18 unbelievable things people did at work that got them fired immediately
There are some things you should just never, ever do at work — but some people apparently missed that memo.
Hundreds of Reddit users responded to the question, "Employers of Reddit, what is something that an employee did that resulted in immediate termination due to sheer unprofessionalism?"
And boy, did the employers — and coworkers — of Reddit have answers. Some of them might make you feel remarkably competent in comparison.
Keep in mind that because these stories come from Reddit, INSIDER was unable to independently verify the claims, but they sure are fun to read.
From trying to fight the manager to inviting 300 people for a pool party on the premises, here are some of the things people claim happened that got people fired on the spot.
He threw a pool party at work.
"Kid I managed decided to post all over social media to throw a giant pool party at my place of work. There were almost 300 people that showed up to our pool that day. Safe to say, he was fired on the spot." - Reddit user Smores-n-violence
He secretly bashed his company on Twitter.
"At a small startup, we found that one of our junior developers had a Twitter acｃount where he tweeted all day long about how much the company sucked and how unfair it was that we were making him fix bugs in the software. Found the acｃount at 5 p.m. and he was s- canned before he could even make it back into the office the next morning." - Reddit user TooManyKittiesInHere
He punched a co-worker over fantasy football.
"My supervisor punched another manager because he forgot to process his fantasy football transfer requests in time. My workload increased considerably that day. Fun times." - Reddit user CapstickWentHome
He lied about his father's death.
"Had an employee named Ernie call in Monday morning saying his dad died over the weekend. I told [him] to take all the time he needed. Tuesday was the viewing, Wednesday was the funeral. Who shows up Wednesday ... Ernie's dad ... Ernie forgot his lunch. True story."- Reddit user kathysef
He went on a racist rant on social media.
"Worked at a major corporation. Guy had his name/title on his Facebook page. He proceeded to go on an extremely racist tirade in one of his Facebook statuses. He was fired the next day." - Reddit user Idrinknailpolish
He turned his 20-minute break into three hours.
"Young guy on his first day left during his 20-minute break and didn't come back until almost three hours later. When questioned, he said, 'my friends invited me to breakfast' so he went out to a restaurant to have breakfast with them and came back to work after. He was told he can't do that — you only get 20 minutes. He said, 'Oh sorry, this is my first job I've ever had.' Next day, he disappears after first break again and comes back about two to three hours later and says he went out for breakfast with his friends again like it was no big deal. Fired on the spot." - Reddit user squanchy_91
He sold drugs on the job.
"One of the sushi chefs at the restaurant I worked at got caught selling weed to customers while working. The owner that caught him decided to not get the cops involved and just fired him, which I thought was nice of her." - Reddit user -eDgAR-
He threw a stapler at a co-worker.
"We had a guy who worked with us who had brain damage. Management let him get away with a lot out of fear of a lawsuit. [...] What got him fired instantly was when he started hitting on a girl at work. She told him no. So he threw a stapler at her head. Instant termination." - Reddit user Joetato
He showed up drunk on his first day — and his second.
"Hired a new developer. His first day on the job, he arrives early, but drunk. Like, stumbling drunk. We're a small company (less than 70), so he's sent home to sleep it off, take a mulligan, try again tomorrow. No telling what demons he's been dealing with during his unemployed stint, and frankly, doesn't matter.
"Day two, arrives, s in the dumpster because no one had arrived to open the office for the day, is again, drunk. Sorry, pal — we didn't drug test, we have lots of leeway to cater to your lifestyle, and we have a need for your niche skillset ... but we're gonna look for someone else to fill this position since you're just awful at adulting." - Reddit user BurstEDO
She tried to fight the manager.
"Employee finished training for part time work. She received her schedule and immediately accused our store manager of lying to her. She claimed she was promised full time.
"When our SM informed her that she was not, and that we didn't hire full time for this position, she looked him in the eye and says, 'You need to clock out so we can go outside and talk about this.' She then starts rolling up her sleeves. My manager was less than impressed. He told her to leave and that we'd call the cops if she returned." - Reddit user Etherlilac
He relieved himself where he shouldn't have.
"Had an employee that was installing an air conditioner on a courthouse. We received a call from the business behind the courthouse saying that our tech was peeing off the roof. There's not much more to say." - Reddit user contractorspov
She Snapchatted herself stealing from the company.
"A girl posted on a Snapchat story her taking money from the cash drawer behind a manager's back. Like filmed the back of the manager talking to another employee, filmed herself lifting the bill, and filmed herself walking away with it." - Reddit user pmonroe200
They worked out in the office — naked.
"I managed pre-press at a large print facility. Pre-press is where files come in to be ready for print. The graveyard shift employee was an odd one. They would sleep on top of the conference table, usually on their lunch break. The daytime pre-press employees were complaining there was an unusual smell in the office, almost that of a nasty locker room. We ignored it for a while until one day it was unbearable. We decided to review the security camera footage. Turns out this graveyard shift employee was working out NAKED with office equipment in the office. We fired them shortly after reviewing the footage." - Reddit user iBleedCMYK
He accidentally texted his boss about his evening antics.
"Meant to text his friend about the previous night's drug-filled debauchery, but texted his supervisor instead." - Reddit user ewgrossgoaway
He brought a taser to work — and asked to tase people.
"Not an employer, but I worked in a call center and we were in the training class being taught by the client. Well one of my coworkers got an immediate termination because they brought a taser into work and were offering $20 to people if they let him tase them. He offered this to the client as well during break. Needless to say he was fired, and the next day our HR rep came in holding his badge and reminded us on the policy that bringing weapons into work is grounds for immediate termination." - Reddit user thegoob14
He had a very bad business trip.
"Employee was on a business trip and used the company credit card to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the bar and get himself very drunk. He then crashed the rental car that was paid for by the company and got put in jail for a DUI. It gets better, he then used the company credit card to bail himself out of jail and claimed that the whole thing never happened." - Reddit user ReeceChambersIV
She left in the middle of a shift to comfort a friend.
"I had a coworker just leave in the middle of her shift because her friend's boyfriend broke up with her and 'she really needs me right now.' Good friend. Ex-coworker." - Krizzy213
He took a practical joke way too far.
"One of the guys that used to work where I work shrinkwrapped a forklift to one of the support beams for the floor above. The bosses didn't find it very funny." - Reddit user Sonic_The_Veghog
Article Source: http://uk.businessinsider.com/what-people-did-to-get-fired-immediately-2018-4?op=1
Image Source:https://askopinion.com/images/Files/UserFiles/posting/lrg/2017/9/unproff-kzn.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Sheer (adj.) ~ nothing other than unmitigated (used for emphasis)
2. Can (v./ informal) ~ dismiss (someone) from their job
3. Rant (v.) ~ speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way
4. Tirade (n.) ~ a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation
5. Mulligan (n./ informal) ~ a free shot sometimes given a golfer in informal play when the previous shot was poorly played
6. Stint (n.) ~ a person's fixed or allotted period of work
7. Niche (n.) ~ a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment
8. Leeway (n.) ~ the amount of freedom to move or act that is available
9. Debauchery (n.) ~ excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures
10. Tase (n.) ~ fire a Taser at (someone) in order to incapacitate them temporarily
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What kinds of behaviors are considered as unprofessional in your company?
2. What is your reaction to the stories mentioned above? Do you think that termination is suitable punishment for each of them? Discuss your opinion.
3. What kind of behavior do you think merits immediate termination?
