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

[quote name='Survivalism']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]

yeap my parents lost their jobs 9 months back and its been bad for them... They put in 5 to 10 apps a week an noone ever calls them.

you might have a crappy job but at least you have a job and its going to get worse
 
You may not get fired for being a mediocre employee but eventually you could end up getting fired because they could get someone else to do it cheaper.

That's another reason it's important to bust your ass and advance, if you stay in the same entry-level position doing a mediocre job, especially if you're getting periodic raises, then at a certain point you're going to get fired to make way for some kid who's willing to work twice the time for half the pay.
 
[quote name='camoor']You may not get fired for being a mediocre employee but eventually you could end up getting fired because they could get someone else to do it cheaper.

That's another reason it's important to bust your ass and advance, if you stay in the same entry-level position doing a mediocre job, especially if you're getting periodic raises, then at a certain point you're going to get fired to make way for some kid who's willing to work twice the time for half the pay.[/QUOTE]

Yup. This is a HUGE problem in my field right now. There are thousands of unemployed attorneys right now and senior guys are more than willing to take junior positions at junior salaries just to have work. If you could hire a guy with 10 years experience for a job that only required 3 or 4 (but for the 3 or 4 years experience salary) wouldn't you do it?
 
Javery, just a question out of curiosity, does your wife work? I know daycare is expensive as fuck and I am just wondering if she stays at home or not considering you make good money.
 
[quote name='2DMention']If I'd work there, I'd rather be a stocker or work in electronics.[/QUOTE]

I worked at Target for a few months. If you're a stocker they cross-train you to be a cashier so they can call you up there every 15 minutes when the cashiers can't handle the lines. Stocking itself wasn't hard, but that made it a pain. And forget electronics. Check out most department stores you go to and you'll notice 90% of the time that only nerds are in the electronics and they stay put in there. It'll take you about a year of working in other departments to get there and who actually wants to work at a department store that long?

[quote name='crunchb3rry']Get a union job. Then you can be mediocre and thrive at it.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='The Mana Knight']They can be bad because you can end up on a shift you don't prefer early on.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='2DMention']And if you don't have seniority, you're screwed.[/QUOTE]

When I first got out of high school I worked with union guys. Holy hell, those bastards can stretch a 3 hour job to 8 with no problem. And on top of that the guys I was working with were making 20+ an hour. Seniority at that place just meant you didn't get first pick of jobs to do, but none of them were very hard. I didn't stay at that job too long because when I work, no matter how crappy the job, I do what is expected of me at the very least. Union work was just too dishonest for me. Of course, now that I have a wife, a kid, and a ton of bills, I feel I could've done dishonest.
 
[quote name='gargus']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]


Or quit and take several months off at the expense of my savings. :cool:

However I do collect rent... I always forget about that. When I bought a house, I bought a big, cheap, brick, 122 year old, three story monstrosity in the middle of the ghetto. I rent bedrooms out for $200 a month; yay, another income source I forgot about.
 
[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]

Actually, yes. And there are alot of nosy, gossipy co-workers.
 
[quote name='darkcecil32']Get a union job. Then you can be mediocre and thrive at it.[/QUOTE]
Right here. We just negotiated contracts so I am good to go for a few years of goofing off.
[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]
Aye. I used to work in a hopsital lab and saw a buddy get fired because he looked up the results of his wife's pregnancy test. If he had just called the floor they would have read him the results and he would have kept his job. Protocol can be a real bitch sometimes.
[quote name='MorPhiend']Yet for some reason I can't find a good job...[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately those kinds of qualities don't really translate well to a resume. They'll certainly help if you have a friend or former co-worker who can get your foot in the door at a new job but there's just no way for a recruiter to weed out which employees are going to turn out well. I go through 100+ apps a week and it's a crapshoot.
 
I'm almost the opposite -- I'm the hardest worker there (which everyone acknowledges), but since I'm only a consultant, and everyone else there are state employees, I'm the one constantly in jeopardy of being let go :roll:
 
[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 refuse to kiss any ass at work. I'm only 19, but fuck that. I'll be nice and do my work, but screw them if they think I'm going out of my way for them. Then can kiss MY ass. But, to each their own. I also don't ever plan on moving up anywhere.

Also, I try to work hard, but there's hardly ever any work, so I usually just end up driving around a lot. And when I do get work, I have to take it slow to make it last long. :/ So I guess I'm kind of mediocre, but not by choice. I haven't been late in my 3 years there though. :D

Also, it might help to add that I work for the government, so NOBODY gets fired unless somebody up top doesn't like you. It doesn't matter what kind of worker you are, you stay until somebody doesn't like you any more.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Javery, just a question out of curiosity, does your wife work? I know daycare is expensive as fuck and I am just wondering if she stays at home or not considering you make good money.[/QUOTE]

She works part time and on her schedule (about 2 days a week) and then like crazy during tax season (6-7 days a week). It works out great and if there's one nice thing about my job it's that I make enough so she doesn't have to work and we don't have to send the kids to daycare.

[quote name='Access_Denied']I refuse to kiss any ass at work. I'm only 19, but fuck that. I'll be nice and do my work, but screw them if they think I'm going out of my way for them. Then can kiss MY ass. But, to each their own. I also don't ever plan on moving up anywhere.
[/QUOTE]

Ahhhh, to be 19. I was like you once - there was no way I was ever going to kiss anyone's ass and I didn't give a shit what anyone thought. Then real life happened.
 
yes im a medicore employee. since im 18 and work at burger king i dont give a fuck if they think im a medicore employe becuase they expect you to work like dogs and dont give ANYONE raises. ive been there since i was 16 and still not a single raise. i used to work real hard when i first started there but once i realized the corp i work for is a cheap piece of shit, i try to do as little work as possible while im there. as soon as i get a job at a real company after i finish college, i will bust my ass for them for the money i will be making
 
[quote name='wwe101']yes im a medicore employee. since im 18 and work at burger king i dont give a fuck if they think im a medicore employe becuase they expect you to work like dogs and dont give ANYONE raises. ive been there since i was 16 and still not a single raise. i used to work real hard when i first started there but once i realized the corp i work for is a cheap piece of shit, i try to do as little work as possible while im there. as soon as i get a job at a real company after i finish college, i will bust my ass for them for the money i will be making[/QUOTE]

You should definitely get as close to a real job while in college. Internships, especially in whatever field you're going in, will give you a boost over many graduates.
 
[quote name='javeryh']She works part time and on her schedule (about 2 days a week) and then like crazy during tax season (6-7 days a week). It works out great and if there's one nice thing about my job it's that I make enough so she doesn't have to work and we don't have to send the kids to daycare.
[/QUOTE]

Ah yes, that's right, she's a CPA. One of the great things I like about my employer is that once you've worked for a few years they're very open to flexible schedules. We got a few mothers in the office and one of them works 3 days of the week, one works till 3PM everyday, and I'm not sure about the other one since she's in tax, but I think she only works a few days a week herself. And then of course, if you go into the business yourself (like your wife I assume), you set your own hours. :lol:
 
I was really burnt out at my current job but reading through this thread made me much more appreciative. Thanks to a strong union we don't get fucked around as much as a lot of people on here. This thread also reminds me of a great book "Sabotage In The American Workplace". Check it out.
 
I'm no mediocre employee, but I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of mediocre employees that somehow hold onto their jobs where I work.

Oh, and while I was mediocre if you went by the numbers when I worked as a cashier, customers loved me because I gave their groceries attention (read: not crushing the hell out of everything) instead of going for the 100% cashier performance rating. In fact, I never "achieved" that rating. The front end manager would try to send people to a different register that just opened up with a faster cashier, but more often than not, they stayed at my register because I didn't wreck their food.
 
When I was working at THQ (the second time/summer) I did absolutely nothing for an entire month. You are suppose to have around 20-30 bugs a day and I had 2 bugs a week. My testing row would just talk, play multiplayer or I would play other games on the 360. On one 12 hour work day I played the game we were suppose to be testing for around 30 minutes and finished a bunch of XBLA games. I even took a 3 hour paid break (went home and ate a sandwich). We had to have a meeting about how horrible we all were. Eventually I just stopped showing up... worst employee ever.

But, main reason was because THQ was planning on firing the entire QA department because it is cheaper to do it in Texas. So everyone eventually gave up trying...
 
[quote name='Access_Denied']I refuse to kiss any ass at work. I'm only 19, but fuck that. I'll be nice and do my work, but screw them if they think I'm going out of my way for them. Then can kiss MY ass. But, to each their own. I also don't ever plan on moving up anywhere[/QUOTE]

You don't get participation trophies in real life, kid.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']When I was working at THQ (the second time/summer) I did absolutely nothing for an entire month. You are suppose to have around 20-30 bugs a day and I had 2 bugs a week. My testing row would just talk, play multiplayer or I would play other games on the 360. On one 12 hour work day I played the game we were suppose to be testing for around 30 minutes and finished a bunch of XBLA games. I even took a 3 hour paid break (went home and ate a sandwich). We had to have a meeting about how horrible we all were. Eventually I just stopped showing up... worst employee ever.

But, main reason was because THQ was planning on firing the entire QA department because it is cheaper to do it in Texas. So everyone eventually gave up trying...[/QUOTE]

If you're a diamond in the rough they'll find a way to keep you. That's a hard business to crack into, it's like Hollywood but without the unions, I don't think you were too bright but it's your life.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']When I was working at THQ (the second time/summer) I did absolutely nothing for an entire month. You are suppose to have around 20-30 bugs a day and I had 2 bugs a week. My testing row would just talk, play multiplayer or I would play other games on the 360. On one 12 hour work day I played the game we were suppose to be testing for around 30 minutes and finished a bunch of XBLA games. I even took a 3 hour paid break (went home and ate a sandwich). We had to have a meeting about how horrible we all were. Eventually I just stopped showing up... worst employee ever.

But, main reason was because THQ was planning on firing the entire QA department because it is cheaper to do it in Texas. So everyone eventually gave up trying...[/QUOTE]

No wonder why their games suck ass.
 
[quote name='camoor']You don't get participation trophies in real life, kid.[/QUOTE]

I don't really care. If I doomed to stay at the bottom of the ladder all my life, that's fine by me. I'd rather be at the bottom of the ladder than under someone's desk. I'll never go anywhere anyway. I'm too smart and too hard of a worker. In the real world, only lazy dumb asses get promoted.
 
[quote name='ispeshaled']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. [/QUOTE]

I don't think that's entirely true. My friends mom got fired from McDonalds right before Christmas of 08 for racist comments. She got unemployment right after that. Then she got a job at a gas station and was fired within weeks for being dumb enough to fall for a phone scam where a guy was scoring prepaid Visa cards, and she got unemployment after that too. Yes, I realize she's an absolute moron and doesn't deserve a penny. And granted, I have no idea how unemployment works, but how is it possible someone is still able to collect almost a year and a half after their last job? The economy is bad, but it isn't THAT bad for someone perfectly content working shit jobs.
 
[quote name='camoor']If you're a diamond in the rough they'll find a way to keep you. That's a hard business to crack into, it's like Hollywood but without the unions, I don't think you were too bright but it's your life.[/QUOTE]

Haha yea, my dream was to work at THQ for the rest of my life... It was a crap summer job because I needed an extra bit of money. And seeing as they fired 100% of their QA department, I'm pretty sure there would be absolutely no way you could be "kept". I'm pretty sure you don't fully understand Quality Assurance (with Publishers).

And hey, this thread is about posting the job you put the least amount of effort into. I'm not going into the Fastfood threads calling people fat.
 
[quote name='opterasis']I don't think that's entirely true. My friends mom got fired from McDonalds right before Christmas of 08 for racist comments. She got unemployment right after that. Then she got a job at a gas station and was fired within weeks for being dumb enough to fall for a phone scam where a guy was scoring prepaid Visa cards, and she got unemployment after that too. Yes, I realize she's an absolute moron and doesn't deserve a penny. And granted, I have no idea how unemployment works, but how is it possible someone is still able to collect almost a year and a half after their last job? The economy is bad, but it isn't THAT bad for someone perfectly content working shit jobs.[/QUOTE]

We have a shitty unemployment office that doesn't check up on their cases, they just stamp the paper 'Approved' and move on with their day. My cousin was laid off an has been collecting unemployment for over a year, and hasn't even made an attempt at looking for a job. The unemployment office needs to do their job and start pulling people's benefits.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Haha yea, my dream was to work at THQ for the rest of my life... It was a crap summer job because I needed an extra bit of money. And seeing as they fired 100% of their QA department, I'm pretty sure there would be absolutely no way you could be "kept". I'm pretty sure you don't fully understand Quality Assurance (with Publishers).

And hey, this thread is about posting the job you put the least amount of effort into. I'm not going into the Fastfood threads calling people fat.[/QUOTE]
A lot people seem to think QA jobs at publishers are like the movie Grandma's Boy. I would have done the same thing in your position. Testing games is one of the worst jobs in the business.
 
What a coincidence, days after this thread came to existence my grocery manager has a meeting with all the stock crew talking about mediocre-ness or not doing all of what we're supposed to do. He had to read off some papers he handed out and had us sign that we read it. When he was explaining the situation of people clocking in and leaving without saying hello or good bye he specifically talks to me because I always leave when my time is up (I get picked up and live half an hour away so no I will not stay another half hour to a hour).

Whatever though I get my diploma soon and will never get another low paying/barely paying the bills and rent shithole job like working at a grocery store or some shit. I've got better opportunities to look forward to and will take advantage of the situation. So yeah it looks as if I'll either possibly get fired or quit, one or the other.
 
Yeah....its always give and take.

I have never intentionally been mediocre at anything but like AndrewCP when I was about to graduate college I was very much a, "just do my job and go home," type of guy. I completely understand the game of Retail as they pay everyone jack shit but use the scare tactics to try and get all the employees to work harder.

I am a big get what you pay for guy. If you want someone to work harder pay them more money bottom line. Now that isnt a reason to be a screw up but that is the reason why I just do my job and leave.
 
I forgot all about this, but.....we had a guy get fired recently for being a mediocre employee. He was always slacking off and not showing up. His boss saved his job for him about 3 times, but then finally fired him. They scraped his base sticker off of his car, took his ID and had the police escort him off the property. :/
 
[quote name='Access_Denied']I forgot all about this, but.....we had a guy get fired recently for being a mediocre employee. He was always slacking off and not showing up. His boss saved his job for him about 3 times, but then finally fired him. They scraped his base sticker off of his car, took his ID and had the police escort him off the property. :/[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't consider that a "mediocre" employee. If you don't show up to work on a regular basis, you're a bad employee and should be fired.
 
[quote name='dopa345']I wouldn't consider that a "mediocre" employee. If you don't show up to work on a regular basis, you're a bad employee and should be fired.[/QUOTE]

Normally that's true, but I put him under the mediocre category because he always had leave to cover himself. But as many of us know, just because you have leave, doesn't mean you can take off.
 
I work for the Government. As long as I don't shoot, sexually harass, or murder anyone (on the clock anyway) I'm probably good.
 
There's a guy at work that is back working on a volunteer basis after being laid off by us.

It must be as tough as they say it is out there, or this guy is really desperate.
 
I'm in public service/government type work as well, so it is nearly impossible to get fired unless I royally screw up then lie about screwing up on top of that.

- Jason
 
Nope. I'm far from mediocre either. The way I see it is if I get my work done and have the time I'm entitled to do what I want.
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']Nope. I'm far from mediocre either. The way I see it is if I get my work done and have the time I'm entitled to do what I want.[/QUOTE]

That's the way I see it.

As long as you get your work done, what difference does it make?
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']Nope. I'm far from mediocre either. The way I see it is if I get my work done and have the time I'm entitled to do what I want.[/QUOTE]

It's the perception it creates. Employers like to see employees with a small amount of ambition. That person who's wiping off the counters is always regarded as a harder worker than the guy who finished early and is reading a magazine.
 
Here I am browsing the CAG boards while I'm at work. So yeah, I think that's a definite. I've never had a job that I've felt was important enough to care, though. I'll say this much, when I am actually doing work, I do a phenomenal-ass job. I just... like to take more breaks than we're allotted.

Honestly, though. I'm not in this for the long haul, I have no idea where life is taking me, but as it stands I have no obligations and no real prospects. It may seem bleak to you, but to me it's just freedom. We're all gonna die someday, there are more important things than work.
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']Nope. I'm far from mediocre either. The way I see it is if I get my work done and have the time I'm entitled to do what I want.[/QUOTE]

Depends on what you do. If you're a burger flipper then have at it. If you do anything white collar, instead of slacking off on the company dime go back and peer review your work because chances are you missed something (noone's perfect).
 
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