“You’re fired!”
We laugh when Donald Trump directs this famous phrase at a contestant on “The Apprentice” TV show. But, if it’s ever said to you, and it’s for cause, it’s not a laughing matter.
No one wants to be rejected and to have their wages end. But, when you’re let go for cause, it’s much worse. It means that some of the reasons for termination are your (the employee’s) fault, or that you did something to cause the firing.
A fired Denver woman shared her experiences and wisdom gained looking for another job. She isn’t identified with her real name.
Susan was a star performer at the bank where she worked, but was let go primarily because she didn’t get along with the boss. One cause of the turmoil was Susan’s struggle with grief after losing several close friends and relatives in succession.
At the time of her firing, she was receiving grief counseling. Susan was not offered a leave from work to grieve and mend at home. Nor was her boss sympathetic.
Instead, Susan was “written up” four times in five months, all for “questionable infractions,” such as throwing her coat. With the fourth infraction, she automatically was fired.
So, how do you (and Susan) find employment again when a company orders you out?
After taking a week to mend her composure and ego, Susan applied for unemployment benefits, as well as for dozens of banking jobs and temporary work. Prospective employers either did not respond or were curt. She believed it was because she told the truth on her applications about being let go by her previous employer.
*Why don’t I hide this?*
Susan began to wonder, “Why tell the truth?”
Here is the reason to come clean: If you lie on an application or in an interview, the new employer likely will hear the truth from the old employer. Then you no longer will be under consideration, and you could be fired – again – for falsifying your application.
How do prospective employers learn “the rest of the story”? They routinely contact workers’ past employers for a reference. Many companies have policies that allow managers or the human resources department to divulge a past employee’s job title, dates of employment and eligibility (or ineligibility) for rehire. Many managers, however, out of malice, share derogatory comments about fired employees to a prospective employer. Doing it in a phone call generally leaves no trace.
As for unemployment benefits, if you’re fired for cause, it’s much more difficult, perhaps impossible, to receive them. The firing company will be asked by the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment to submit information on the cause of a termination. Benefits usually are denied when the employer can prove the employee caused the termination.
There are ways, however, to turn the negatives into a positive. When an interviewer asks, “Tell me why you left your last job,” Susan, and others, can reply:
“I was dealing with some issues that had taken a toll on my personal and professional life. Things were becoming overwhelming and difficult to deal with on a daily basis. I sought out help on my own and was trying to resolve these issues.
*Now I’m ready to give 110 percent*
“However, during the time I was in counseling, I was, apparently, not progressing at a rate that was satisfactory to my employer. Due to the continuing conflicts at my job, the boss decided to let me go. Since then, I have continued my counseling, gotten back on track and am
ready to give you 110 percent effort.”
Good news. Within a few weeks and with the help of this solid explanation, Susan was hired through a temporary agency to work with a former employer who knew her excellent work ethic. She was kept on the job past the temp contract.
Before she landed the temporary job and after two appeals to receive unemployment, Susan was awarded full benefits because her former employer could not prove the allegations against her.
However, the boss who fired her (and subsequently also was fired) reappeared in Susan’s life. She e-mailed Susan to ask her to become her friend on Facebook. Susan ignored the request.
_Tim Coy, a graphic designer/writer in Creative Services at The Denver Post, has been fired twice. The last time was more than 29 years ago, so it appears he has figured it out._