Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-03-2013, 08:57 AM
 
763 posts, read 2,597,387 times
Reputation: 785

Advertisements

Mine was a year ago last week. My boss timed it so he could be out of the office when it happened. The job fell on the shoulders of the "Office Administrator." It happened about 5 minutes after I got to my desk that morning. She asked me to come into my boss's office with her and sit down. I knew it was about to happen, I had felt something was going on for a couple of weeks. The atmosphere changed. My boss's attitude toward me changed drastically. What was once a decent, pleasant working relationship changed into a terse, hardly speaking to me working relationship.

The icing on the cake was that the OA had already gone into my boss's office prior to my arrival that morning and stashed an envelope that contained my check, my separation notice and COBRA information behind a throw pillow on the couch. So, when she told me it would be my last day there and that I was being terminated, she reached behind this pillow and pulled out the envelope. I had to stifle my laughter. It was actually funny that she was "crying" while she was doing this and I was sitting there biting my lip trying to keep from laughing! I also think it irritated her some that I WASN'T upset and crying.

I wasn't upset or crying because I read the writing on the wall weeks prior. I knew something was going to happen and I had already prepared myself for it. She said to me, "I'll get a couple of boxes so you can get your belongings together." I told her, "That's OK. I brought a tote bag with me." She looked at me with this shocked look on her face. However, I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could, so I gathered up as much as I could in a couple of minutes. SHE walked me out to my car, still crying. I still wasn't upset. She even suggested that I go online and sign up for unemployment that day.

In my haste to leave, I later discovered that I had forgotten a couple of things that I really needed, so I had to send her an email so she could box them up for me. She did, and left them at the security desk in the lobby of the building.

I never shed ONE tear.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-03-2013, 09:24 AM
 
2,538 posts, read 4,692,953 times
Reputation: 3356
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marie24 View Post
I think a distinction needs to be made between getting fired - losing your job for something you did - and getting laid off - from a company cutting back, closing, etc.
At many places there is virtually no difference. At my current company they're often handled the same way. Get called in to the office, handed paperwork, escorted out. On rare occasions they will give a 30 or 60 day notice if it a true layoff, but usually it is the perp walk at the time of notice. Also, it is rarely the actual supervisor who does the deed. Usually it is either HR or the most senior person in the office.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2013, 09:34 AM
 
16,715 posts, read 19,303,065 times
Reputation: 41481
Quote:
Originally Posted by captnemo View Post
How were you treated by your boss or personnel the day you got fired and was it a supprise. Did they say they were sorry, do it at end of day, give you a package, or was the termination process done in a cold hearted, and heartless way. Did they let you confront your boss that day and what lame excuse or story did they give you. Did they make you leave right away or let you say goodby to everybody.
He pulled me into a conference room first thing in the morning on a Friday, explained the contract was over, handed me a check for two weeks severance, got my CAC card from me, shook my hand, and said goodbye.

Why would I confront him? That's just juvenile.

Assuming your coworkers are your friends, why would you want them to see you take your walk of shame? Go home and call them later.

Don't make a scene. Don't burn any bridges.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2013, 10:55 AM
 
763 posts, read 2,597,387 times
Reputation: 785
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech View Post
He pulled me into a conference room first thing in the morning on a Friday, explained the contract was over, handed me a check for two weeks severance, got my CAC card from me, shook my hand, and said goodbye.

Why would I confront him? That's just juvenile.

Assuming your coworkers are your friends, why would you want them to see you take your walk of shame? Go home and call them later.

Don't make a scene. Don't burn any bridges.
I agree about not making a scene, as that could get you arrested. However, if you are fired, doesn't that mean the bridge is burning as you're walking out the door?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2013, 11:07 AM
 
16,715 posts, read 19,303,065 times
Reputation: 41481
Quote:
Originally Posted by KABurke View Post
I agree about not making a scene, as that could get you arrested. However, if you are fired, doesn't that mean the bridge is burning as you're walking out the door?
Not always. Companies change, management changes, you can never know at what point down the line when that company could use you again or you might need the job.

Trust me, from someone who's burned a bridge or four, when hiring time comes around and the only companies on your radar are the same companies you can't bridge a relationship with, you're the one who gets left out in the cold, not them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2013, 01:30 PM
 
763 posts, read 2,597,387 times
Reputation: 785
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech View Post
Not always. Companies change, management changes, you can never know at what point down the line when that company could use you again or you might need the job.

Trust me, from someone who's burned a bridge or four, when hiring time comes around and the only companies on your radar are the same companies you can't bridge a relationship with, you're the one who gets left out in the cold, not them.
It was their decision to fire me, not my decision to leave. I didn't burn any bridges with them (as far as I know) by slandering the company after I left. I knew they were in a bind with lack of support staff after I left and I reached out to the same OA that fired me to offer my assistance on a temporary basis until they found someone. I never received a reply back from her. They burnt the bridge, not me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2013, 01:39 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
13,520 posts, read 22,005,506 times
Reputation: 20234
Quote:
Originally Posted by captnemo View Post
How were you treated by your boss or personnel the day you got fired and was it a supprise. Did they say they were sorry, do it at end of day, give you a package, or was the termination process done in a cold hearted, and heartless way. Did they let you confront your boss that day and what lame excuse or story did they give you. Did they make you leave right away or let you say goodby to everybody.
First and only time I was fired, it was done via phone since my boss was based overseas. Only an HR rep was present to do the paperwork. I hung up on my boss before he could finish his sentence.

When I was laid off, it was just like a scene from the movie Up In The Air. Since it was part of a mass RIF, an outside firm was hired to administer alongside the managers. They asked me to clean out my office, don't tell anyone, and turn in my stuff to the HR rep office, so I went to email/call everyone I knew of the RIF, put my belongings in a box, and left to have drinks and commiserate with the other victims.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-19-2017, 03:50 PM
 
Location: MO->MI->CA->TX->MA
7,021 posts, read 14,411,188 times
Reputation: 5568
The company was failing, and I was given an "impossible" project with a very low chance of success in order to save the company which ended up not working. So I was completely expecting it.

My boss came back from his overseas meeting at HQ and called me into the office the first day he was back and told me my employment was ending. He gave me a big cardboard box like you see in the movies and told me to pack all of my stuff. Since I had a couple of pieces of company property left at home so I was told to bring all of that back for a meeting the next day where we also discussed severance.

It was all professional.. no hard feelings or anything.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-19-2017, 04:57 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
345 posts, read 250,744 times
Reputation: 347
Interesting thread. How was I treated? Let's see. I was told he was setting up a call on how I needed to improve which was a total surprise to me because only 2 weeks before I was doing a wonderful job (only 5 months into the job but his favorite did not like me, whatever). Anyway, I called in and he said today is your last day because you haven't been doing x,y,z adequately. All I said was ok see you later bye and hung up the phone. I was a regional manager who had 12 direct reports. It was the most toxic work environment I have ever worked at so I was relieved, even though it was one week before Christmas. This was December 17th, 2015.

By the way their Glassdoor reviews were wonderful. I have since found out from a former direct report who still works there that they manage to get negative reviews removed, and they send emails to employees to encourage them to leave good reviews.

Last edited by milesfive; 01-19-2017 at 05:20 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-19-2017, 06:09 PM
 
4,139 posts, read 3,867,474 times
Reputation: 10864
I was not really upset when I got fired but I was very upset with who I was replaced with. A mannequin from J.C Penney. More productive than me probably but nowhere near as good looking as me
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top