What's the strangest excuse an employer has given for firring you? (jobs, paid)

[Hwy phantom]

I was thinking about how I worked for a large retailer chain many years ago. I had a strenuous fast paced job in the deli department. I worked feverishly everyday and always got my work done on time. I even started showing up 10 minutes early to ensure I was on par by the end of the night. After about one month a manager called me into his office and said he had to let me go. His reason was, "your hearts just not into your work".

All I could think was that just seemed like a strange reason for firing someone. I mean I could see firing someone for showing up late, stealing, mouthing off to customers etc.. but that? And how does he know if my hearts not into something or not. I was about 19 at the time and had held a couple of similar jobs prior to working there and never ran into issues.

I was always under the impression that if you show up on time, do your assigned task as expected and don't cause any problems you would be safe. Sometimes I wonder if he just wanted to open up the position to give to someone else who he knew as a favor.

Anybody have any stories?

[hnsq]

Originally Posted by Hwy phantom

I was thinking about how I worked for a large retailer chain many years ago. I had a strenuous fast paced job in the deli department. I worked feverishly everyday and always got my work done on time. I even started showing up 10 minutes early to ensure I was on par by the end of the night. After about one month a manager called me into his office and said he had to let me go. His reason was, "your hearts just not into your work".

All I could think was that just seemed like a strange reason for firing someone. I mean I could see firing someone for showing up late, stealing, mouthing off to customers etc.. but that? And how does he know if my hearts not into something or not. I was about 19 at the time and had held a couple of similar jobs prior to working there and never ran into issues.

I was always under the impression that if you show up on time, do your assigned task as expected and don't cause any problems you would be safe. Sometimes I wonder if he just wanted to open up the position to give to someone else who he knew as a favor.

Anybody have any stories?

I have never been fired...but when did you show up at first? I have never worked a day where I didn't show up at least 15 minutes early...

[macroy]

Originally Posted by Hwy phantom

I was thinking about how I worked for a large retailer chain many years ago. I had a strenuous fast paced job in the deli department. I worked feverishly everyday and always got my work done on time. I even started showing up 10 minutes early to ensure I was on par by the end of the night. After about one month a manager called me into his office and said he had to let me go. His reason was, "your hearts just not into your work".

All I could think was that just seemed like a strange reason for firing someone. I mean I could see firing someone for showing up late, stealing, mouthing off to customers etc.. but that? And how does he know if my hearts not into something or not. I was about 19 at the time and had held a couple of similar jobs prior to working there and never ran into issues.

I was always under the impression that if you show up on time, do your assigned task as expected and don't cause any problems you would be safe. Sometimes I wonder if he just wanted to open up the position to give to someone else who he knew as a favor.

Anybody have any stories?

Those things are all subjective. Working feverishly to you may be slacking to your manager; and he really doesn't know if your heart is in it.. but he simply perceives that you're not doing as much as he think you ought to. And finally - expectations can always be misunderstood if not communicated effectively.

Not saying its right or wrong - but more often than not - perception is reality....and perception overlaps a lot with opinion.

I've never been outright fired. But I was NOT offered a job as because the hiring manager said something to the effect of "not sure how the others will feel reporting to someone younger than they are..."

And no - I never did anything about it. The legality of it never really dawned on me until weeks later.. but I had already started a new job.

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by Hwy phantom

I worked feverishly everyday and always got my work done on time.

Working feverishly to me means fast. Maybe you were curt and brusque with customers. Non-friendly? Impatient maybe?

I even started showing up 10 minutes early to ensure I was on par by the end of the night. After about one month a manager called me into his office and said he had to let me go. His reason was, "your hearts just not into your work".

Ten minutes early as opposed to what? When did you come in before you started coming in 10 minutes early? Ten minutes doesn't sound like much time to take off a jacket, put on the deli jacket (if required), wash hands and just generally prepare to begin work at your scheduled time.

And how does he know if my hearts not into something or not. I was about 19 at the time and had held a couple of similar jobs prior to working there and never ran into issues.

Obviously the manager saw something. You can tell a lot about a person by their disposition. Maybe you didn't handle an extremely busy counter with a smile? Or projected an attitude that you didn't want to be there? Did you make faces if you were just about to be off for the day and a long line appeared?

I was always under the impression that if you show up on time, do your assigned task as expected and don't cause any problems you would be safe. Sometimes I wonder if he just wanted to open up the position to give to someone else who he knew as a favor.

That's a possibility too. You just never know. Only you know what your attitude was like when working there and whether you got along well with others. It's hard for me to believe that this could be a surprise. Just as managers get a read on the attitude of their workers, worker too get a feel of what their manager thinks of them.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by cleasach

Working feverishly to me means fast. Maybe you were curt and brusque with customers. Non-friendly? Impatient maybe?



Ten minutes early as opposed to what? When did you come in before you started coming in 10 minutes early? Ten minutes doesn't sound like much time to take off a jacket, put on the deli jacket (if required), wash hands and just generally prepare to begin work at your scheduled time.



Obviously the manager saw something. You can tell a lot about a person by their disposition. Maybe you didn't handle an extremely busy counter with a smile? Or projected an attitude that you didn't want to be there? Did you make faces if you were just about to be off for the day and a long line appeared?



That's a possibility too. You just never know. Only you know what your attitude was like when working there and whether you got along well with others. It's hard for me to believe that this could be a surprise. Just as managers get a read on the attitude of their workers, worker too get a feel of what their manager thinks of them.

Has it ever occured to you that some managers might be jerks and that the OP really didnt do anything to warrant firing?

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Has it ever occured to you that some managers might be jerks and that the OP really didnt do anything to warrant firing?

I said at the end that it was also possible that the manager wanted to hire someone else for the job. We have no idea what the OP was like at work so placing blame on either side is ridiculous. Since the OP asked, I only tried to point out that maybe the manager saw things that he or she didn't think were very good.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I have never been fired from a job. I have always come in early to work and stay late. 10 minutes doesn't sound early to me. In my current job my shift is from 8am till 4:30pm. I get to work around 7:30 and usually stay till 5pm even though I don't clock in till 8 and I clock out at 4:30.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

I have never been fired from a job. I have always come in early to work and stay late. 10 minutes doesn't sound early to me. In my current job my shift is from 8am till 4:30pm. I get to work around 7:30 and usually stay till 5pm even though I don't clock in till 8 and I clock out at 4:30.

Does your supervisor even notice?

[Yzette]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Has it ever occured to you that some managers might be jerks and that the OP really didnt do anything to warrant firing?

No kidding. That would seem to be the point behind the OP, wouldn't it?

"Your heart is not into your work" has got to be one of the dumbest excuses I've ever heard.

Really, if ever this country needed a resurgence of unions, now would be the time.

[andywire]

Have not been fired but had some good excuses for being laid off.

"Your going to nursing school, so we're going to go ahead and lay you off. On the bright side, all that vacation time you didn't take will be paid in cash!"

And this one...

"Sometimes, when we're walking in the morning to review the work that needs to be done for the day, your pace is not as fast as mine... So we're going to be laying you off today."

My favorite

"I would like to keep you, but your too slow on the hi-lo".

Funny, because I was never hi-lo certified, and never was trained to drive a hi-lo, and frankly, that wasn't what I was hired to do. Wasn't even a part of my job unless my work was extremely heavy and required machinery. The most ironic part... This guy destroyed $20,000 in parts rushing to move stuff on the hi-lo a few weeks before my lay off . He should have just said, we would like to keep you but I'm an idiot who set the boss back 20K, so to make up for it, you don't have a job anymore

Gotta love the modern day workplace...