Posts tagged termination
Would you rather quit or be fired?
Nov 13th
If I told you that you were being replaced at your current job, what would you say? And I’m not talking about the immediate shock and anger about the pending loss of your job. Once you’ve had a moment to think rationally, you’ll probably be wondering, “should I ride this out, or should I make a move?” What’s the right decision here?
I think the answer should be based on your long term and short term goals. There are many negatives that come attached to being fired – you may lose your reference, you may be affected psychologically. Every application you’ll ever fill out in the future, the answer to “have you ever been fired?” will now be yes. Quitting before this happens, 
however, has its benefits and negatives as well. For one, you can forget about any severance package you may otherwise have received. In most cases you won’t get unemployment benefits (which in some states are so small, it hardly matters). But you’ll save face, you’ll leave with your chin up, and most likely retain more connections and references from this employment.
The choice between waiting to be fired and quitting is not easy, but once you’ve realized that either one is inevitable, you cannot afford not to take action. Build a plan, apply for other jobs, research business ideas – anything that will put you back on the right path. If you’re ready to give up on the career path that you’ve been following with your current job, then letting the firing happen may not be the worst idea. You’ll switch industries, jump into new job assignments, responsibilities. If you’re planning on moving on to a field that has no connection to your previous employment, it’s more than likely that your new employers won’t even bother contacting the company that fired you. But if you’re planning to continue your career in a similar setting (even if it’s a different industry – think about how different your job responsibilities will be), then you may be better off jumping the gun. Start interviewing as soon as possible. Get out there and push yourself, instead of sulking. Believe it or not, speaking with your boss about your plan will play to your benefit in this situation. The company will be much more inclined to keep you on just a while longer, until you’re ready to move on. Your quitting instead of being fired is a huge benefit to the company – they don’t have to pay your unemployment (their state unemployment insurance is likely to rise as a result of your termination), and more importantly no negative effect on employee morale.
When the time comes, the decision is hard. If you’re prepare yourself, you can think rationally and make a decision that’s right for you.
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Another facebook firing
Nov 12th
Ashley Payne, a teacher from Georgia, claims she was coerced into resignation after school officials received a complaint about content posted on her Facebook page. Payne posted pictures along with some commentary of her recent trip to Europe on Facebook. A student’s mother saw her pictures and complained about one in particular where Payne was holding a drink in her hand. Payne has stated that she “wasn’t doing anything illegal, wasn’t doing anything provocative…nothing that I thought would be unethical or immoral in any way.” The teacher said she was coerced into resignation in lieu of being fired – so that she can save face in a small town community. She is currently suing the school board in hopes of getting her job back.
What is most concerning for all of us here is that Payne had her profile set to private and was not friends with any of
Don't get fired over what you post in Facebook – make sure that your Facebook privacy settings are turned on correctly
her students, parents, or school executives. Most of us who do have Facebook accounts and are concerned about our privacy, should know, that setting your profile to private is not enough. Facebook’s default private settings will still allow most of your pictures to be viewed by the entire Facebook community – so make sure that you look through the settings options carefully and disable all content that you don’t want made public. As we’ve seen so many times before – you never know who’s watching…
Loading …You did WHAT?
Nov 11th
Welcome to our first installment of “You did WHAT?” where we discuss the latest news in the world of stupidity that leads to people being fired.
First up today, Larry Jones has been fired from Feed The Children, the very foundation he started more than 30 years ago. This comes after a year ago Larry tried to fire several top executives, as well as his own daughter who is the general counsel for the foundation. Things turned ugly, courts were involved, and a judge ruled to reinstate the fired executives. The firing came when it was discovered that Jones placed recording devices in several offices. This week, Larry Jones 
fired back with a lawsuit of his own claiming that he was fired because of “reasons of personal malice and spite.”
…this has turned ugly a long time ago and we can expect to continue hearing about this feud…but placing recording devices in people’s offices…come on Larry…
In Boston, a police officer has been fired for allegedly texting a pic of male genitalia to a woman. Officer Michael Gonsalves told the Times in August he did text a photo of male genitalia to a woman, but said it was a joke, according to the paper.
ugh… umm… I’m sure there’s plenty of context missing here, and I’m willing to give Gonsalves the benefit of the doubt here… I guess the bigger question is, who is this woman?… one thing’s for sure – she definitely didn’t get the joke…
Here’s another great story: A Florida middle school teacher has been fired for drawing a map of the United States with Florida resembling a penis. When questioned about the disproportionate looking map by his middle-schoolers, Ryan Haraughty said, “Florida got excited.” The school board claimed that Haraughty created a sexually hostile environment and fired him.
ok, well, obviously it’s not his drawing skill that got Ryan fired, but his comment that followed… it’s clear that there was no intent of wrong doing, and we all know that kids in middle school are already clued in that they weren’t dropped off by a stork… but it’s important to remember that (a) they’re still kids and sexually oriented humor is not appropriate and that (b) you’re in a classroom – an environment where you should at least try to maintain professionalism and respectability.
Finally, in Minnesota, over 1200 janitors employed by ABM have been fired after the company carried out an audit prompted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
1200… wow… imagine if they carry out an audit in California and New York… but that’s a lot of illegals out of a job… but worry not, Minnesottans, there’s plenty more immigrants willing to clean your offices…
