It’s nothing new if I tell you that losing your job, especially suddenly, can put you in one of the most stressful situations. Of course, it can also depend on your financial situation - for somebody, it may mean nothing serious as they have other income sources. However, for others, and probably most of us, it may make our lives much harder.
And you know what’s especially annoying and disappointing? Bosses who may just fire their employees without any warning or explanation. As if we don’t have any bills or rent to pay.
More info: Reddit
Looks like sometimes bosses forget their employees are humans too with bills to pay and responsibilities
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Person randomly gets fired without any explanation or warning, just that ‘they weren’t a good fit’
Image credits: Razvan Chisu (not the actual photo)
They were extremely upset as they thought that they had finally found a job that treated them like a person
Image credits: u/circesporkroast
They were furious that even supposedly ‘good’ bosses don’t really care about their employees
Some time ago, one Reddit user shared their story to one of its subreddits for posting work-related struggles. They shared that they had finally found a decent job and just got fired with no explanation. The post received a lot of attention and collected more than 13.3K upvotes and 1.6K comments.
The author starts their story by sharing that they just got fired without any explanation and warning - they were simply told to not come back as they ‘weren’t a good fit’. OP rants that this was a boss that they were confident cared about his employees, and they were in fact feeling happy to have found a job that treated them like a person.
Moreover, later, OP added that they received confirmation in writing that they were fired and are planning to file for unemployment. Speaking about the reason the author got fired, they say that they were working well, always showed up and customers left positive feedback. But they also add that they have several chronic illnesses, which may have been the reason; however, OP had no evidence.
Folks online backed the author up and suggested to file for unemployment right away. They also discussed that if a person files, in many states, the employer has to respond with the reason why they were terminated. “He’s not going to give you a reason because no intelligent owner would, by giving you a reason there’s a chance he can open himself up to liability,” one user wrote. “You were totally fired for your medical situation,” another shared.
Image credits: PNW Production (not the actual photo)
Moreover, everybody understands that firing an employee without any explanation or warning is a terrible thing to do, sadly, but it’s still a very common situation. According to National Employment Law Project, more than two out of three fired employees were given no cause or an unfair explanation for the termination, and three out of four had no prior warning.
Looking into a little bit more of statistics, only one out of three fired employees receives compensation. At the same time, more than 40% of people who are now employed—including more than 50% of Black employees—only have enough money to cover one month or less of living expenses in the event that they lost their jobs today.
However, in almost every bad situation, you can turn to a better one. Indeed shares a few tips on how you can recover after losing a job. First off, as several people in the comments have already suggested, you might be qualified for unemployment benefits based on the state where you work and the circumstances surrounding your termination. Generally speaking, you might be qualified if your employment was terminated due to: poor performance; a lack of skills; downsizing or budget cuts; or other factors that made you unsuitable for the position.
Also, it’s important, after losing your job, to take some time to unwind and evaluate your situation. Write down your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you liked and disliked about your current position before starting your job hunt or honing your interviewing techniques.
Image credits: Marlen Bjork (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda reached out to Hallie Crawford, who is a national career expert, certified career coach and the founder of Create Your Career Path career coaching. She kindly agreed to shed light on how companies can improve communication when it comes to termination, how to minimize the impact of a sudden termination on the morale of remaining employees and advice for those who find themselves in a similar situation as the author.
“When employees receive regular feedback and training from their manager, this can help them be aware of where they are excelling and where they need to improve their work performance,” Hallie starts. Moreover, she notes that when organizations and their managers take the time to check in with their employees regularly, this can minimize surprise terminations.
Now, speaking about the sudden termination of the employee and its impact on the rest of the team, Hallie shares that depending on the circumstances of the termination, it may be wise for a manager to directly and clearly explain why that person is no longer an employee. “Team building sessions can help with morale after a sudden termination as well as taking the time to check in with employees directly impacted by the termination,” she adds.
Moreover, the career coach shared advice to employees who find themselves suddenly being terminated without a clear explanation. “Being terminated without a clear explanation is understandably difficult,” Hallie notes. However, she recommends checking with your HR department, re-reading your employee contract and checking applicable laws in your state to see what you may immediately qualify for, such as unemployment.
And what do you think about this situation? Have you ever been in a similar position and how did you deal with it? Share in the comments below!
Redditors suggested ways for the author to deal with this situation
