We talk a ton about getting hired because of course that is the end goal for most of our students and if you’ve been frequenting our blog, it’s probably your end goal too. But it’s also important to consider what to do to avoid losing the job once you get it! And while some things are pretty obvious, others might be more subtle.
Getting fired is hardly the end of the world, though it can be very disruptive for a period of time. Sometimes it’s even a blessing – if the job was a poor fit, the company isn’t doing well, or you find that you are compromising your morals and beliefs more than you would like, getting let go may actually be a good thing in the long run. But it’s still not a desirable thing to have happen – it disrupts your income, creates something you then have to deal with in future interviews and can be a blow to your self esteem.
In this blog and the part 2, we will look at some things that could get you fired. Avoiding these things generally boils down to some simple soft skill management: time management, conflict resolution, problem solving, and some self-awareness.
Time Slips Away From You
This one is funny for me because technically, due to the buses, I was always 5-10 minutes late for work (and had to leave 5 minutes early because of the buses!) But I still lasted a decade so what gives?
Being chronically late for your shift, meetings, appointments and so on is generally very disruptive and is a common reason to be let go. It generally shows that you cannot manage your time or even have no respect for your workplace and coworkers. It interrupts workflow and erodes trust. So, being chronically late is a great reason for employers to let you go.
How can you manage it? Well, the easiest thing to do is schedule your time better so that you aren’t running late. Figure out the reasons why you run late and then account for them: traffic? Waking up too late in the morning? Losing track of your appointments and meetings? Figure it out and then figure out solutions.
But the other piece is simple communication. I communicated that due to my bus schedule, I would almost always be technically a little late. (Unless I walked to work in which case I’d be early, but this wouldn’t be feasible in a northern BC winter). Everyone knew my schedule and I was consistent. And I communicated this right away, ensuring that everyone knew.
Bullying
Everyone has horror stories about being bullied at work. This can come in the form of gossip, exclusion, intimidation or even just being overly negative all the time. Now, not all businesses are good about handling this, but the ones that are often come down like a ton of bricks on bullies and constant nay-sayers. And people are encouraged to ‘bring the receipts’ of bullying in the form of emails, texts, and social media, so it’s getting easier to bring proof.
You don’t have to like everyone you work with, but you do have to be professional. Failing to do so can get you fired.
Harassment may also fall under bullying, though it can also escalate, especially on the grounds of things like sexual harassment.
Public Insubordination
You can disagree with your boss or manager in private all you want (goodness knows I have), but calling someone out in public is a whole different barrel of fish. Outwardly a business strives to project the image that everyone is pulling together and there is no dissent. Cracking that or even publicly going against what your company is doing (even if you’re in the right) could get you fired. After all, you clearly don’t agree with what’s happening in the business, so why would they want to keep you around?
It’s important to note that whistle blowing is viewed differently under the law. Whistle-blowers do have legal protections for what they do, covered under things like The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (for public institutions) and the Canadian Armed Forces Disclosure Process (for the Armed Forces) as well as provincial protection laws for certain industries.
Sleeping During Work Hours
I mean, yes? Obviously?
We have all joked about taking a nap at 3pm but actually doing it may get you some concerned meetings if nothing else. Dozing off can mean you aren’t being very productive, or it can mean you have health issues. Some managers may also be concerned that you are doing too much outside of the workplace and it’s causing trouble for your responsibilities.
Now dozing off once in a while probably won’t do much more than get a concerned comment, but if you keep doing it, you should figure out why it’s happening and take steps to prevent it.
Lying on Your Resume
In particular, lying about critical credentials can get you fired fast. This comes up with specialized expertise in particular where it gets pretty obvious, pretty fast that you aren’t as trained as you said you were. Embellishing the training, certification, education, and experience you have almost always catch up with you in the end and is easy grounds for being fired. It can also mean it becomes harder for you to get another job as employers in industries tend to talk to each other.
Behaving in an Unsafe Fashion
This is another one that varies from business to business, but pretty well any business will have their protocols on safety. From safely working around heavy machinery, electrical infrastructure or out in the woods, to safely working around computers, snowy sidewalks, and ergonomics, businesses are concerned with safety, documentation, and tracking. Behaving in an unsafe fashion can get you fired pretty fast as you become a liability issue or even an outright danger to others.
Not Playing Well With Others
I will admit that I don’t play well with others. I will be professional, I’ll be helpful, I’ll be friendly, but not-so-secretly, I don’t mind working on my own. But there’s a difference between introverted, slightly autistic me and people who cannot communicate with each other or even actively sabotage each other. Companies expect that teams will at least be professional and get along under that umbrella to work towards the same goals. If communication breaks down or even goes foul, it can ruin productivity and positive feelings in the workplace and even lead to gossip and bullying. Workplaces will generally want to nip this to the bud and if there’s a regular pattern of you not working well with others, you may find yourself working with nobody at all.
Fighting
Violence is always a problem and of course it can easily get you knocked out the door. This is a career ender as it can lead to criminal charges. Violence also spooks customers, clients, and other coworkers, so there’s usually a nearly zero-tolerance policy around violence. Keep your fists to yourself and bring in a neutral third-party to mediate if you’re having that serious of problems with a coworker or someone else in the workplace.
A lot of these may seem pretty obvious, but for many people, some of these things might be a bit of a surprise (especially people new to the labour market). It’s important to be professional both on the workplace and to a certain extent off the work site to ensure that you aren’t fired over something silly – or worse.
