# Did you ever wish you would get fired?



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Just wondering if you ever felt like your job had become demoralizing, stagnant, anxiety ridden or depressing or any other similar adjectives that you would welcome being let go so that you could have time to take a step back, re-evaluate where you are, what you want to do, and clear your head of negativity?


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2015)

Many times. But, over the years I've learned to accept that you
can't change anything around you, only your attitude towards it.
It's why I work with a jukebox going through my brain.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I would have to fire myself. However, I did quit one job that became too stressful. So did several of my workmates. We just couldn't stand it any longer. Between us, we were making millions for the company. They didn't even try to talk any of us out of it. Crazy. If it would have been my company, I would have been asking what they can do to keep us and we were all only making between $30-40 thousand a year.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I have been in that position (Although instead of fired I could get transferred). I found that the only thing under my control was my reaction to the stressors. My boss would not listen - especially when he was in the company of his friend who happened to be his assistant manager. It was ridiculous. I just changed the way the stressors affected me until I could get transferred out. Even with those changes, it was extremely stressful.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Our older son was saving up for a condo down-payment, but got to a point where he couldn't take lying to contractors on behalf of his employer any more, and just decided to walk away from his job. He figures the money he had saved up would carry him for 7 months while he looked for other work.

Lars Tummers in Sweden, and his colleagues have written about what he calls "policy alienation"; that floating and demotivated feeling you get when you've been asked to implement things that, in your guts, you just can't abide by. Like that woman out in BC who was assigned to chase after people on behalf of CRA, and eventually quit her job. http://larstummers.com/effects-of-work-alienation-and-policy-alienation/

I think the first paying summer job I ever had was working at a nursery/gardening center. My uncle had lined it up for me. From what I was told, I was under the impression I'd be selling potted plants to people. The first day, I get there in presentable clothes, and it turns out there is a truck just in from New Brunswick, with 20 tons of peat moss in 80lb bags to unload. I'm the guy who has been dubbed to catch the bags as they are tossed down from the truck, and toss them up onto another pile. After a few tons, I look up and ask "You can't get somebody else to do this, can you?" "Nope" "And if I refuse to do it, I'll get fired, right?" "Yup" "Okay, see you around."


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I used to wish for it - good severance package and time off collecting EI.

Then it happened.

Fine for a while until you discover that it can be hard re-entering the workforce at 45 with older IT skills at the same time as the dot.com collapse and Y2K work coming to an end............... actually it proved near-impossible.

Going from 90K to 20K is no picnic ........................... 

My advice is to keep your job.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Diablo said:


> Just wondering if you ever felt like your job had become demoralizing, stagnant, anxiety ridden or depressing or any other similar adjectives that you would welcome being let go so that you could have time to take a step back, re-evaluate where you are, what you want to do, and clear your head of negativity?


I feel like that every day, but at this point I'm too close to retirement to walk away or want to get laid off. Besides, my skill set in my field is at least 20 years behind the times. Old, feeble, and a master of lost arts.....I'm hanging on and trying to not rock the boat.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Thanks for all the great insight and input guys.

it actually made me feel a little better hearing that others experience the same thoughts /feelings.


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## albert (Apr 15, 2009)

Yeah, me too. At my age finding another job would be difficult so I am counting the days until I can retire, 1825. Tomorrow will be 1824 ...


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I have never wished that. I don't like the idea of being 'fired' at all. 

I rarely quit jobs growing up. I've bailed on two projects that I can think of as an adult - I still can't look at that goddamn Victoria Secret in Upper Canada Mall and another where I was dealing with a schizophrenic.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Ya sometimes I feel like those adjectives describe the way I feel. Work is just basically a distraction for me. I do well at work and have received some amazing feedback. I will be 50 in November and thought I might like to retire but I don't think I would last! 

I do work with a couple incompetent people which makes my job more challenging. I have tried to talk to my boss about it but it falls upon deaf ears. I always give 110% at work. It's just my work ethic and I have an compulsive inner drive to always do my best regardless of what's happening around me!

If I got fired I think that would be a big emotional set back for me! How does anybody react to getting fired?


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

Been fired many times.

Mostly because of arguing with the boss about various things, Scheduling, borderline (what I call theft) but overcharging, sometimes not charging for valid reasons. 

Once after booking a vacation, the schedule changed, all of a sudden I was working. 
I talked to the Asst Manager, was told, to be on time for my shift or I'd be fired. I said OK, pulled my truck into the shop, loaded my tool box and when she asked what I was doing... I simply said, What does it look like?. If you're going to be stupid, and schedule me to work while I'm on vacation booked, 2 months ago and on a plane coming back, well I don't need to work here. Bye.

I've also been fired for telling the boss not to take a vehicle into the shop. RE- Left hand drive imported vehicles.
Why not? No manuals, no specs, no procedures. 99 times out of 100, It's ok. but that 1 time, and your ass is grass, and who does the shop manager blame?, The guy who worked on it last. 
Told him he's being unsafe and greedy. He told me I'm fired. 

I don't sweat being fired, or walking out of a shop. I'm a licensed Tech with over 20yrs experience. 
I literally walk to the next shop, ask if they are hiring and 80% are. There is a gigantic shortage of auto techs in Canada. 
So screw them. If I see something I disagree with, I open my mouth. If I get fired, Oh well. who cares.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I've never felt like that.
If I make a commitment to work for someone--I do it.
If I ever felt like trying to get fired, I'd start looking for another job.
Hasn't happened yet.


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## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

When i was working in Montreal a few years ago my boss smoked like a chimney just about everywhere he went. It was a repair facility for airplane instruments so there had been some pressure from inspectors but he didnt really care. Smoked while the girls up front were pregnant! His office was pretty much right in the front foyer where they were all day.

Drove me up the wall, there were days I'd stand in front of the phone questioning myself, do I call the ministry of labour today or not? I decided not to and talked to him myself. Fell on deaf ears the first time, a month later I reamed him out good(it was a breaking point). Everyone in the shop heard and not fearing getting fired I didn't hold anything back. His own dad congratulated me on not only getting him to stop smoking but he decided to quit as well. I think the other workers (who were much older and more valuable to the company) were simply scared of losing their jobs. They were all immigrants from moldova and romania with 1 georgian and 1 russian so they might also have been concerned that their credentials might not be recognized elsewhere. I gave no fucks. 

Aside from that we got along really well lol.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

there are 2 times i wished to be fired. both times, i controlled my own fate, and got my wish.

the first time was when i was "promoted" to the drafting dept. not only did i have to work more hours, but i brought home less money. the amount of research was way to tedious for me. mechanical draftsmen here would shit their pants if they had to produce drawings like what was expected there. i HATED that job, so i asked to back to the shop. the drafting manager said he needed me too much, and would not let me go. i don't remember why anymore, but for some reason i could not allow myself to just quit. so i didn't ever draw even one more line. instead, i openly surfed the most bizzare porn sites i could find, and filled the printer's buffer with the nastiest nudes you can imagine. 800 lb chicks, grannies, super hairy ones, the donkey show....
it still took them a month to actually fire me. i worked somewhere else for 6 months, and then returned to the shop where i wanted to go in the first place, for more $$. 

the other time was up here. i was working for a crap outfit, but i couldn't quit cause then, no pogey while i look for another assignment, or when the hall had one. i got because of a safety infraction. i didn't tie off before i reached out over a guardrail with a paint brush to cover a spot 3" long. by the site rules, i'm supposed to be tied off if i'm within 8' of the elevator shaft. that's the rule, and i broke it. it's not actually unsafe to do what i did. there's a fence bolted across the opening that is chest high. i didn't even lean in. site rules are sometimes overkill for various reasons. by the site rules, it supposed to be 1st time warning, 2nd time write up, 3rd time gone. that was my first one, but no way was i gonna complain. i wasn't even on the list long enough to collect. i went to work for the best assignment i've had so far. win all the way around.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I don't recall ever being fired and it seems like something I would remember.

I've only quit a job to start another.

Yes, sometimes my job gets to me. Like most will say, my job has a lot of stress. I travel a lot and I deal with large sums of other people's money. What I do can affect staffing levels at several factories. In other words, if I fail, people get laid off. It's a difficult and competitive industry.

But, I've worked for this company for almost 22 years and I've generally been treated with respect and given lots of perks.

I have bad days and good days, but I try to stay calm on the bad days and not do or say something that can't be undone or unsaid.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Sometimes work and the bullshit drama gets to me. I work with the majority of women on our team and you wouldn't believe what nasty, backstabbing bitches they can be. I keep to myself. Sometimes I say, WTF am I doing here? God pls get me out of here! They bitch, they whine and complain about shit that doesn't really matter. The word "meow" comes to mind!


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

zontar said:


> I've never felt like that.
> If I make a commitment to work for someone--I do it.
> If I ever felt like trying to get fired, I'd start looking for another job.
> Hasn't happened yet.


i get that.
but what if the employer changed the rules on you and it became a very different job from what you have been doing for the previous 10 years?

i agree with starting to look for another job. unfortunately, that can be a lengthy process.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Diablo said:


> i get that.
> but what if the employer changed the rules on you and it became a very different job from what you have been doing for the previous 10 years?
> 
> i agree with starting to look for another job. unfortunately, that can be a lengthy process.


If you really want to get fired, you know you can. Whether via incompetence or outright sabotage.

Me, I love my job. There've been talks of downsizing the position I'm in, back in 2008 and again this year. That scares the heck outta me.


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

Diablo said:


> i get that.
> but what if the employer changed the rules on you and it became a very different job from what you have been doing for the previous 10 years?
> 
> i agree with starting to look for another job. unfortunately, that can be a lengthy process.


Here's the thing, though, would you rather be looking for a job while you still had a job or when you really, REALLY needed a job?

Job hunting is a lot of work but can be downright torturous when you have rent due and nothing in the bank.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

johnnyshaka said:


> Here's the thing, though, would you rather be looking for a job while you still had a job or when you really, REALLY needed a job?
> 
> Job hunting is a lot of work but can be downright torturous when you have rent due and nothing in the bank.


Good point. Comedian Franklin Ajaye used to have a bit about how frustratingly easy it was to be able to get girls you couldn't be with if you were married or had a steady. You'd be walking down the street with your partner, and women would be looking and thinking "Hmm, I wonder what_* he's *_got that _she's_ with _him_?". Both more appealing and more unavailable, all for the same reasons. 
:smiley-faces-75:

Kinda like that with jobs. If you have one and are looking elsewhere, that suggests the weakness is with your current employer, not you. If you don't have one, people kinda wonder "So how come he's not working anywhere? What's wrong with him?".

Ironically, I ended up in government _because _I was unemployed. The CEGEP I was teaching at didn't renew my contract because my Ph.D. cost them too much, compared to hiring someone with a B.A. and a couple of courses in the field of interest from 20 years earlier. I had to show my EI officer that I was looking for work. So when a friend suggested I had skills that were in demand in his directorate (which I didn't think was at all the case), and that I write the director a letter of interest, I figured "Fine, if it looks like I'm pursuing work (even though I didn't think it would amount to much) and it gets the officer off my back, I'll do it." I ended up being more valuable than I thought.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

johnnyshaka said:


> Here's the thing, though, would you rather be looking for a job while you still had a job or when you really, REALLY needed a job?
> 
> Job hunting is a lot of work but can be downright torturous when you have rent due and nothing in the bank.


Oh ive thought of that. thats why getting let go, reasonably amicably, is so much preferred to quitting.
but your point is well taken. I cringe when i hear former colleagues whove been let go say things like "im going to take it easy for a few months before i start lookign for work again". i hope they have a big nest egg to draw down from, because a few months can turn into a year or longer before something turns up.

the other side of the coin is, its really hard to look for a job while youre working....you can only sneak away to so many "dentist appointments" when youre actually going in for interviews. In my industry, it is pretty common to have to go to 4 or more interviews before they make an offer (or dont). if you end up doing that enough times, it gets pretty noticeable.
pros and cons.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Diablo said:


> Oh ive thought of that. thats why getting let go, reasonably amicably, is so much preferred to quitting.


Maybe in terms of getting unemployment insurance, but getting fired isn't a great thing to have on your employment history. 
Depending on how long you worked there it can leave a big space in your CV if you decide not to mention it.


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

Milkman said:


> Maybe in terms of getting unemployment insurance, but getting fired isn't a great thing to have on your employment history.
> Depending on how long you worked there it can leave a big space in your CV if you decide not to mention it.


I don't hide it.
I flat out tell them why I got fired or walked off. 
I even tell them to call my former employer to confirm. 
There's no reason to hide it. Good/Bad, screw it.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

djmarcelca said:


> I don't hide it.
> I flat out tell them why I got fired or walked off.
> I even tell them to call my former employer to confirm.
> There's no reason to hide it. Good/Bad, screw it.


what was your shortest job? 

Mine was about 2 hours. A Firestone Tire store. Started at 8:00am, couldn't take anymore BS, loaded up my tools & left before morning coffee break.


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

About 2 months. 

I usually like to figure out if it's them or me that's the problem.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Milkman said:


> Maybe in terms of getting unemployment insurance, but getting fired isn't a great thing to have on your employment history.
> Depending on how long you worked there it can leave a big space in your CV if you decide not to mention it.


What's a CV? I've never been asked for one. Also, in the last 4 jobs I've had I didn't have to produce a resume. I've been fired once.....you don't punch the boss.....and have left or been laid off from probably 15 jobs. Some for all the reasons in the OP and some just because I was bored and wanted to go riding for a long while. When I'm not working and decide to get another job it usually doesn't take long to find one. Mind you I don't have a career and just work. Makes things easier because your not limited to where you look.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I work in a large company where quite a few technical/engineering types getting promote to their own level of incompetence and get stuck doing what they suck at - primarily, trying to manage people and not doing technical work they are well trained and suited for.

Two different times, I've had bosses like this parachuted into my department and I've challenged or questioned them and then found myself on the outs in that department. But the company is big enough I can transfer to another department. While furious both times at the manager (and his manager, who is oblivious to the problems as the first level manager was his choice), I ended up with a better job and more money. And no loss of seniority or benefits. So both times, those guys lost one of their better employees (at least my peers hated to see me go - both times) and I got a better job. I've learned to appreciate their persuading me out of their dysfunctional departments.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

I once took a job as a laborer for a general contractor. he put me with some blockies as their only laborer. so from 6 am to 12 pm i hauled block and made mud for 4 or 5 guys. all i heard all morning was "HEY I NEED MUD...TODAY!" OR "MORE BLOCK HURRY UP!!" i figured i was working waaaayyyy harder than i wanted to for $7/hr so at lunch time i quit. the guy was pissed. he said "you won't work in this trade again!!!!" he was right. the next guy that asked me to come work for some masons, i told him to fuck right off.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I'd rather quit than get fired myself, it's crossed my mind here.

But, I'm in my home town, in a decent climate, 
in a city rather than a tiny town in the bush, still in the mining industry.
Fifty years old in this indusrty too, you're a dinosaur. 8)

The only job that I quit was a supposed five week run in FlinFlon for a drilling outfit.
After six weeks of that shit show, I pulled the plug.
Long story, but it was bad news from beginning to end.

Is there any way to transfer within your company?


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Diablo said:


> Just wondering if you ever felt like your job had become demoralizing, stagnant, anxiety ridden or depressing or any other similar adjectives that you would welcome being let go so that you could have time to take a step back, re-evaluate where you are, what you want to do, and clear your head of negativity?


Absolutely, in 2007 in fact. I believe I have told the story here before but after 14 years with a great job the whole auto biz went for a shit and as a result a ton of companies shed a ton of people and many even closed or went bankrupt. It was an ugly time. The company I worked for was not immune. Week by week more people were let go, those than remained had to pick up the added duties. Heading up the department that supplied the biggest automaker in North America, that was clearly headed for bankruptcy itself was not a pleasant surrounding I can assure you. What I had once considered a gift of a job both in terms of the work and salary had become a living hell. Within a year I was spent emotionally and on the verge of a breakdown myself. Something had to give. When it became evident that I was one of the ones that was being kept on I had to make a decision. Stay on and live in hell or get out. To make a long story short, I started a campaign to make sure I was the next one to go. It worked. That was about 7 years ago now. Financially we live on a lot less, but I would do the same thing tomorrow given the same conditions. I came to believe that your mental health is far more important, not only for yourself but those that have to live with you and be around you.

Mine was a buy out though and not being fired for job performance etc. So a little different. I have never been fired from any job, if I really hated it I quit. I always figured as long as they are paying me I was obligated to give the best I had.

*As a side note, the guy that ended up sticking around and taking on my duties as well as his own (he was a real company man and yes man) had his wife walk out on him a year later and a year after that had a heart attack and just about died. I seen him a few years back, looks a hundred years old and he is probably 10 years younger than me. Some things are not worth the money.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

cheezyridr said:


> .. i hauled block and made mud for 4 or 5 guys. all i heard all morning was "HEY I NEED MUD...TODAY!" OR "MORE BLOCK HURRY UP!!"


I did that for three summers when I was a teenager, working for my (contractor) uncle.
No sling trucks back then. I had to wheelbarrow cement down a plank into the pit for the
footing. Then a couple of trips of blocks, wheelbarrow, blocks. It was hard work, but he
payed me well. $500 cash/week. That was the mid 70's.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Milkman said:


> Maybe in terms of getting unemployment insurance, but getting fired isn't a great thing to have on your employment history.
> Depending on how long you worked there it can leave a big space in your CV if you decide not to mention it.


I should say, fired might not have been the correct terminology, but i wanted to keep things general enough to stimulate discussion. Im looking to get packaged.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

sulphur said:


> Is there any way to transfer within your company?


That would be a good option ordinarily. unfortunately, for a large company, we act more like a small company. there isnt much movement. thereve been lots of ppl on my team that have tried to move into other areas which they/we ve been certainly qualified for, but they prefer to hire from outside.
its one of the reasons why ive kind of given up here...in addition to some major downgrades in working conditions, a new boss i dont like as much as i thought i would, there really isnt anything to aim for. And noone retires here. Ive been here 11 years and never seen/heard of a retirement....in a company of over 1000 ppl. Its very strange. i chose to work in a large company because i thought thered be lots of opportunity for growth, explore different career options etc., but it just isnt here. Unlike my wifes company, which encourages ppl to move around internally, preferably every 3-5 years.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

djmarcelca said:


> I don't hide it.
> I flat out tell them why I got fired or walked off.
> I even tell them to call my former employer to confirm.
> There's no reason to hide it. Good/Bad, screw it.


I suppose it depends on the type of job you're looking for and what qualifications you have.

- - - Updated - - -



Electraglide said:


> What's a CV? I've never been asked for one. Also, in the last 4 jobs I've had I didn't have to produce a resume. I've been fired once.....you don't punch the boss.....and have left or been laid off from probably 15 jobs. Some for all the reasons in the OP and some just because I was bored and wanted to go riding for a long while. When I'm not working and decide to get another job it usually doesn't take long to find one. Mind you I don't have a career and just work. Makes things easier because your not limited to where you look.


CV = resume


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

When looking for a new job, make sure you're not this guy.









Newly hired man accidentally sends nude selfies to HR director

A Chicago man mistakenly sent a pair of naked selfies to the HR manager who had just hired him, according to
local reports.The 23-year-old man, who police are not naming, said the nudes were meant for someone else.

“There was a conditional offer of employment made to this particular applicant,” Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth
told the Chicago Tribune. “He texted the HR director and sent a nude photo of himself.”

The company realized who the sender was when the man later used the same phone for a follow-up call.

The HR manager is not pressing charges, Ruth said, but "my understanding is they’ve rescinded the offer of employment.”


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Maybe in terms of getting unemployment insurance, but getting fired isn't a great thing to have on your employment history.
> Depending on how long you worked there it can leave a big space in your CV if you decide not to mention it.


I've filled out a fair number of ROE's for fired employees. I've never entered the code for "Fired" as the reason for leaving - always "Shortage of Work". Why make it worse for the individual than you have to.


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

allthumbs56 said:


> I've filled out a fair number of ROE's for fired employees. I've never entered the code for "Fired" as the reason for leaving - always "Shortage of Work". Why make it worse for the individual than you have to.


I'm not a labour law expert by any means but aren't you leaving yourself open for potential lawsuits going this route? That's assuming that you are filling the vacated position shortly after with a new employee.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

johnnyshaka said:


> I'm not a labour law expert by any means but aren't you leaving yourself open for potential lawsuits going this route? That's assuming that you are filling the vacated position shortly after with a new employee.


Well, yes - if you we're immediately filling exactly the same position. Generally though it's a term without clear definition and is both kind to the person being "let go" (for their future endeavours as well as applying for EI) and saves the company to some degree from an unjust termination case.


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## ed2000 (Feb 16, 2007)

My Buddy had around 38 years with a large Canadian bank working his way up to various management positions....hated the job. During his last two years he had the magic number to retire with all the perks. He hung around doing the minimal effort for the last two years hoping he would get a package rather than quitting. Last spring he was told his position was redundant and was offered a wonderful package- 2 years full salary plus expected raises and medical insurance including Co. pension. Had he quit earlier, he would have lost all those perks. Ahh, the benefits of working for a large banking outfit for the majority of your working life.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I never wish to get fired. Who would? I lost my job of 11 years on Tuesday (company gone under). Today I started a new job. Same pay, same vacation (I was worried about losing my measley 4 weeks a year vacation).


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Absolutely, in 2007 in fact. I believe I have told the story here before but after 14 years with a great job the whole auto biz went for a shit and as a result a ton of companies shed a ton of people and many even closed or went bankrupt. It was an ugly time. The company I worked for was not immune. Week by week more people were let go, those than remained had to pick up the added duties. Heading up the department that supplied the biggest automaker in North America, that was clearly headed for bankruptcy itself was not a pleasant surrounding I can assure you. What I had once considered a gift of a job both in terms of the work and salary had become a living hell. Within a year I was spent emotionally and on the verge of a breakdown myself. Something had to give. When it became evident that I was one of the ones that was being kept on I had to make a decision. Stay on and live in hell or get out. To make a long story short, I started a campaign to make sure I was the next one to go. It worked. That was about 7 years ago now. Financially we live on a lot less, but I would do the same thing tomorrow given the same conditions. I came to believe that your mental health is far more important, not only for yourself but those that have to live with you and be around you.
> 
> Mine was a buy out though and not being fired for job performance etc. So a little different. I have never been fired from any job, if I really hated it I quit. I always figured as long as they are paying me I was obligated to give the best I had.
> 
> *As a side note, the guy that ended up sticking around and taking on my duties as well as his own (he was a real company man and yes man) had his wife walk out on him a year later and a year after that had a heart attack and just about died. I seen him a few years back, looks a hundred years old and he is probably 10 years younger than me. Some things are not worth the money.



That was a bad time for sure Scott. We went through three or four tough years. It seemed like every Friday we were saying goodbye to someone at work. 

My hopes and expectations changed during that period from "I hope I get that promotion" to "I hope I'm still working next week".

I know now that I was on the short list for a package (not at all what I wanted), but I was at the right point in my career to survive this one. I feel reasonably secure for the near future. I'd like to work full time for another ten years and then work as a consultant for the same company, maybe two or three days a week.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

allthumbs56 said:


> I've filled out a fair number of ROE's for fired employees. I've never entered the code for "Fired" as the reason for leaving - always "Shortage of Work". Why make it worse for the individual than you have to.


Because it may save their next company some time and hassles. If the employee truly got fired for cause, I think that should follow him to his next job applications. Maybe you've never had any obvious 'problem people' - maybe this never was pertinent in your situations. But enough of them seem pathological and can sell themselves shameless as great employees already. It'd be nice if their hard earned infamy followed them around.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

allthumbs56 said:


> Well, yes - if you we're immediately filling exactly the same position. Generally though it's a term without clear definition and is both kind to the person being "let go" (for their future endeavours as well as applying for EI) and saves the company to some degree from an unjust termination case.


Until some self serving pencil pusher at EI phones your company about a claimant and finds out they were fired and not laid off. That really screws up the claim and leaves the company open to all sorts of crap.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Just wanted to update this thread.
Things continued on in a bad way at work for awhile, I went off work for a couple weeks on stress leave, got prescribed some anti-anxiety meds, went back, more of the same. Spoke to a couple corporate lawyers I knew about the situation (they work on the employer side, so not looking for any business from me), they felt what was happening constituted constructive dismissal and possibly some human rights violations as well. I continued to work through it, then one day things came to a head with my boss, so I mentioned having sought counsel. within the hour, I was discussing exit strategies with his superior, and a few days later had negotiated a severance package.

Its tough saying good bye to a job Id had for 12 years, and the people I knew there, but my anxiety levels dropped way down almost immediately, so I think its for the better (at least for now). Im keeping my options open, but don't have to worry about finding another job for about a year. In the mean time, im looking forward to catching up on some stuff around the house, spending more time with my daughter, and supporting my wifes career by taking on more of the childcare responsibilities than I could before. And hopefully, over time I'll find a career direction that will re-ignite my passions again.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

I worked at Nortel.

There was a period of time where everyone was saying, "Just give me a package and get it over with."
Until they filed for bankruptcy protection. Then it turned into, "What the hell am I going to do now?"

I made it through it all and my division was bought. I'm still doing the same job today. 
I like what I do, but there are days when I wish I'd get packaged off. I wouldn't want to be fired. Just laid off permanently. 
Mainly, the reason is so that I'd be relieved of the B.S. and I'd be able to say, "It wasn't me."

I'm pretty confident that I could find similar work in short order. So, the severance would be a windfall of sorts.
Worse case, I could start up a company and contract back to the same company or become one of their resellers...and probably make a lot more money.

The reality though is that it's never greener on the other side of the fence - at least not if you're staying in the same industry in my case. There are places that offer a lot more money, but your daily quality of life will go right in the shitter. I'm too old to put up with that.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

dodgechargerfan said:


> I worked at Nortel.
> 
> There was a period of time where everyone was saying, "Just give me a package and get it over with."
> Until they filed for bankruptcy protection. Then it turned into, "What the hell am I going to do now?"
> ...


Great post!
I remember the bid Nortel upheaval well. The company I was working for at the time was trying to implement a new time tracking system there just before it all came crashing down. And youre right, a lot of the people they let go, went to places like PWC and ended up working back at Nortel on special projects. The things companys do to satisfy shareholders...

To your point, for me, its not actually about the money. My wife earns enough for the both of us to live on, and shes one of those crazy people who loves going to her job every day (mind you, they treat her very well there also, so its reciprocal). Im looking for a respectful and positive environment with something to strive for. My last workplace over the years eroded into a pretty negative place, where every year youd lose perks, freedoms, even income, and had no opportunity for advancement, as upper positions would always get filled externally or from the executive buddies in the US who treated our branch like a proving ground. It seemed the good people would all leave, and the rest of us "loyal" ones would get punished for staying.
Noone ever retired there. So I always sensed it was inevitable. And im getting to the point in my life where my next job (or maybe one after that) really should be my last.


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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

Nope I can usually see it comming and I like to beat them to the punch. To quote Johnny Paycheck. Take this job and shove it.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Today my job showed its true colours so I'm going to seriously look for work. It is hard to find a job that lets you tour (and unlike most band people I have car payments and a wedding coming up) but this place is no longer where I want to be.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Budda, just make sure its not just a "bad day at the office". every job has those. although when the bad days outnumber the good ones, its prob time for a change.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

No, this is a workplace injury, my concern with the duties available, and being told "suck it up". Even though the doctor's note in my pocket says otherwise.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I wish I had a job to wish I could get fired from.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Tried it many times....haven't been successful yet. Then again, THREE of my coworkers have gotten DUI's in the last 3 months and have not been fired, (site guys who need their DL's)

a) What a bunch of lowlife losers!!
b) What do I have to do....get caught banging the bosses wife?? Steal shit???


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Scotty said:


> b) What do I have to do....get caught banging the bosses wife??


It's worth a try!


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

vadsy said:


> It's worth a try!


uh....no. 
1) I don't like the sounds of 50% reduction in my retirement plan and lodging (divorce)
2) you haven't seen said bosses wife


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Well, no, I never wanted to be terminated on the employer's terms, and never have been. Leaving on my own terms I've done a few times, and once via stress leave and medical out. 

If you want to be fired, have a safety net, saved money, bills paid in advance, as little debt as possible, as few dependents as possible, a new job to step into, a second wage earner in the household (especially one with a benefit package), etc.

Never do anything illegal in order to get fired. It may prevent you from getting rehired anywhere, or at least make it way more difficult. Besides, being a dick is...being a dick.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Scotty said:


> Tried it many times....haven't been successful yet. Then again, THREE of my coworkers have gotten DUI's in the last 3 months and have not been fired, (site guys who need their DL's)
> 
> a) What a bunch of lowlife losers!!
> b) What do I have to do....get caught banging the bosses wife?? Steal shit???


Steal shit? It's called shrinkage. Banging the bosses wife? Try his 21 year old daughter. It came to words and words came to blows. Got fired. Didn't have a retirement plan....didn't think I'd live that long and I was going thru a divorce anyway.


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## Guest (Dec 11, 2015)

Budda said:


> No, this is a workplace injury, my concern with the duties available, and being told "suck it up". Even though the doctor's note in my pocket says otherwise.


Inform the labour board.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Larry I have WSIB coming in. MOL will get a call today if things get any worse.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Not fired but screwed over! I had no control over the situation. 3 gyms that I used to do personal training at really screwed me to the wall. I went home from work one night only to find all the equipment had been moved out during the night and the locks changed. I hadn't been paid for weeks and the owner told me not to worry. I finally managed to get a hold of him and he said, "sweetheart you ain't getting a dime from me cuz I filed for bankruptcy protection"! He owed me for my personal training clients plus I was the manager of the gym. Another gym wouldn't pay me for my services so I took them to small claims court. I had a written contract with them. It took me almost 6 months to get the money owed to me. The last gym that I worked at ending up being a total nightmare. I won't regale you with this story. 

I am happy where I am right now. Got a promotion, got a nice raise(but I had to fight for it) and I can walk to work in 5 minutes. No Go train, TTC or taxis. I will probably stay there for another 5 years or so, maybe longer. I am not the type to retire. I have to work for my mental stability. Being busy is good for me.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)




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## Steve6D (May 9, 2016)

I fire myself all the time.

I cover the cost of lunch for my employees, though, so I usually end up hiring myself back by around noon so I don't miss out...


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