ to call in for me when I’m sick and that I was fired for blowing a shift… I was a hostess at a restaurant and was in grade 10.”
Thanks a lot, mom.
“My first job ever was as a dish washer. I was so proud. I was 18. Of course, my parents didn’t believe me so my mom called them and asked them if it was true.
“They fired me that night because they felt I was unreliable. I have yet to let my folks live that one down…”
The dumbest form of theft.
“I got fired from Burger King because a coworker let me use his vape on my break. When I was off break, I tried giving it back but kept getting ignored. I figured I’d give it back after we close but he left early. I went back the next day (my day off) to return it and got fired for stealing.”
Can’t save lives on company time.
“I worked in a customer service call center for an insurance company. A customer called in and had a medical emergency (probably a heart attack, but I’m not sure) while I was on the phone with her. I used the phone in the empty cubicle next to me to call 911 and stayed on both lines to be sure that EMS got to her. I was fired because A) I took too long on calls already and this was exceptionally long, B) I made an unauthorized outgoing call, and C) I gave the customer’s personal information (name and address) out to the 911 operator.”
Failing to wear the non-existent tie.
“Didn’t wear a tie that I was never given.
“I was supposed to have a black tie as part of my security uniform. They never gave me a tie and told me not to worry about it. I worked nights anyway.
“Then some exec did a walk through and saw I wasn’t wearing a tie and told them to get rid of me.”
Can’t be having friendly employees.
“I got fired from a McDonald’s for asking too many customers how their day was going.
“Not because it slowed anything down, mind you, I only did when it was slow, they put in complaints to corporate that I was being ‘invasive’. The first time I thought my manager was making a joke.”
