This Is How Fast Your Boss Can Drop You

[Late Bloomer]

Why my last regular-paycheck job really ended.

Because it was the slow season, everyone's hours were cut, mine to under 10 hours a week. This would have been valid cause to quit and get unemployment, but I hadn't worked long enough in the new state to qualify.

Also, the company willfully created and perpetuated a physically very dangerous and harmful working environment in part of the site, which was painful, dangerous, and exhausting to all workers. According to the general manager, supervisors were supposed to rotate workers out of there every hour or two, but many managers lazily sent people back there and forgot about them for an all-day or all-night shift. When I complained, I was told that "an accommodation would require a note from my doctor."

Also, one of the supervisors (different supervisors rotated different shifts unpredictably) was a screaming abusive a**hole, looking for reasons to fire people when they didn't do what management had failed to teach them how to do.

Rumor was that she was getting hit daily by a physically abusive husband, which is why she sometimes came in to her shift with a black eye and a vague remark about having slipped, and took it out on the workers.

For example, when the lobby was full of customers, she screamed at the top of her voice at me, from the far corner, that I was late returning from my break... when I actually had ten minutes before I was due to clock in.

I think this was the very same week that three different sweet little old ladies, each on their own initiative, independently decided to tell that manager that unlike the young kids, I always got their orders right and was such a dear and a real keeper.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Real Deal Denver]

You need to talk with the agency right away. They might be able to work something out. Also, they might owe you money for which they're legally obligated to pay, and it would be up to them to sue the restaurant owner. But don't go there with them, just talk to them and find out. If they give you a "nothing we can do" song and dance, find a local labor law attorney who does free initial consultations, give them the super concise version of the facts, and find out what they have to say. You might only have the right to walk away, but there might be some further option for you to know about.

Please do follow up. Based on your commentary, I suspect you have a very small portion of any blame - if any at all. Especially the part about you being the fastest one...

That's hilarious! I'm sure you don't think it is but it made me chuckle. Don't waste anymore time on this and move on to your next venture. You'll end up with something better. f*ck 'em.

I agree with this.

But, I'm not as nice as some people are. It's the rhino strand in my DNA I think.

I'd go back in there as a paying customer at their busiest time, with three friends. More if you can get em.

Order some of their delicious water, and maybe an appetizer to share. Two appitizers and four or five waters. Suck up two tables. Have a great time - take your time there and relax. They don't need those tables for other customers.

After the third time, this buffoon is going to start thinking maybe he should have listened to his mommy about not being a jerk and crapping on people.

Really - they call you in for a half a stinkin hour? This alone deserves retribution. The firing deserves some pain, and the best kind of pain is taking profit out of their fat little hands. I know these things. Don't argue.

Occasionally it is allowed to "stoop to their level" - you'll find out why later in life. The idiots just go through life treating people like dirt. God made rhinos for a purpose. They don't take kindly to being mistreated. Learn the ways of the rhino grasshopper! You will not feel bad about doing this - you will feel empowered and justified. It will build a strong spine in you. Don't let anyone tell you to "take the high road" - you know who started that saying? The idiots that fire people and screw with their lives. Piss on em, THEN forget em.

Um, they wouldn't have take out would they? Hmmmm.

 

[Late Bloomer]

It's also no guarantee even if they like you, they really, really like you!

Here's why my second previous job really ended.

Great people. I liked working for this nonprofit that included a school.

I was a volunteer, who they hired as a temporary fill in after a key employee retired, while they did a national search for his replacement, someone with more skills than I had.

They liked me enough to decide they'd hire the new full time guy, and also keep me on part time.

They converted a spare classroom to a studio apartment for me to have free housing onsite, as I'd open and close the campus after hours for outside groups that rented space in the facility (12 step groups, etc.). I'd be free midday to do my own thing.

Partway through the remodeling project, they learned from their insurance company that with even just one person staying onsite all night, they'd need to add residential landlord insurance, which apparently was expensive.

The trustees decided to halt the construction, not offer me or anyone that new position, and pay the new full time guy overtime to greet the outside groups before he left to commute back to his own home each night.

I went back to my volunteer commitment, until I had to withdraw because of my own cancer surgery and chemo.

 

[Thoelt53]

Wayyy too much complaining in this thread.

@AlexLegault you've learned a valuable lesson. What are your takeaways?

What's your plan now?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Thoelt53]

I agree with this.

But, I'm not as nice as some people are. It's the rhino strand in my DNA I think.

I'd go back in there as a paying customer at their busiest time, with three friends. More if you can get em.

Order some of their delicious water, and maybe an appetizer to share. Two appitizers and four or five waters. Suck up two tables. Have a great time - take your time there and relax. They don't need those tables for other customers.

After the third time, this buffoon is going to start thinking maybe he should have listened to his mommy about not being a jerk and crapping on people.

Really - they call you in for a half a stinkin hour? This alone deserves retribution. The firing deserves some pain, and the best kind of pain is taking profit out of their fat little hands. I know these things. Don't argue.

Occasionally it is allowed to "stoop to their level" - you'll find out why later in life. The idiots just go through life treating people like dirt. God made rhinos for a purpose. They don't take kindly to being mistreated. Learn the ways of the rhino grasshopper! You will not feel bad about doing this - you will feel empowered and justified. It will build a strong spine in you. Don't let anyone tell you to "take the high road" - you know who started that saying? The idiots that fire people and screw with their lives. Piss on em, THEN forget em.

Um, they wouldn't have take out would they? Hmmmm.

Why bother? That's a complete waste of time. Totally childish and petty.

Life is too short. Move on and do you. They don't matter.

 

[Damien C]

It happens man. It's fine and you will be fine. A good life lesson.

Always remember that employment is a two way street. I terminated my employer last week with no notice. Handed in a letter of resignation, dumped the company property and a handover document on HR's desk, and issued a two week sick note to force them to pay out the entire notice period! F*ck em'

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Why bother? That's a complete waste of time. Totally childish and petty.

I agree. But the way you say it makes it sound like a bad thing.

I have 3 sons and one daughter in law. I guarantee you that if any of them were treated that way, I'd be in there 2-3 days a week for at least a month. And I'd be asking for a toothpick with my water.

I'm gonna suck the money right out of their till. Cheap heartless bastards. But I mean that in a good way...

Don't take the "childlike" qualities out of me. Those are some of my best parts!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Late Bloomer]

Wayyy too much complaining in this thread.

What's the maximum ceiling on appropriate complaining on a post labeled RANT, in which people rant?

 

[AlexLegault]

Wayyy too much complaining in this thread.

@AlexLegault you've learned a valuable lesson. What are your takeaways?

What's your plan now?

I'm currently looking for a new job and will most likely have to take anything I can get.

I don't really have any useful skills yet, that's why I'm looking for a part time job so I can focus on learning digital marketing skills (wordpress setup, copywriting, social media marketing, etc.) that I can serve a company with and eventually for myself.

It's times like this where I wish I had a "backup skill" or something really useful that most businesses or people need help with so I can find myself something decent in the meantime.

 

[AlexLegault]

I agree. But the way you say it makes it sound like a bad thing.

I have 3 sons and one daughter in law. I guarantee you that if any of them were treated that way, I'd be in there 2-3 days a week for at least a month. And I'd be asking for a toothpick with my water.

I'm gonna suck the money right out of their till. Cheap heartless bastards. But I mean that in a good way...

Don't take the "childlike" qualities out of me. Those are some of my best parts!

Lol I think both of you are right in your own way.

My dad always taught me not to take shit from anyone and give them what they deserve.

But on the other hand my mom always said "kill them with kindness" and "don't waste your time and energy".

What I learned from putting the 2 together is to just be assertive and not let people push you around, but don't go any further than you need to.

Make your point and move on, essentially.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Real Deal Denver]

I'm currently looking for a new job and will most likely have to take anything I can get.

And THAT'S why this idiot needs to be drilled right between the eyes.

Screwing me out of $20 is no big deal - I can take it. Most people can. They would forget about it in a day.

Now, your life is needlessly complicated.

I have, and always will, stick up for people like you, that can't "afford" the abuse.

Oh yeah - abuse. Now it takes on a slightly different tone doesn't it? That's what it is.

IF you ever do meet up with this putz, kindly tell him he is very lucky that you blocked the "not quite so understanding" people that you know from coming into his fine establishment and wasting his valuable resources - i.e. grazing at this tables during his peak hours. I'd love to teach this primate the consequences of texting his supreme authority to someone like you. I can live with that quite easily. Call me childish or immature. Call me fat and lazy. Don't call me late for dinner (HA)! The thanks I get for standing up for people is a badge of honor I will carry for my entire life. And I have gotten many thanks - and no, nobody is going to diminish that or take it away.

In your case, I'd give you $200 to tide you over. Then I'd drink $200 worth of water in this restaurant. That's a lot of water, and would take a long time. I see it as a win win though.

There's a lesson here, of course. There is always a bigger King Kong in the jungle. This idiot needs to learn that lesson. When someone gets stepped on, I'm not very understanding or forgiving. The weaker the person stepped on is, the less understanding I am.

You, however do get 150 points for class! Congrats on being the bigger man!

 

[Late Bloomer]

It's times like this where I wish I had a "backup skill" or something really useful that most businesses or people need help with so I can find myself something decent in the meantime.

Well, one reason I'm sharing my day job experience, is to show that even being able to do something really useful - in my case, to be a senior software engineer in major corporations - is still no guarantee of longevity in a lucrative career. Not only is the Fastlane more appealing, which is why I'm eager to get myself onto it... the Slowlane is often closed for construction!

 

[AlexLegault]

And THAT'S why this idiot needs to be drilled right between the eyes.

Screwing me out of $20 is no big deal - I can take it. Most people can. They would forget about it in a day.

Now, your life is needlessly complicated.

I have, and always will, stick up for people like you, that can't "afford" the abuse.

Oh yeah - abuse. Now it takes on a slightly different tone doesn't it? That's what it is.

IF you ever do meet up with this putz, kindly tell him he is very lucky that you blocked the "not quite so understanding" people that you know from coming into his fine establishment and wasting his valuable resources - i.e. grazing at this tables during his peak hours. I'd love to teach this primate the consequences of texting his supreme authority to someone like you. I can live with that quite easily. Call me childish or immature. Call me fat and lazy. Don't call me late for dinner (HA)! The thanks I get for standing up for people is a badge of honor I will carry for my entire life. And I have gotten many thanks - and no, nobody is going to diminish that or take it away.

In your case, I'd give you $200 to tide you over. Then I'd drink $200 worth of water in this restaurant. That's a lot of water, and would take a long time. I see it as a win win though.

There's a lesson here, of course. There is always a bigger King Kong in the jungle. This idiot needs to learn that lesson. When someone gets stepped on, I'm not very understanding or forgiving. The weaker the person stepped on is, the less understanding I am.

You, however do get 150 points for class! Congrats on being the bigger man!

It's ok man, just put the machete down and everything's gonna be ok..

Jk, lmao.

Thanks for caring though

If it makes you feel better, I'm filing a claim and am 90% sure I will get the money he owes me (according to the ministry of labor anyways).

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

Also, the company willfully created and perpetuated a physically very dangerous and harmful working environment in part of the site, which was painful, dangerous, and exhausting to all workers. According to the general manager, supervisors were supposed to rotate workers out of there every hour or two, but many managers lazily sent people back there and forgot about them for an all-day or all-night shift. When I complained, I was told that "an accommodation would require a note from my doctor."

Damn. Was this job the cause of your health issues?

 

[CPisHere]

Keep in mind, customers can fire you at the drop of a dime as well.

As entrepreneurs, we're not immune from getting fired.

We go from 1 boss (a job) to hundreds, hopefully millions.

YES. And customers WILL fire you for less than this.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Damn. Was this job the cause of your health issues?

No, this was after I already had the health issue. When I took the job, there was no way to know that this one part of the business was so badly set up. I only discovered that after I started to work there. The manager hollered that when I took the job I knew what I was in for, so it was misleading to bring it up later... which wasn't true at all. My goal was to work half time there and use the other half of my time to do a business launch, but I was too wiped out to be good for anything else.

Thank you for asking! I saw you had a brief mention of a health setback in your own life lately. As you have 40,000 people who care about you, have you discussed that on your forum? Or do you already have all the help you need there?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Late Bloomer]

I'm gonna suck the money right out of their till. Cheap heartless bastards. But I mean that in a good way...

That's one way to look at it... another is, if they're that incompetent, maybe they'll be able to drive themselves out of business without any of your help!

 

[Late Bloomer]

@MJ DeMarco you might get a kick out of this one, from different attitudes about what's Fast or Slow lane.

My 3rd job back had great people. Industry-changing Inc. 500 company. Behind the scenes one of the investors had previously helped finance some Las Vegas resorts. I withdrew for the medical caregiver reasons I've already discussed.

While I was gone, the company hit financial issues. A portion of it was sold and merged into a much smaller, extremely narrow niche targeted company. This was only 1% of the original Big Vision, so most of the people weren't needed any more.

Ironically, one of the managers I liked the most, had been scolded by his friends for his totally risky, dangerous, unstable career move. What was this dangerous way to live on the edge? To become a corporate Information Technology guy, this manager had left behind the predictable, steady, always-there paycheck of his sure thing: previously, he played keys in a popular Prince tribute band on nights and weekends! Sure enough, the software company was soon downsized like it was 1999!

 

[Blackadder]

YES. And customers WILL fire you for less than this.

Heck if he had said the name of the place...I'd have fired him and i'm fairly sure i've never been in the place...and would never go now.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[minivanman]

Every boss I ever had knew I was more dedicated than anyone one else and I usually did more work and faster than anyone else..... and I made sure they knew I did not worry about getting fired. They knew to never fire me AFTER a shift, call me before I go in so I can go back to sleep. I really did tell every boss that after about the first week.... I'd give them time to see my work ethic.

Now about your situation..... that's GREAT that you are now free to actually make some real money! Maybe this is the boot in your a$$ that you needed.

Like MJ said, when we have customers, we sometimes get fired by them. I've been fired thousands of times. I've also fired customers. That's just how the world works.... especially for those that have a boss and like to be told what to do and when to do it.

 

[B. Cole]

What @biophase said.

Your boss was your customer. You provided a service (your labor) in exchange for his money. I understand that you felt unfair about the situation, but the text argument was immature of both of you, the better thing to do was text him and ask if he was good for a call. He should have called you or brought you in to discuss after the both of you cooled down. Lesson learned in correspondence and tempers, customers can be worse than that.

Good luck on your next venture.

 

[Xeon]

This is why I always subscribe to the mantras below:

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[WJK]

Sure there's always office politics and friends and favors, but when it comes down to cutting someone, you have to ask if that person is indispensable or not.

I've been in enough meetings we where talk about who stays and who gets laid off and I will tell you that if there is a dickhead that nobody likes, but they can't get work done without him, they will keep him. Alot of times, it comes down to, can we function without the guy? Managers think about their own job and day to day. So if firing some guy means that he will then have to pick up his slack and stay extra hours, he will find some way to keep the guy.

I guess I should not have used the word "good", I should have said "essential" and so as an employee, you have to make yourself "essential" not just "good".

I read the whole thread -- and at last -- someone who has the employer's point of view. What are these guys going to do when the shoe is on the other foot? They say they want to build businesses -- which in time will need staffing. How are they going to handle the challenges of being the boss? Remember, there are two sides to every story...
www.wjkbusinessbuzz.com

 

[Mr.Brandtastic]

The only thing worse than not having a job, is having one.

 

[WJK]

The only thing worse than not having a job, is having one.

So, you don't believe in working? I've been self-employed for 42 years, but over those years I have worked for many people. We call them clients and customers. I am so blessed to work and have built a life.

Being broke, homeless, sick and hungry has a downside too -- but it's obvious that you've never been there. I can tell you from personal experiece gained when I was young, that those realities are lot worse than having a job.
www.wjkbusinessbuzz.com

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[buildingbetter]

I saw a few comments from you that you don't have skills and were going to have to take whatever job you could find.

I know this doesn't directly apply to you but hopefully you can take something away from it. I read an article a few years back about how women were statistically far less likely to apply for jobs with prerequisites they didn't meet than men with the same qualifications. The women felt inadequate and didn't even apply but men's confidence in themselves paid off a lot more often than people expected. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take and whatever. After that, I took more chances on job applications and made the experiences I did have fit into the boxes employers were looking for. Since then, I've gotten quite a few jobs I was definitely not qualified for. I don't have a degree and when I first started out didn't even have really basic job experience. I haven't worked for less than $15/hr or even on site in years.

You have customer service experience. That qualifies you for a lot more jobs than you seem to think. Don't discount yourself.

Sorry to hear about how the job ended though. I had a similar experience in the food industry years back. It was awful but it also gives me motivation to work on never being in the position to have to work at a place like that again.

 

[Late Bloomer]

They say they want to build businesses -- which in time will need staffing. How are they going to handle the challenges of being the boss?

In the fortune 500 world, I have been on the other side.

• Wrote job descriptions
• Sent staffing requests to HR
• Reviewed resumes received by HR
• When we got too many resumes, made the screening that HR used stricter
• Decided who to phone screen
• Conducted phone screens
• Conducted in person interviews
• Recommended to my boss who to hire (I didn't have hire/fire authority myself), every recommendation was accepted
• Divided the work between the workers based on their talents and interests as much as possible
• Got scolded by my boss, and he was absolutely right, for doing too much of the work myself rather than defining WHAT to do and letting the team figure out HOW to do it
  
• Developed standards for the work and for coordination with other departments and with outside organizations
• Conducted code reviews of work in progress from the team

So, my saying that someone getting cut from a job doesn't necessarily prove they're a bad worker, is from both sides of the desk, not just my own weird and wacky string of job endings. (Which I'm sharing to show that even some corporate job success is no guarantee of a smooth future.)

Being broke, homeless, sick and hungry has a downside too -- but it's obvious that you've never been there. I can tell you from personal experiece gained when I was young, that those realities are lot worse than having a job.

Same here... and from the same range of experiences.

 

[Jav100]

sorry to hear about the job, but i think the universe did you a favor.

for me everytime one door closed, 10 more opened - and each following job was way better

find the doors, they are out there

So I've been fired from my job today. I'm kind of pissed, not gonna lie.

I was working a dead-end job as a restaurant host here in Canada.

Long story short, my boss (manager) made me come in to work for nothing to work half an hour and they sent me home and didn't want to pay me the full 3 hours (I offered to stay for at least 3 hours so they don't waste their money).

Naturally, I complained about it to the owner via text message.

I figured, "hey, he's the big boss and he's probably objective and will understand, right?"

Wrong.

Not even close.

I texted him to tell him how I didn't appreciate having the manager tell me to come in for nothing and at the very least would like to be compensated for 3 hours since they wasted my time and money to get to work (I was supposed to spend that evening with my father for his birthday too).

He told me he wouldn't pay me since I "wasn't on the schedule" and started getting mad saying I was "causing him so much trouble".

By the end I stopped replying and he said he'd pay me the three hours.

That's when he said we obviously didn't see eye to eye on the situation and that he could see it being an issue later.


And that's when the magic words came.


"You are being terminated effective immediately, thank you."


And that's how fast an a**hole boss can drop you.


Lesson learned: When you start feeling comfortable at your job, just remember that you can get dropped at the snap of a finger and your life was always in another man's hands.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Marquin Brewer]

So I've been fired from my job today. I'm kind of pissed, not gonna lie.

I was working a dead-end job as a restaurant host here in Canada.

Long story short, my boss (manager) made me come in to work for nothing to work half an hour and they sent me home and didn't want to pay me the full 3 hours (I offered to stay for at least 3 hours so they don't waste their money).

Naturally, I complained about it to the owner via text message.

I figured, "hey, he's the big boss and he's probably objective and will understand, right?"

Wrong.

Not even close.

I texted him to tell him how I didn't appreciate having the manager tell me to come in for nothing and at the very least would like to be compensated for 3 hours since they wasted my time and money to get to work (I was supposed to spend that evening with my father for his birthday too).

He told me he wouldn't pay me since I "wasn't on the schedule" and started getting mad saying I was "causing him so much trouble".

By the end I stopped replying and he said he'd pay me the three hours.

That's when he said we obviously didn't see eye to eye on the situation and that he could see it being an issue later.


And that's when the magic words came.


"You are being terminated effective immediately, thank you."


And that's how fast an a**hole boss can drop you.


Lesson learned: When you start feeling comfortable at your job, just remember that you can get dropped at the snap of a finger and your life was always in another man's hands.

I've been there as well and its so frustrating to see people lie directly to your face about your performance. But for us that are striving to leave the rat race it comes with the territory. A job is for those who are comfortable living check to check and kissing butt!

 

[ghsebldr]

Keep in mind, customers can fire you at the drop of a dime as well.

As entrepreneurs, we're not immune from getting fired.

We go from 1 boss (a job) to hundreds, hopefully millions.

However as an entrepreneur we also have the ability to fire customers. I've done that three times in 25 years and I remember every detail and love to recall them.
Op. Sorry for your loss but you now have the opportunity to move on and move up. As mentioned above it's all about learning our path through life.