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As the title may suggest, I was fired from my job about 4-5 hours ago.
It was a good one. Paid full benefits, 401k, lines of credit, financial assistance (loans for houses/cars/etc) and made a solid salary.
Everything was fine until 1 hour before my shift was over. They called me in the office and gave me the "you're being let go" speech. The man who did it could not possibly have been more emotionless even if he were a vulcan. There were 2 big guys in there with the supervisor to escort me back to my desk to clear out my stuff and make sure I caused no trouble on the way out.
Upon leaving, my co-workers who I liked came up and said the obligatory "sorry man" and "hope things get better". Then, some of them asked why I didn't put up a huge fuss and go out fighting.
I told them I didn't want to go to jail or anything and they responded by saying that I could've saved my job because it would've shown them I'm willing to fight and that's the kind of employee they want. This confused me greatly. Was making a huge scene, throwing things, cursing people out, etc really an option that would've kept my job?
Its not like I don't know where to go from here (obviously a new job is in the works) but with the job market in the US being so shitty, I'm not even sure there's something out there to grasp. How about you TL? Have any of you lost a really solid job and been kind of trapped in the "what could I have done to keep it" stage? How did you deal with it in the transition between that and the uncertain next job?
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First I'd like to know why they wanted to fire you, second of all, I understand what your co-workers are saying, but that isn't exactly the most mature thing to do in general. I'm no working man, so I can't give the best advice, but I'm generally curious about the situation if that helps at all ._.
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On May 17 2013 11:49 docvoc wrote:
First I'd like to know why they wanted to fire you, second of all, I understand what your co-workers are saying, but that isn't exactly the most mature thing to do in general. I'm no working man, so I can't give the best advice, but I'm generally curious about the situation if that helps at all ._.
It was a sales job. I wasn't able to put up the numbers that some of the top guys were. Even though I was actually in the middle instead of at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of sales numbers, they chose me because I was 6 months newer than the other guys.
In those kinds of jobs, the bottom line is always what you can put on the board. What confused me is why they didn't start with the guys not putting any money up per week as opposed to one of the guys in the middle.
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Sorry to hear about your bad news. Respect for going out without a fight. The only thing fighting them would do is deny the possibility of a good reference letter.
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On May 17 2013 11:50 sCCrooked wrote:Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 11:49 docvoc wrote:
First I'd like to know why they wanted to fire you, second of all, I understand what your co-workers are saying, but that isn't exactly the most mature thing to do in general. I'm no working man, so I can't give the best advice, but I'm generally curious about the situation if that helps at all ._. It was a sales job. I wasn't able to put up the numbers that some of the top guys were. Even though I was actually in the middle instead of at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of sales numbers, they chose me because I was 6 months newer than the other guys. In those kinds of jobs, the bottom line is always what you can put on the board. What confused me is why they didn't start with the guys not putting any money up per week as opposed to one of the guys in the middle.
A lot of managers prefer to work with people they enjoy rather than people who have the best performance. Personally, I do as well since having fun with people at work beats the company making a few more dollars. Did you connect well with your manager and co-workers?
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On May 17 2013 11:56 Chairman Ray wrote:Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 11:50 sCCrooked wrote:On May 17 2013 11:49 docvoc wrote:
First I'd like to know why they wanted to fire you, second of all, I understand what your co-workers are saying, but that isn't exactly the most mature thing to do in general. I'm no working man, so I can't give the best advice, but I'm generally curious about the situation if that helps at all ._. It was a sales job. I wasn't able to put up the numbers that some of the top guys were. Even though I was actually in the middle instead of at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of sales numbers, they chose me because I was 6 months newer than the other guys. In those kinds of jobs, the bottom line is always what you can put on the board. What confused me is why they didn't start with the guys not putting any money up per week as opposed to one of the guys in the middle. A lot of managers prefer to work with people they enjoy rather than people who have the best performance. Personally, I do as well since having fun with people at work beats the company making a few more dollars. Did you connect well with your manager and co-workers?
That's another thing that really gets me. I'm not sure any of them were actually friendly to me or if they were just playing along so they wouldn't get pulled along too.
At the job, it felt like everybody liked me. Everyone came up saying hi, checking up on how my home life was since I was in the process of trying to get a new place (definitely not happening now) and giving me advice to improve my pitch and land more large-scale sales. I took lunch with the same group every day and I even went over to several of their houses to hang out and help them with computer problems (they're not as tech-savvy as I am) if they had any.
A lot of them got mad and left today when they heard the news. Some of them were even looking up jobs for me through any acquaintances or connections they had. One guy we lovingly call "Chucky" cursed and threw his stuff against the wall before pointing at the manager who had given the decision for me to be fired telling him "You're a fucking useless piece of shit that basically leeches a check every week. Go fuck yourself" and pushed one of the security guys away so he could escort me instead.
Its in my nature to place all the blame on myself, but in my core I know it was basically 1 guy with enough power to fire me didn't like me and got rid of me. It sucks, but I know I'm not anywhere near the first one to have that happen.
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Man you work in a weird place. Your coworkers sound like real awesome people. Do you like in some sort of drama TV show?
I think the way you acted was right on par, and honestly would you want to work at a strange place like that where they only keep you if you act irresponsibly and blow up?
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So question for you. Did you enjoy your job?
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Though I am not old enough to have been fired I think I can safely say that it will be all right. You live a good life in a good country with more possessions than people a few hundred years earlier and easier access to the fine things in life. It can be hard to keep things in perspective though so as soon as possible try to find a new one.
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On May 17 2013 12:10 CecilSunkure wrote:
Man you work in a weird place. Your coworkers sound like real awesome people. Do you like in some sort of drama TV show?
I think the way you acted was right on par, and honestly would you want to work at a strange place like that where they only keep you if you act irresponsibly and blow up?
It really did feel like I was in a strange TV show scripted when I was there. Chucky is actually one of the heads of the company, has a VP-level salary and he handles all overseas accounts in China/Korea/Taiwan. He's a total goofball. Most everybody was. Everybody cursed all the time and didn't care even though we were all on phone-sets if they were yelling sex jokes or something in the background.
However despite this environment, our 10 person sales team put up $28.6 million dollars last year for our department. The other side (room next to ours) handles resellers instead of end-users and they made something like $40 million last year. I have no idea how much our online-sales department had or what the other departments made.
The truth is I'm trying to mull it over in my head and I'm still sort of stuck because I'm really pissed off at not having work and not watching my back enough in there when I knew not everyone was friendly and the guy who fired me was known for being extremely preferential no matter how well you did.
On May 17 2013 12:12 Blaize wrote:
So question for you. Did you enjoy your job?
Yes I did. I liked just about everybody there. It was always crazy jokes and fun times all while putting up millions of dollars in sales. If you ever saw the movie "Margin Call", basically my day today went like the first 10 minutes of the movie. However it felt like I was working with a family who adopted me instead of a company. Its the only large corporation where I've ever seen the company President, VP and 3rd-in-command walk up to the new trainees and try to inspire them and get involved in their lives. Apparently the manager who fired me waited for all 3 of them to be gone before doing this because he feared they'd intervene (at least that's what I was told after it happened and my co-workers texted me nonstop).
*EDIT*On May 17 2013 12:29 obesechicken13 wrote:
Though I am not old enough to have been fired I think I can safely say that it will be all right. You live a good life in a good country with more possessions than people a few hundred years earlier and easier access to the fine things in life. It can be hard to keep things in perspective though so as soon as possible try to find a new one.
I know but it really sucks. This was a REALLY GOOD paying job built for the long-haul and not just a 1-2 year gig. Over half the employee roster has been there more than 20 years. The President is a billionaire and all his top employees make millions every year. I really enjoyed being surrounded by so many successful people like that.
Finding a job that pays that well with all that coverage of benefits, etc is a very daunting task in this day and age. Ask anyone else in their mid-20s to mid-30s looking for work right now.
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Sometimes all you can do is just walk away. This sounds like one of those times.
In the future you'll look back and realize this was a blessing in disguise. You'll find something better.
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I think when they said go out fighting they meant defend yourself, not whine/complain and throw things. Say what makes you better than everyone else (if you think you are anyway) and state that you've only been there for 6 months and you are only getting better every day. I mean it's too late now, but there's no harm in trying to save yourself.
Anyways, sounds like you really enjoyed the job so that really sucks. I've never been fired before so I'm not really sure what to tell you about coping with it, but I know if I were to get fired I would feel like absolute shit, but I guess you just have to take it in as a learning experience and get back on the horse.
gl!
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this reminds me that i need to go get a job
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On May 17 2013 11:50 sCCrooked wrote:Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 11:49 docvoc wrote:
First I'd like to know why they wanted to fire you, second of all, I understand what your co-workers are saying, but that isn't exactly the most mature thing to do in general. I'm no working man, so I can't give the best advice, but I'm generally curious about the situation if that helps at all ._. It was a sales job. I wasn't able to put up the numbers that some of the top guys were. Even though I was actually in the middle instead of at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of sales numbers, they chose me because I was 6 months newer than the other guys. In those kinds of jobs, the bottom line is always what you can put on the board. What confused me is why they didn't start with the guys not putting any money up per week as opposed to one of the guys in the middle.
I guess my only advice is to start looking again and say that you were incredibly successful at this job and it just didn't work out. Ask them for a glowing letter of rec and move on. I'm so sorry dude :/.
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On May 17 2013 13:02 Grobyc wrote:
I think when they said go out fighting they meant defend yourself, not whine/complain and throw things. Say what makes you better than everyone else (if you think you are anyway) and state that you've only been there for 6 months and you are only getting better every day. I mean it's too late now, but there's no harm in trying to save yourself.
Anyways, sounds like you really enjoyed the job so that really sucks. I've never been fired before so I'm not really sure what to tell you about coping with it, but I know if I were to get fired I would feel like absolute shit, but I guess you just have to take it in as a learning experience and get back on the horse.
gl!
yea this is what i thought they meant
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Grobyc's post makes a lot of sense.
That really sucks and I feel for you, hope you're able to get a good reference letter and get another job. You sound like a cool person, you sound like you really enjoyed your work, and you sound really successful. The getting laid off part does not 
Keep us updated, I hope you're able to find another job >.<
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Everyone wants to curse out their evil boss, but they can't because the extremely high standard of living sucks them dry financially. So when they see someone get fired, they secretly hope that person will use their new-found freedom to express their ire towards said evil boss. Personally, I would call the boss and say "Hello, Mr. Woodward? Yes, my name is so-and-so and I used to work for you, but you laid me off about 6 months ago. When you did that, I really didn't know what to say, but now I do so I just want to let you know that what you did was a dick move, you small-dicked coward, you over-paid sub-human sack of shit. I know I might sound like just some bitter ex-employee who is seeking self-vindication by insulting you personally, but let me assure you, you are an asshole. Everyone at the office hates you. I'm not the only one thinking this. You are just a dick. I don't know why. Maybe your father never told he loved you. But that's not my problem. My problem, and many of the people who are working for you's problem is that you are a sociopath. You are a sub-par manager, you do not motivate employees, you are the reason for low morale, you are the reason for the poor performance in our department, you thick-skulled hunk of frozen piss. None of your initiatives inspire employees, all your meetings are boring, and frankly, lack donuts, and your sense of humor is comparable to that of a brick. I sincerely believe you incapable of normal human interaction and will need years of some kind of hands-on therapy to learn to even communicate with your own species without using the words 'initiatives', 'productivity', 'associates', 'ecosystem', 'synergy', 'action', 'competency', 'empower', 'corporate values', 'tiger teams', 'unicorn teams', 'lots of moving parts', 'solution-based', 'leverage', and 'giving 110%'. These words don't even mean anything, so stop using them! How can you 'give 110%'? Think about that. Even giving 90% of one's attention to something is realistically almost impossible, let alone 100%. However, since 100% represents the maximum value of potential, you're basically saying 'do more than what is even possible'. I'm not a fucking Zen Buddhist or Quantum Physicist. I don't do impossible things. Nobody does impossible things. That's why these things are 'impossible'. But, what's that? You think employees should strive to reach for overcoming the impossible? Well, geez whiz, then do us all a fucking favor and show us that can be done by running at full speed into a wall made of solid steel and crash through it like it's nothing. Don't give me shit about steel having more mass than your bone structure, and that your body would explode before penetrating the steel wall, because IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING, RIGHT? If you haven't noticed by now, which you probably haven't, because if you were alive in the late 19th century, you would've been medically diagnosed as an idiot, but I'm being facetious and mocking the fact that you cover-up for your complete lack of competence by attempting to mask it with corporate jargon that basically amounts to you saying nothing, but with a lot of words. Remember when Shakespeare said 'Brevity is the soul of wit?' Oh, wait, you don't read Shakespeare, or 'books', but if you had, you'd realize that he's basically saying that you are the biggest dumbass imbecile moron stupid retard on the face of planet Earth, and you're getting paid to do it, which is a travesty and an abomination to the human race and nature itself, which will eventually kill you off by natural selection because it doesn't take Anne Robinson to tell that you're the weakest link. Goodbye."
Then you hang up.
Then the boss wonders "Who is Anne Robinson?"
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I'm going to answer your title:
I laughed off the job to the people who asked me about it and pretended I didn't care. Then I ran through all the fond memories I had of the job for around two weeks and was anxious/depressed. After that I was pretty much over it, and thought of it as a story to tell people at whatever new job I was going to get (ended up just going to college instead), just like one I would tell of a time I got into a fight or did something cool in high school.
I don't think, as a man, it's easy to lose a job. Having a good job makes you feel in control, and as if there is a homeostasis in your life. Thus, hand in hand with control is one of the two greatest fears of men, abandonment. They abandoned you by not putting forth the faith necessary to maintain a relationship with you. So, following that suit, time is really the only healer to how you currently feel.
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On May 17 2013 14:23 Game wrote:
I'm going to answer your title:
I laughed off the job to the people who asked me about it and pretended I didn't care. Then I ran through all the fond memories I had of the job for around two weeks and was anxious/depressed. After that I was pretty much over it, and thought of it as a story to tell people at whatever new job I was going to get (ended up just going to college instead), just like one I would tell of a time I got into a fight or did something cool in high school.
I don't think, as a man, it's easy to lose a job. Having a good job makes you feel in control, and as if there is a homeostasis in your life. Thus, hand in hand with control is one of the two greatest fears of men, abandonment. They abandoned you by not putting forth the faith necessary to maintain a relationship with you. So, following that suit, time is really the only healer to how you currently feel.
That's kind of what I'm feeling. I already have other prospects lined up and I'm sure in 2 months I'll be looking back on now as just another passing moment of insignificance in the long run.
On May 17 2013 13:58 rabidch wrote:Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 13:02 Grobyc wrote:
I think when they said go out fighting they meant defend yourself, not whine/complain and throw things. Say what makes you better than everyone else (if you think you are anyway) and state that you've only been there for 6 months and you are only getting better every day. I mean it's too late now, but there's no harm in trying to save yourself.
Anyways, sounds like you really enjoyed the job so that really sucks. I've never been fired before so I'm not really sure what to tell you about coping with it, but I know if I were to get fired I would feel like absolute shit, but I guess you just have to take it in as a learning experience and get back on the horse.
gl! yea this is what i thought they meant
You'd think so from my general paraphrasing but what they actually asked is "Why didn't you pick some shit up, curse 'Mick" (the manager who got me fired) or beat his fuckin face in for not having the manhood to fire you himself instead of going through his boss like a pussy?". Its rather specific in its meaning.
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I don't think it will be insignificant, it's a learning experience that will effect your decision making at any new job. But, it won't be personal.
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Sometimes people need to be let go. No need to burn the manager at the stake for that, it's his job.
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I think ninazerg summarized it perfectly.
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After a day of dreaming about slaughtering my boss and colleagues and other revenge/power fantasies, I generally just liven up, realize that a job has nothing to do with the overall happiness/progression of your life on the grand scale, smoke a bit of dope, play some games and forget about it.
PS the violent connotations are generally worse when you are publicly humiliated and abused, then fired. I know all about that one.
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Well, at least you'll have good credentials for another sales job! If there are any...
But if you feel it was really unfair, perhaps you could e-mail or phone the higher ups, if you knew any of them? Maybe they'll decide that you should stay on. Maybe if you demonstrate that you're a good employee and had good sales numbers, they might reverse the situation and question your manager?
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On May 17 2013 23:20 radscorpion9 wrote:
Well, at least you'll have good credentials for another sales job! If there are any...
But if you feel it was really unfair, perhaps you could e-mail or phone the higher ups, if you knew any of them? Maybe they'll decide that you should stay on. Maybe if you demonstrate that you're a good employee and had good sales numbers, they might reverse the situation and question your manager?
The sad thing is nobody really likes the guy who fired me. He's dogged every day at work because he doesn't do his job and just leaves randomly without telling anybody for sometimes hours at a time. Meanwhile all his trainees have to look to others for help because their instructor just plain old left them and they don't even know IF he'll be back that day at all (no, seriously he left a few times and didn't return without saying a thing to us). The guy completely fails and most ask him daily why he's even there or what the fuck he does to deserve the huge checks he picks up every week.
I know the President, the VP and the other department heads, but they have nothing to do with trainee management. We all have to be under this one department head for 2 years and then you're allowed to start doing some work on your own under what they call a "mentor" system.
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EPT
