Anyone here ever get fired from their job for being a mediocre employee?

Fortune_P_Dawg

Fortune_P_Dawg

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I still have my job but I am an admitted mediocre employee. Hell, I'm at work right now and I'm talking to you people... I'm often late, I take extra long lunch breaks, and I sneak out 15 minutes early.

I dislike my job, so the thought of losing it doesn't exactly send chills down my spine. I have a mortgage payment, and car payment, a girlfriend, a school loan, and plenty other financial obligations. I also have a savings account that wouldn't last me more than a couple of months.

When I do consider the prospect of actually getting fired from my job, all I can think is that I'll actually have time to play and beat some of the awesome PS3 games I've amassed.
 
Not yet but I could see it happening in the future. I work 12 hour days plus weekends, I haven't taken a full week off of work since July 2008 and I try to kiss everyone's ass but I'm probably still viewed as a slacker around here because everyone here is completely insane.
 
You sound like management material to me OP, keep up the good work.

Let the suckers work themselves into an early grave while you cruise to victory.

How many people do you reckon lie on their deathbed thinking "Wow, I wish I'd spent more time in the office" ?
 
Not really. Our company is pretty much on it's death throes. We're barely selling enough to keep the doors open. I wouldn't be surprised if this place will shut its doors in 6 months. But then again - that's what I was saying a year ago. Everybody's morale here is low.

I only work part time - but most of the time you could barely call it "work." I just surf all day. Not that I'm a bad employee - I do buying and receiving. There just isn't anything to do on Wed. and Thurs. when I have something to do, I work hard and get it done and ordered on time. So I guess most people would call me a mediocre employee. I'm not late (there is no such thing here really, it's flex time), I don't sneak out early, although I do take longer lunch breaks, but everything's at least a 10+ minute drive.

Oh well, the pay is pretty good and I don't have a lot of expenses, so I can't complain. The commute is hellish though.

I've been fired a couple times when I was younger though. I got let go from a call center job for hanging up on people (it was temp), and I got fired in college for working in the food court not making the dough right lol.
 
If you're a full-time employee, they probably just won't promote you or give you a raise. Turnover is a bitch, so the company probably doesn't mind because you're giving them plenty of excuses to keep you in the same position with no salary increases.

Of course this all depends on a vast number of factors. I'd have to know more about your job and the skills you bring to the table before I could really weigh in.
 
[quote name='camoor']If you're a full-time employee, they probably just won't promote you or give you a raise. Turnover is a bitch, so the company probably doesn't mind because you're giving them plenty of excuses to keep you in the same position with no salary increases.

Of course this all depends on a vast number of factors. I'd have to know more about your job and the skills you bring to the table before I could really weigh in.[/QUOTE]


Actually, I just got my annual raise today. Woo! Go me!
 
They laid off about 7 people last year, cut 3 people to part time, and froze wages last year here.

Does OP spend most of his time surfing? Welcome to office work.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Let the suckers work themselves into an early grave while you cruise to victory.

How many people do you reckon lie on their deathbed thinking "Wow, I wish I'd spent more time in the office" ?[/QUOTE]

This is true to a point. I hate my job and I hate working in general but I also like sandwiches and video games - both of which require money to enjoy. If I start slacking I will get fired - there are no mediocre employees where I work and there certainly aren't any bad ones. They fire people at the drop of a hat - my buddy got fired over the phone while he was at the airport on the way to Hawaii for his honeymoon. I'd rather work a ton at a job I hate than be unemployed but to each their own...
 
In most places, it's a pain in the butt to fire someone since they have to make the time, effort and expense to hire a replacement and train who may end up just as bad or even worse.

So as long as the company overall is financially sound, unless you really screw up, you're probably fine, though you'll probably never really advance in your company.
 
[quote name='javeryh']This is true to a point. I hate my job and I hate working in general but I also like sandwiches and video games - both of which require money to enjoy. If I start slacking I will get fired - there are no mediocre employees where I work and there certainly aren't any bad ones. They fire people at the drop of a hat - my buddy got fired over the phone while he was at the airport on the way to Hawaii for his honeymoon. I'd rather work a ton at a job I hate than be unemployed but to each their own...[/QUOTE]

Wow. That really sounds like a shitty place to work. I feel bad for you. I guess I'm lucky to work at a place that's decent to work at (even though they cut my hours)
 
I didn't get fired, but I did get laid off this past Christmas season from Target (although I knew from the beginning there was a chance it was only seasonal to begin with). It's hard to say if I was mediocre though. They said that I had a chance of being rehired if I would apply again in the future, but at the same time, when I compare myself to some of the other cashiers there, I view myself as mediocre. While my speeds were decent (they have you aim for 90%, although I was more around the mid to upper 80s, mainly because clothing purchases gave me difficulty with finding the tags and/or pulling hangers), I never got any red cards (their version of a store credit card). I know people there were getting 4 or 5 a day, while in my entire month and a half there, I might have gotten 4 or 5 total.
 
[quote name='JStryke']I didn't get fired, but I did get laid off this past Christmas season from Target (although I knew from the beginning there was a chance it was only seasonal to begin with). It's hard to say if I was mediocre though. They said that I had a chance of being rehired if I would apply again in the future, but at the same time, when I compare myself to some of the other cashiers there, I view myself as mediocre. While my speeds were decent (they have you aim for 90%, although I was more around the mid to upper 80s, mainly because clothing purchases gave me difficulty with finding the tags and/or pulling hangers), I never got any red cards (their version of a store credit card). I know people there were getting 4 or 5 a day, while in my entire month and a half there, I might have gotten 4 or 5 total.[/QUOTE]

If I'd work there, I'd rather be a stocker or work in electronics.
 
[quote name='dopa345']In most places, it's a pain in the butt to fire someone since they have to make the time, effort and expense to hire a replacement and train who may end up just as bad or even worse.

So as long as the company overall is financially sound, unless you really screw up, you're probably fine, though you'll probably never really advance in your company.[/QUOTE]

Believe me, that won't stop an employer from dropping someone on a whim, especially in an at will state. Everyone is replaceable, regardless of how important you think you may be to a company.
 
careful getting fired if you dont have another job lined up. depending on your company they may fight you getting unemployment benefits.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Believe me, that won't stop an employer from dropping someone on a whim, especially in an at will state. Everyone is replaceable, regardless of how important you think you may be to a company.[/QUOTE]

Truth. They probably won't even hire someone new. They'll just shift the work around to the remaining employees so that they'll end up doing more and working harder for the same pay.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']careful getting fired if you dont have another job lined up. depending on your company they may fight you getting unemployment benefits.[/QUOTE]

Also quoted for truth. Being fired is different than being laid off. Being fired usually means some sort of wrongdoing on your part (like slacking) and there are no unemployment benefits for that.

In fact, I was laid off last summer, due to downsizing/budget cuts, and still had to fight for my benefits.
 
[quote name='ispeshaled']Truth. They probably won't even hire someone new. They'll just shift the work around to the remaining employees so that they'll end up doing more and working harder for the same pay.[/QUOTE]

Double truth. We have lost 3 people at my level in the past year where I work so we are down to 2 of us left. No replacements have been hired and I'm really busy. Oh, they also cut our pay by 15%. Go figure.
 
[quote name='javeryh']This is true to a point. I hate my job and I hate working in general but I also like sandwiches and video games - both of which require money to enjoy. If I start slacking I will get fired - there are no mediocre employees where I work and there certainly aren't any bad ones. They fire people at the drop of a hat - my buddy got fired over the phone while he was at the airport on the way to Hawaii for his honeymoon. I'd rather work a ton at a job I hate than be unemployed but to each their own...[/QUOTE]

I was half joking but you need to find a balance. You're probably making way more money than I am and if you work as hard as you say and the company is as you describe then you deserve it.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']I was half joking but you need to find a balance.[/QUOTE]

This is so true. I hope to find balance one day but it is tough.
 
[quote name='2DMention']If I'd work there, I'd rather be a stocker or work in electronics.[/QUOTE]

I liked electronics the two days I was back there, but I don't care for stocking. While it wasn't stocking persay, and was actually putting merchandise back on the shelves that people didn't want or whatever, I could never find the locations half the time. At least, not very easily. Frustrating, to say the least.
 
I think weve all become lazy sob's. before henry ford, everyone used to work weekends and were basically slaves to whomever they worked for. water had to be brought up from the river and eventually pumped by hand from a well. food had to be killed/grown by almost everyone in the population. hell, in the dark ages half the population didnt live past 13 years old. what a badass neolithic man must have been, what wusses we have become.
 
[quote name='JStryke']I liked electronics the two days I was back there, but I don't care for stocking. While it wasn't stocking persay, and was actually putting merchandise back on the shelves that people didn't want or whatever, I could never find the locations half the time. At least, not very easily. Frustrating, to say the least.[/QUOTE]

Where I worked at Walgreens, that was called "reshops". It's tough at first but I bet you'd know if you'd worked there awhile.

Double truth. We have lost 3 people at my level in the past year where I work so we are down to 2 of us left. No replacements have been hired and I'm really busy. Oh, they also cut our pay by 15%. Go figure.
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Triple truth. They're doing that at my work too. I'm taking on 1/2 of the job of someone who got laid off, and 3 other people are doing the same for people that got let go. They're getting promoted titles, but extra hours and no extra pay.
 
[quote name='2DMention']Where I worked at Walgreens, that was called "reshops". It's tough at first but I bet you'd know if you'd worked there awhile.[/QUOTE]

That's the word I was looking for. Was drawing a blank on it. What I meant was, I could find the section fine, just not the exact spot. And seeing how half the time I did reshop (not that it was often, but still), it was with books or movies or something similar. And when there's so many in such a small area, doesn't make it any easier. The other sections weren't too bad though iirc.
 
Never been fired. Anytime I have quit, they begged me to stay on. Most supervisors have told me that they will write any letters or anything they can help me with in the future. Same with most of my school professors. Once I worked with someone who felt threatened because I was such a hard worker and he tried to get me fired for being "lazy". The boss had a talk with me about it and decided the guy was probably lying. When my co-workers found out what happened, the boss got an earful for even discussing it with me because everyone knew I was the hardest working employee. The manager who tried to get me fired didn't last much longer there.

Yet for some reason I can't find a good job...
 
[quote name='javeryh']Double truth. We have lost 3 people at my level in the past year where I work so we are down to 2 of us left. No replacements have been hired and I'm really busy. Oh, they also cut our pay by 15%. Go figure.[/QUOTE]

If you don't mind, what is your position and what do you do?
 
In the lab you can only be fired for 3 things. (that I've seen)

1. Showing up Drunk.
2. Looking up other employees health information.
3. Stealing supplies/equipment.

And I've seen people fired for all 3.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']careful getting fired if you dont have another job lined up. depending on your company they may fight you getting unemployment benefits.[/QUOTE]

Unless you are fired for something serious (fighting, stealing, etc) it is not worth the trouble for the company to fight it.
 
[quote name='eldergamer'] 2.Looking up other employees health information. [/QUOTE]



Jesus, not that I condone #1 or #3 in any way, they're not all that surprising, but why on earth would someone do #2? Are people that nosy about the affairs of others?! Do people really have nothing better to do with their time while at work?

And on topic, I'm still looking for my first non-retail job (just graduated), but I've been told by peers/teachers that I'm one of the or the hardest working person they know. Hopefully this will reflect once I get a job. Unless someone really hates their job/is really apathetic, I have a hard time imagining someone getting fired due to being too lazy, especially given how bad the economy has been lately.
 
[quote name='eldergamer']In the lab you can only be fired for 3 things. (that I've seen)

1. Showing up Drunk.
2. Looking up other employees health information.
3. Stealing supplies/equipment.

And I've seen people fired for all 3.[/QUOTE]

My dad had a friend that was demoted for #1. They tried to force him out, but my Dad talked them into (after threatening legal action) got him demoted to Janitor.

In retail, it's very hard to get fired. There was this one douchebag supervisor who got fired at the Walgreens I worked. It took a call to the loss prevention hotline, but we finally got him for bitching at a co-worker in front of the customers, even though he should have been let go long before that for many other things.
 
[quote name='darkcecil32']Jesus, not that I condone #1 or #3 in any way, they're not all that surprising, but why on earth would someone do #2? Are people that nosy about the affairs of others?! Do people really have nothing better to do with their time while at work? [/QUOTE]


Its probably less about being nosy and more about a persons privacy. Meaning if you found out someone had an std or some weird disease it could potentially ruin their reputation or cause them "emotional" damage.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']Get a union job. Then you can be mediocre and thrive at it.[/QUOTE]They can be bad because you can end up on a shift you don't prefer early on.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']They can be bad because you can end up on a shift you don't prefer early on.[/QUOTE]

And if you don't have seniority, you're screwed.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Not yet but I could see it happening in the future. I work 12 hour days plus weekends, I haven't taken a full week off of work since July 2008 and I try to kiss everyone's ass but I'm probably still viewed as a slacker around here because everyone here is completely insane.[/QUOTE]

I often chuckle when people try to throw out how many hours they work. (nothing against you Javeryh) A standard day in my field starts at 12 hours, I average 12-17 hours a day.

Hell just today I got to work at 8 worked until 6 and have to be back at 10pm to work until 5 am. THEN get back to work at 10am the following day for a 12 hours run.It is all a breeze though because I am one of the few people who actual loves their job.

Being your own boss and having skills that people covet for the mother fucking win.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']I often chuckle when people try to throw out how many hours they work. (nothing against you Javeryh) A standard day in my field starts at 12 hours, I average 12-17 hours a day.

Hell just today I got to work at 8 worked until 6 and have to be back at 10pm to work until 5 am. THEN get back to work at 10am the following day for a 12 hours run.It is all a breeze though because I am one of the few people who actual loves their job.

Being your own boss and having skills that people covet for the mother fucking win.[/QUOTE]

You either own your own business or are a game developer.

When you work that many hours, you better like your job.

I think the only business of my own that I could stand would be a game store.
 
[quote name='darkcecil32']Jesus, not that I condone #1 or #3 in any way, they're not all that surprising, but why on earth would someone do #2? Are people that nosy about the affairs of others?! Do people really have nothing better to do with their time while at work? [/QUOTE]

In hospitals, it's a big problem. Now most have software that tracks which medical records you access and leaves a record.
 
[quote name='2DMention']You either own your own business or are a game developer.

When you work that many hours, you better like your job.

I think the only business of my own that I could stand would be a game store.[/QUOTE]

Actual I am a freelance Camera Man and Field Audio Engineer.

I have worked for NFL Films, MTV, BET, VH1, you name it I probably worked on it. But being a freelance means I set my own rate, hours, vacation everything.

Although, people always think because I am my own boss that I just work when I want....I actually have to work harder than anyone with a 9-5 because I dont know when/where my next gig is coming from.
 
[quote name='dopa345']In hospitals, it's a big problem. Now most have software that tracks which medical records you access and leaves a record.[/QUOTE]

I wish Facebook did this. Telling you who looks at what on your page.

Actual I am a freelance Camera Man and Field Audio Engineer.

I have worked for NFL Films, MTV, BET, VH1, you name it I probably worked on it. But being a freelance means I set my own rate, hours, vacation everything.

Although, people always think because I am my own boss that I just work when I want....I actually have to work harder than anyone with a 9-5 because I dont know when/where my next gig is coming from.
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That sounds like it would be a fun job. I bet you get to travel alot.

Must require shittons of networking to get your name out though. That's what would kill me about having my own business/freelance. I suck at that stuff. I don't even like talking on the phone.
 
[quote name='dopa345']In hospitals, it's a big problem. Now most have software that tracks which medical records you access and leaves a record.[/QUOTE]

Ah, should have realized that one.
 
[quote name='MorPhiend']Never been fired. Anytime I have quit, they begged me to stay on. Most supervisors have told me that they will write any letters or anything they can help me with in the future. Same with most of my school professors. Once I worked with someone who felt threatened because I was such a hard worker and he tried to get me fired for being "lazy". The boss had a talk with me about it and decided the guy was probably lying. When my co-workers found out what happened, the boss got an earful for even discussing it with me because everyone knew I was the hardest working employee. The manager who tried to get me fired didn't last much longer there.

Yet for some reason I can't find a good job...[/QUOTE]

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The first place I worked at was some grocery store which I think was owned by some mafia looking people. Anyway we got to bullshit a lot and if I didn't feel like doing work or there wasn't anything to do I'd stay on the clock but go next door over to circuit city and play some Mario Kart Wii or something like that for a half hour to an hour. Sometimes I'd go on shorter breaks without clocking out or buy my food first then punch out for lunch/break (those pricks gave me short hours which only granted me one 15 so fuck it).

I doubt it was my bad behavior (which seemed encouraged by other co-workers who bullshitted around like me) but I did get hours cut a lot shorter and got moved to work up front and eventually cut down to 1 day a week, 5 hours a day. They were trying to get rid of people and if they had known anything I've done they probably could have fired me but they waited for me to quit so I couldn't collect unemployment.
 
[quote name='Fortune_P_Dawg']I still have my job but I am an admitted mediocre employee. Hell, I'm at work right now and I'm talking to you people... I'm often late, I take extra long lunch breaks, and I sneak out 15 minutes early.

I dislike my job, so the thought of losing it doesn't exactly send chills down my spine. I have a mortgage payment, and car payment, a girlfriend, a school loan, and plenty other financial obligations. I also have a savings account that wouldn't last me more than a couple of months.

When I do consider the prospect of actually getting fired from my job, all I can think is that I'll actually have time to play and beat some of the awesome PS3 games I've amassed.[/QUOTE]

Well, maybe instead of posting on here you should look for another job you would like better while your still employed. Not trying to be offensive.

I know what you mean though. I worked security at a freaking place that did nothing but recieve kroger ads, then we had machines to fold them up and we shipped them out so needless to say during the night I was bored as shit and Ill admit, I half assed my job because of it. I had nothing motivating me and I didnt like it.

Only advice is get hurt or sexually harrased at work, or start looking for another job.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Believe me, that won't stop an employer from dropping someone on a whim, especially in an at will state. Everyone is replaceable, regardless of how important you think you may be to a company.[/QUOTE]

Mmmm-hmm. I got fired over hearsay I said and never really recovered. Unemployment is not fun despite what you workin' folks seem to think, and I'm very much less than a fan of people who don't appreciate their jobs regardless if how shitty it is because, quite frankly, I'd love to have it.
 
[quote name='darkslime']Thankfully, Mom buys my food and games, so I don't need a job. My job is eating and playing JRPGs in my well.[/QUOTE]
I hope you are young and don't live in your mom's basement. For your sake.

Anyway, I had the exact opposite happen to me a little over a year ago when I worked for Gamestop. I had worked for the company for about 5 years and started out as a part-timer and ended up as an Assistant Manger within two years. I consistently had the highest pre-order and Edge Card sales in the store and many times the entire district, won sales contests, went to meetings, set up events, etc. I basically ran the store because the store manager is an idiot, dumb ass that would make up ridiculous lies about how he had fought in the UFC at one point in his life. The guy also had no knowledge of any video game really past Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Well in one week I worked a shift, did a midnight launch for RE5 by myself and was there until 2 AM, went in the next day early at 8 AM for an early opening to sell RE5, and then I covered for the jackass SM who was "sick" the next day so I went in on my day off to work his shift, and then the icing on the cake was the next day when I walk into the store and start working and get called into the back and fired for texting on my phone at work. I know this is a common work place rule, but everyone else working at my store including the SM did this and it wasn't like I was ignoring customers or using my phone when I had customers or was busy.

I now have been collecting unemployment for over a year and can't find a job at all, let alone one that had the hours and pay Gamestop was giving me.
 
I've had an entry level tech support job for last five years. I would say that is mediocre, but I've had assistance from the company in keeping me mediocre.

I started the job with a BS in Computer Science and experience developing and testing software.

When I report a bug with internal or external software, I might as well hit the delete button because the bug isn't fixed or addressed.

When the company is looking for end user testing or thinking about releasing a product to the consumer, they actively deny any assistance anybody in tech support offers.

When the company has an internal position, it requires years of experience you can't get from tech support. The intermediate positions that would train somebody for the internal positions are only offered to contractors.

I know, look for another job, right?

When I apply for positions, the calls from recruiters can be paraphrased with "Would you give up your permanent job for a temporary position for 80-90% of your pay and neither benefits nor paid time off?"
 
When I was a teenager I worked at a local grocery store. I got fired for fighting once. When I went in to get my last check the assistant store manager who liked me (i dont know why) told me to tell him it wont happen again. I told him it wouldnt and he promptly hired me back. I wasnt a mediocre employee. The kid who I was fighting with didnt get hired back. He sucked.
 
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