What’s the Dumbest Reason You Got Fired For?

▶ Fresh AskReddit Stories: People who got fired for the stupidest reason, what happened?

[melaniemills]

My daughter was fired from her job at a grocery store stating that she abandoned her job...actually she was in the hospital having her last child and was on maternity leave...apparently the manager forgot to file her medical leave paperwork...the union fought for her and she got her job back. Effing idiots. 🙄

[graylilplum]

I got fired during training at Biggby coffee, because I "didn't make eye contact" with the hiring manager. I have autism, and she KNEW that.

[snygnyx]

There's so many of these damn stories where the management uses the phrase, "what's more important, your job or your family?" I imagine it's still a small fraction but it just seems like there's so many of those exact types of managers.

[theotherjared]

Bosses who regularly threaten their employees and then act like they didn't are definitely sociopaths.

[TheyForgotMySalad]

I started a job at an Amazon call center. Two weeks in, a coworker saw me taking my daily meds at lunch and asked what they were. When I told her it was Klonopin (a benzo similar to Xanax), she asked if she could buy some from me. When I declined her request, she went to HR and said I had asked her if she wanted to buy some of my Klonopin. We were both terminated bc of this, and 14 years later I'm still blacklisted from working at any Amazon facility.

[KittenLove]

The timing is fantastic because I was just fired for fighting with my manager about calling out because of what turned out to be nasty period pains.

[BriansRainbowOverIreland]

god, hearing other people talk about their managers makes me feel so lucky

[atulius]

Got fired for stupid reasons like "Gross negligence" "Not knowing my job" and "Showing up 3 days late"

[luckyassassin]

I was chewed out for 5 minutes on the phone for missing my shift one day. After the manager stopped talking i asked him what day it was, he said the day of the week. I said "not the week day, the date". There was a pause and then I heard a muffled "oh shit" and then he apologized and said he'd see me tomorrow. It was on a day I'm never scheduled for because it's one of the most important holidays in my religion. He was lucky i answered the phone at all that day.

[jessicajayes]

Heard of a boss at a car dealership who wanted his employee to wash a red truck. Employee looked and didn't see a red truck, so he went home. Boss chewed him out because the truck wasn't washed and fired him over the phone. New guy gets hired and is asked to do the same task. New guy asked "What red truck?" Boss thinks he's hired an idiot and points to a green truck just outside. Turns out the boss was colorblind!

[charimonfanboy]

Not sure if I believe it but my grandad's brother claims one of his first jobs was to be fired infront of Karens. If anyone complained about anything in the store the manager would say that's Bob's fault, summon Bob to the floor and tell him he was fired. Bob would cry, beg to keep his job, the manager would say no and Bob would slink away back to the break room and continue reading his book.

[k.chriscaldwell]

Dodge a bullet at the Gap during college. They had "community" cash drawers at the "cash-wraps, " check outs. That is, you took over a register and its cash drawer without counts in or out. Nope! Not me. I forced a manager to count me in and then out the one time I ran a register. They didn't like that, so I was not asked again. A month or so later a drawer came up missing money, over a thousand dollars. A scandal that culminated in firings and reassignments ensued. I told you so!

Coda: The sent in to investigate corporate loss-prevention guy tried to question me about the theft alone in the back office. Nope! The look on his face when I told him that I had nothing to do with the cash-wraps on the day in question and would not permit him to question me in any setting without an advocate and/or lawyer present. His look became more contorted when I asked him for his personal details regarding his full name and where he lived. etc. in California. The very real threat that I would sue him personally in addition to the Gap. He left me alone. I did figure out from a few things he said that at least one manager had tried to throw me under the bus because of my noping-out of working the cash-wraps without counts in and out--because I knew so much and had noped out, I must have had a part in it.

[beagleissleeping]

I have a friend who got fired for, "Using a company issued cell phone for illegal activities."
He was texting his dealer to arrange a pick up time. His excuse was, "It was only weed."
I silently laughed at his lack of understanding of the word illegal.

[johntumahab]

Fortunately, it sounds like most of these firings were doing the OPs a favor.

[christinebicanic]

Employer had a rule about how many absences you could have within a set period (can't remember how many months). I had a tonic clinic seizure at work. Was taken down to ER (this was a hospital), was released to go home, then had another one in the parking lot. Got fired because exceeded absences.

[JaelinBezel]

For a lot of these, when the horrible boss fires op from a job they hated anyway, I just imagine Nail casually dismissing Freeza’s exclamation that he will murder him with a nonchalant “whatever.”

[bigkennyg.]

After 11 years at a grocery store I got fired for going 1 minute over on my break ( due to being in the restroom)

[kemarisite]

I've been fired twice. The second time I can't even tell you why. I walked into my supervisor's office for my annual evaluation, saw that the lawyer was there too, and said, "This seems to have just become very predictable." Its possible that based on that they assumed I knew why, but years later I had to tell the person reviewing my security application that I'd love to know why they found out if they ever get a straight answer out of those people.

[davidgilbert]

I almost got fired on my first day. I was 19 years old and I had my first "serious job". I let my boss know during my job interview and I put it on my application that I didn't have a drivers license (at the time). I wasn't expecting to be put on the schedule the next day after my job interview. Later that afternoon I asked a relative if they could give me a ride on my first day. They asked what time and I said 6am. I woke up early and I gave my relative a call before 6am. I sat there waiting to hear a response they didn't get back to me until after 6. I showed up 2 hours late and my boss said I almost got fired for showing up 2 hours late.

For some context. When I say I wasn't expecting to be put on the schedule the next day. I was waiting to get a call or text saying your start date is this day and at this time.

[phlushphish]

For leaving the company premises on my break. Yep, after 16 years, that's the reason they used. Started 5 years previous. They had me train a new hire in my department. 5 years later, every time I walk by her desk she's texting. It seemed excessive to me; so, I wondered, 'just what does she do all day?' I knew my manager was worthless, so took upon myself to check. She answered 1-2 escalated customer service inquires per day, which I did by lunch. So I asked for a raise. This ignited scrutiny; and, they did have me sign a paper that I would not leave company premises on my break, which I had forgotten about months later. Yep; and, they were also having me do the overflow work of a department that got paid half again what I did, & I was doing it better than them!