HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR GETTING FIRED FROM YOUR JOB WITHOUT CAUSE? Is this fair? 1
I don’t think that an employer or manager gets up one morning and just decides: I’m going to fire this guy! There is always a reason, a cause. It can be personal, whimsical, or whatever. It can be justifiable, e.g., non-performance, frequent tardiness & absences, etc. It can be fair to the employee. It can be unfair to the employee.
A situation where an employer wants to fire an employee does not develop overnight. There are preceding events, incidents, dysfunctional interactions between employer & employee, signs of dissatisfaction on both sides, even formal exchanges of memos.
In situations such as this, the employee is more often than not at the losing end –even if he is in the right. The down-to-earth question facing the employee goes beyond “Is it fair?” The important question becomes: “Is the job worth keeping with all the day-to-day stress and unproductive manhours?” The corollary question becomes: “Do I resign? Or, do I fight it out and wait to get fired?”
Then, the gut issue becomes:
When being interviewed for the next job, what is the best way to explain getting fired or being forced to resign from my previous job? Most prospective employers do background checks on applicants. HR/Personnel managers do call the HR/Personnel Manager of previous employers. References from previous employers are required.
Excellent tips and advice can be found in Interview Chatter.
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11 opinions for HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR GETTING FIRED FROM YOUR JOB WITHOUT CAUSE? Is this fair? 1
Darlene
Jan 7, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Very interesting post Ren! Thanks for the link back. I definitely agree with your second paragraph. I know that managers/leaders don’t arrive at the “firing decision” overnight. I have fired my share of employees over the years.
I was sitting in a very unproductive meeting today at work. Literally 13 salaried employees sitting in a meeting that we soon discovered was a farce. We realized something was “afoot”. It turns out someone was getting fired and they wanted us tucked away until it was over.
I only share that to say that, the person getting fired knew there were issues. I don’t know that directly, but I know that people know when they are not performing.
Cause can be relative. There are times when organizations fire people without cause. And that is unfair. But I will share my thoughts on this subject over at Interview Chatter. Thanks for linking back to my blog. Look for my post as a dove tail from your post. Maybe from a different angle, but somewhat on topic!
Thanks, Darlene
Interview Guru
http://www.interviewchatter.com
Fired With or Without Cause… Is This Fair?
Jan 8, 2008 at 1:07 pm
[…] addition of this new category. Ren Garcia over at Accounting Solver wrote a post today called How do you account for getting fired from your job without cause? Is this fair? Here’s my spin… “In some countries, you cannot be fired or released from your […]
Ali
Jan 12, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Hi Ren,
You’ve brought up some good points and some tough questions. This is a fascinating topic to me because I’ve never been fired or had to fire someone. I do agree with you that it is usually not an impulse decision and that there must be some warning signs ahead of time. Nice post on a tricky topic.
Bob Turek
Jan 12, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Ren- explaining leaving a company, whether it was because of an organization change or being laid off, is a challenge that I have dealt with. Interestingly, C-level executives like the experience even if it is “only” 2 years at a couple of jobs, whereas recruiters tend to nix me. My challenge to them is to look at my performance in each situation and then I also explain the rationale. If they listen, you can get over the hump and see a hiring manager where you do the same thing.
Mary Emma Allen
Jan 12, 2008 at 10:29 pm
You’ve presented some good points, Ren. I realize there’s usually a reason for letting someone go. When I was let go, I would have preferred a logical reason, one that wasn’t discredited when someone who was hired by the new manager (the person who hired me retired) didn’t have the qualifications I was told I needed when they changed the job description. Anyway, I decided not to fight it.
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Jan 14, 2008 at 6:49 am
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cameron
Jan 14, 2008 at 6:15 pm
It seems like companies can do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it. They can always find a reason if needed.
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Jan 28, 2008 at 11:32 am
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Feb 8, 2008 at 4:59 pm
[…] cannot be fired or released from your job without cause. In the US, you often can be. Is this fair? Accounting Solver Interview […]
Richard
Apr 13, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I have been looking for info like this. I recently was corporately restructered. I asked if I could have a good reference. They said no because of all the performance issues. I asked them to explain that, and no one could come up with a good reason. No issues had ever been brought to my attention. I think it stemmed from me looking for another job and and it was leaked back to my boss to the point he confronted me on it. So, how do I deal with the issue of not having a good reference? Would it also be wise to mention that I had a lawyer involved and we won a small judgement?
Darlene
Apr 17, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Hi Richard, interesting question you ask. What I recommend to my clients who are transitioning from terminations into the interview process, attempting to get new employment.. you must get a clearer answer from the organization. They may not be giving you a good reference, but that is really not the question you want to ask. Go back to the HR person and ask, “What will you say, when another company calls to verify my employment?” If they are going to give details about what happened in their organization, I would recommend you go back to your attorney and get clarity about the laws in your state. Most organizations who terminate employees do not give any specific information. They verify employment dates, salary, and whether they will hire you again. The specifics typically can lead to lawsuits. Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.
Darlene
Interview Guru
http://www.interviewchatter.com/
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