12 crazy ways employees are sacked
When you work hard at a job that you love the worst possible words you can hear are ‘you’re sacked’. To be dismissed or sacked from any job can be heartbreaking or extremely anxiety-inducing. But if you’re sacked for something trivial, sometimes you just have to laugh. Below are some of the crazy reasons people have been dismissed. You’re Dismissed! 12 crazy ways employees are sacked is compulsory reading
Killer Raisin
A lady tripped over at a movie theatre and broke her hip. In the panic, the lady starts screaming that she tripped on a chocolate covered raisin and that the theatre should pay. The new manager decided that someone would pay. He called the employee on shift into his office and suspended him to make the woman feel better. But the employee wasn’t having it. He decided to tip a whole box of chocolate covered raisins on the floor and started stomping on them. He yelled, “do you see this?! It’s impossible to trip on a raisin!”
He was sacked on the spot but claims it was worth it. It definitely would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall for that encounter!
Super Mum
A fast-food chain employee was dismissed on the spot for stealing $300 from the register. Of course, this was with no proof, no video footage, and every chance it could have been any employee in the store. The 17-year-old goes home and tells their mum who decides that justice against this fast-food chain will be done. She took the case to court and won over $7000 in the process! Turns out it was the manager that terminated the 17-year-old who actually stole the money. Who would have figured?
Turn off your camera, now you’re dismissed
One department head locked himself in the conference room with an office admin… turns out the teleconferencing system was still on. The session was broadcasted live to head office. After working from home for the past two years everyone should know how to turn off their camera… Its not uncommon in the world of teleconference and Teams to go on holidays and say your still working to save using up your holiday pay. If your found out you will be sacked.
Stolen Game
A small video game store had a $50 game stolen from them. The store owner then proceeded to tell the employees on shift that the price of the game would be coming out of their wages. The employee told the owner, “just because someone stole from you, doesn’t give you the right to steal from me.” Turns out the next thing the owner did was steal his job from him. The employee excised him workplace rights. They pursued a claim in the Fair work Commission and got $15,000.
Petrol Station Mishap
An employee was working at a petrol station where it was common for people to just drive through it as a shortcut to avoid traffic lights. One car started driving through then stopped as if they were waiting. The customer then eventually pulled into a spot to fill their car. Apparently, this wasn’t good customer service. The manager started yelling at the employee for not waving the customer through to the pump. The manager screamed, in front of the customer, “I think you should learn to use your brain a little better.” The employee responded, “I think you should stop being such an a****** to your employees in front of customers.” He was let go on the spot but sounds like he dodged a bullet.
Hit and Run
A fast-food employee had a blind customer who would come over for lunch most days from his apartment across the street. One day this man got hit by a car on his way over to the restaurant. The employee dropped the food he was carrying and started running over to the man while screaming he needed help. The boss yelled after the employee that he was dismissed if he left the restaurant. The employee kept running to try and save this man’s life. Sadly, the man passed away, however, the employee was rehired 30 minutes later when the boss realised how bad he looked by dismissing him in a literal life-or-death situation.
Dodgy Computers
After being employed in a new IT position at a technology shop, the employee was told to install some illegal software onto the business machines. The employee refused and the owner said, “if you don’t install that software, consider yourself fired.” The employee said, “works for me” and walked out. Here’s the twist, the employee called up the business’ head office, informed them about the illegal activity and the business dismissed the owner as their IT contractor straight away!
Missed Shift, you’re dismissed
After being newly hired an employee made sure they wrote down their schedule so that they’d know when they are working. They were not rostered on for Thursday. The employee shows up to work Friday morning as usual. The manager asks what they’re doing there and that they’d already hired someone since the employee didn’t show up to their shift the day before. The employee shows him the schedule and says that he didn’t have a shift the day before, and if he did, why wasn’t he called? The manager just said that they should know their schedule by now and that they were dismissed.
Red and Khaki
A Target employee was working in a not-red-enough shirt according to his manager. The manager told the employee to make sure he was wearing the proper red and khaki uniform for his next shift. The employee came into work the next day wearing red pants and a khaki shirt… so technically the correct colours. He was dismissed straight away; it was probably worth the laugh though.
Factory Madness
An employee was sweeping floors at a factory. The manager was constantly sexually harassing the women that worked at the factory. The manager then patted his (big) stomach and said, “good tools are stored under a roof.” The employee replied, “nothing grows in that shadow.” That was his last day at the factory. Witty, but it cost him his job.
Music Store Camera
A small locally owned music store employed a few part-time university students as sales assistants. While they all liked their job, they occasionally complained about being at work, saying the typical, “I want to go home” or “I’m so tired”. Well, one morning two employees were casually complaining about work while having a conversation about their lives. The next day one of them was dismissed for ‘not being a team player’. Turns out the store had cameras that could pick up audio and the boss had been listening to his employee’s conversations. Just a little bit creepy… Technology has advanced, it used to be surveillance cameras were not sophisticated enough to pick up sound or were simply too expensive, That is changing, careful what you say!
Dating Problems
While working as a delivery driver for a pizza place an employee got jumped by his ex-girlfriend. She literally jumped on his back and kicked and punched him until he managed to escape to his locked car. The driver called the police, got a restraining order and walked back inside to his job. Instead of being asked, “are you ok?”, he was dismissed for not keeping his personal business out of work. He hadn’t even seen his ex-girlfriend for six months!
Conclusion to You’re Dismissed! 12 crazy ways employees are sacked
Clearly, some of these employers don’t know or care about fair work laws! While some of these people found the whole situation funny, it’s still important to know your rights as an employee. That way if an employer takes advantage of you, you can stand up for yourself! Dismissing someone on the spot for a passing comment or for missing one shift is definitely not cause for dismissal. Additionally, speaking up for yourself about mistreatment in the workplace cannot result in dismissal. If you are dismissed in either of these circumstances, then you may be able to take your case to the Fair Work Commission!
We are A Whole New Approach P/L, the nations leading workplace advisors. We are not lawyers, we are not a law firm. All Fair work Australia matters, workplace investigations, abandonment of employment, probation period issues, workers rights, casual employment concerns, call us. Advice is free, prompt and confidential, 1800 333 666
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