Getting fired is almost never a laughing matter. We’re working because we need the money and the insurance, and everyone (except maybe teenagers) have bills that need to be paid.
That said, sometimes life is so absurd there’s not much to do but laugh at it – and I hope these 16 people were able to find the humor in these absolutely idiotic reasons for being let go.
Eventually, anyway.
16. The right person got fired.
I worked with a woman who had to go to hospital in the middle of the night for emergency surgery after a medical issue. Her husband called up to say she wasn’t coming in and explained that she couldn’t ring herself because she was under anesthetic/unconscious.
The team leader he got angrily told him to ‘make sure she knows to ring herself next time’.
Husband rung someone further up the chain about it and said team leader got a boot up the arse for being a tool. At least my friend didn’t get fired .
15. This is totally weird.
My first job ever was as a dish washer. I was so proud. I was 18. Of course, my parents didnt 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…
14. Someone has anger issues.
I got fired from Sonic when I told them I was no longer going to be available for last minute call ins because I’d gotten a second job. My boss was not happy, because I lived the closest.
So he stormed off and started screaming, “Guess this is Professional_March54’s last day! I hope you’re happy!”. I tried to clarify that I’d still be available for set shifts, I just wouldn’t be ON Call anymore. He screamed at me to shut up.
I hadn’t clocked in yet, and I could sense a tantrum so I asked if I should even bother clocking in. He threw a burger at me and told me to get out. So I did.
They had a Drive-Thru line wrapped around the building, and I was the only non-family employee on until 3.
13. Why not just ban him from the place?
My sister was dating this guy who was constantly accusing her of cheating. He would sometimes come into the restaurant she waited at to see if she was there.
She got fired because he kept coming in too frequently and not getting anything
12. Their loss, most likely.
When I was getting hired they told me I work Monday-Friday only. Great.
Couple months go by, work no weekends. Plan family vacation for upcoming weekend. Leaving for vacation right after work. At 4:30 they tell me I have to work the weekend. I say I can’t I have vacation. They say it’s mandatory.
Go home, decide to go on vacation anyway. Call in Saturday. Come in to work on Monday, fired. Spent the day fishing.
11. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
It was my second job after high school, i was 18 going on 19. I was a parts delivery driver for a local auto parts store. All the drivers had to report to a dispatcher she would tell us where to go and what to do, basically my supervisor. She had at least 10-12 years on me so i was basically fresh meat in the store.
After 4 months or so she started getting more ‘comfortable’ with me. She would rub my shoulders/try go give me back rubs would buy me lunch would txt me on weekends inviting for drinks.
This one weekend she was being a little too persistent in txting me so i politely told her that i was not interested. Well come Monday morning I got fired because apparently i had not being doing my job properly.
10. They just forgot about him.
My brother worked part-time in a hardware store. In winter, the low season, the store would stop scheduling the newest employees, and would start scheduling them again in spring. My brother was one of the new guys and wasn’t scheduled in the winter.
In the middle of spring, he went to check when he would start again. There was a new manager he didn’t know and she told him he wasn’t on the employee list. Without a reason. Apparently they just assumed he wouldn’t work again and terminated him without telling him.
Since we have good labor laws, my brother got a few thousands in settlement for lost income.
9. Be worse at ping pong.
I got a middle level position at the company where they boasted at how family orientated they are. They are the kind of company that has a small arcade and puttputt and ping-pong table and encouraged people to relax and play them..
After a month of being there I decided to play some co workers in ping pong since I’m pretty decent at it. The owner and his son ends up walking through the doors and sees me playing and challenges me. I play the son and absolutely demolish him.
He got extremely upset and walked away after throwing the paddle at me. Later that week I was fired for not fitting the culture.
Cool
8. Sounds like a setup.
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.
7. Poor kid(s).
I got fired from my first ever job as a CIT (counselor in training) at the summer day camp I went to every year as a kid. I was given the 6/7 year olds. One of them asked me if I had a girlfriend (in a girls are gross, why would you do that sort of way) and I said yes.
He asked me if I ever kiss her and I said yes (in a fun, horror movie voice manner). He was like, “ewwww! Gross!”. We all had a laugh. I thought it was a fun exchange.
Well, I guess the kid went home and told his mom that night and she freaked out. Demanded I be fired for teaching her child about sex and giving details of my sex life to her child. I was 13.
All I said was that I kissed a girl. The camp fired me right there. I had no idea what I said was out of line.
6. Probably worked out for the best.
I took a filing gig with a working interview. The filing lady was being promoted. The lady asked if I knew my alphabet. Yes I do, thanks.
Turns out her system was shit. “Hazel Fretta” was filed under h and “Bob Dylan” was filed under d. I dared question this and I was also not as fast as her on my first day.
You know, the lady with the dumb system she made up and had been doing for 10 years?
At first I was insulted. I’ve never been let go for doing a bad job before.
Boy was that a control freak bullet dodged.
5. Karen alert.
My pest control guy told me a story about how he lost a customer. She was asking him about his family, and he said that he has 8 kids. She replied in a disdainful tone, “You know how that happens, right?” He said, “Yeah, my wife is beautiful.”
She flipped out, fired him as her pest guy, complained to the woman who’d recommended him, and went on Facebook/Google/etc. to say he’d been talking to her about his s^x life and was extremely inappropriate.
Like, there was no way he could have won, she wanted to insult him for the size of his family and didn’t like that he had a comeback. He’s actually a really cool dude and his company does well so he can absolutely support his big family, so more power to him.
4. Micromanager, much?
I worked at this hotel doing afternoon/evening shift and two overnight shifts a week. They listed the following reasons for letting me go:
Claimed I was leaving property without clocking out because I wasn’t on camera the entire time. The date they said specifically was an evening that I spent cleaning up the meeting space because it was slow. I was also not the only front desk person on shift.
When working overnight I would sit on a chair to do the audit from midnight to 3am. Sitting on a chair at the front desk was not allowed, even at midnight/early morning.
Also when working overnight I had to fold linens so I would listen to the radio/music through a Bluetooth headset while folding and cleaning up the back. That was also not allowed even at midnight/early morning.
They honestly probably just didn’t like me but after they fired me I went and got a new job at the hotel next door and started making a lot more money and was able to do all the things I was let go for.
3. He had regrets.
kinda fired I guess. Got a job offer and they wanted me to start asap, but told them I want to give my job at least a weeks notice. turned in a 1 week notice. Later in the day went to our scheduled breaks 5 minutes late because I was busy doing something at work that I couldnt just put down.
So I came back 5 minutes late.
manager came up to me acting really mad and said I was fired for abusing breaks. I just laughed handed him my badge and started walking to my car. he tried stopping me saying HR needed to see me to fill out paper work. laughed even more and got in my car and left.
Took the week off to relax before starting my new job.
2. Something is rotten in Denmark.
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.
1. Expectations were off.
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 lol….
I would be so mad but also aghast? I hope they filed for unemployment.
What’s the silliest reason you were ever let go? Tell us about it down in the comments!