Three weeks ago, I finally got a job. Last week, I was fired!

[Kat45]

I couldn't believe it. The job involved extreme detail work with lots of forms and types of data to learn about. They said I wasn't productive enough, I didn't have as much down as they would expect me to in three weeks. That's absurd. The job was presented as having a six-month probationary period, not three weeks!

This totally screws me up! I can't collect unemployment and I'm terrified about the health insurance situation. I hope I'll be able to do cobra; I think it will be extremely expensive. I thought I finally had my act together and had found a workplace I could stay at for the rest of my working days, and here I am again back having to find a job--and find one fast, since I'll have no money coming in at all. This sucks.

[graywarrior]

1. Sorry to hear that.

Wish I could do something for you.

[Kat45]

3. Thanks.

Getting fired in three weeks is totally absurd, IMHO. As a friend of mine said, it's not like I did anything wrong (per company policy).

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. I'm sorry to hear that.

Good luck in finding something better.

[Kat45]

5. Thank you.

I hope I can find better, but that can be tough to do when speed is a factor.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

7. Maybe you could try a temp agency.

Obviously, it may not work long-term, but it will keep the money flowing for the time being.

[Kat45]

8. Yeah, I might have to do that.

And I hate temping. I've done it a couple of times before.

[Digit]

4. So sorry to hear that!

Wow, talk about not being given a chance!
Get right on finding a new and better position with better pay.
I hope you find it, or it finds YOU, soon!
:hug:

[Kat45]

6. Thanks. I hope so too.

Everyone I've told thus far can't believe they'd fire someone so fast. :shrug:

[KitchenWitch]

9. I am so sorry - that really sucks!

No one deserves that.

[Kat45]

10. Thank you, KW.

It does really suck. Screws up your life in a New York minute.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. My dear notmyprez......

All my good lounge vibes and mojo are heading your way, right now.....

This is really awful news......How dare they?

You will find something better, and fast, I can feel it!

:hug:

[Kat45]

13. I hope you're right, California Peggy..

Though sometimes when one needs something fast one has to sacrifice finding something 'better', if you know what I mean. Thanks for the vibes, and "how dare they" is right! Thanks for the hugs. :hug: back at you.

[Nicole]

12. Hope you can find something better soon

That does suck, it sounds like they never gave you a chance.

[Kat45]

14. Thank you. I hope so too.

[Left Is Write]

15. I'm sorry!

:hug:

[Kat45]

16. Thank you.

:hug: back at you.

[wildhorses]

17. are you sure you won't be able to file for unemployment??

i would go talk to them....

:hug:

[Kat45]

18. I got laid off a year ago and just finished running through my unemployment

When there was no more left, they sent a letter saying I could apply again in April (I think), but in order to collect, one has to have been working for x number of months out of the past 12 months. And since I've been looking for a job for the past year (rather than working), I'm not eligible.

[wildhorses]

23. that sucks---

:hug:

[haele]

19. I'm sorry to hear that -

That was a really shitty thing to do - if you had a six-month probationary period, and it's down in writing that this position required one, there's something really fishy going on. I've never been hired, nor have I hired anyone then subsequently fired before the probationary period was over, no matter how slow or unqualified myself or that person may have been in the beginning.
I may have transferred or "quit" after finding a new position after I discovered I had applied for a position several levels above my skills - or have counseled another employee to start looking elsewhere in a similar situation, but I have never ever known of anyone to be fired or laid off without some sort of serious cause - like theft, disrupting behavior or bankruptcy of company - before the end of a probationary period.

Personally, it sounds as if they were too chicken shit to be straight with you or contractually obligated not to hire a temp while they waited for a person they actually wanted to be freed up. Even if they were contractually obligated not to hire a temp, they should have at least given you a heads up two week notice or had a similar position for you to transition to when they got who they really wanted.

And that sucks - that's not the type of company anyone should want to work for. If I knew they had pull shit like that on someone who was hired temporarily for "my position", I would be very, very hard pressed to actually accept working for them - they would have to be the only employer left in town and me desperate for any job to take a position with them.

I'm wishing you luck to find a new, better job before the end of the week.

Haele

[Kat45]

20. And this place was a non-profit--you don't expect this sort of behavior from them.

And even more strange, they still have openings, they're quite short-handed. You'd think that having me there working a little slower than they'd like and asking a few more questions than they'd like would still be better than not having anyone to do that work. :shrug:

[haele]

22. Hmmm - sounds like a manager problem.

Are there other managers with other or similar positions open within the operation? If it's a matter of who your manager is and what the jerk thinks it requires, you might want to check with some of of the other managers - or some of the other senior employees about options or departments you might be able to transfer to.

Did HR have anything to do with your firing? Check with what they have in writing concerning your employment contract. If it's a verbal "don't come back" from your manager with no performance evaluation on record prior to the firing, you might be able to stay "employed" while looking for another job on a potential breech of contract suit for at least two weeks and at best, the probationary period, so you can at least recover some of your quarters for unemployment if you can't find anything better. Even "work at will" states have rules for probationary periods and lay-offs - mainly because they don't want to overburden their unemployment and medical supplement programs. Most people - and many employers - don't understand levels of employment categories, contracts, and who can and can't just be let go without any sort of cause or timely notice.

Right now, it's a bit of a shock - suddenly losing a job is one of the five most stressful things that can happen to a person.
But there could still be options through the company that won't bite you on the ass and keep your head above water if you cultivate a little patience to put up with management bullshit while you look for something better.

Bring up the "many job openings" to HR. If you're qualified - or even overqualified - for any of them, some states require that you be offered a chance at them prior to being let go. To tide you over until you get a better job, you might have to take a bit of a pay cut to get a position that might require a bit less speed, but that's probably better than unemployment and loss of benefits at this point in the game.

Again, good luck.

Haele

[Kat45]

25. Believe it or not, this company doesn't have an HR department.

This job I was in is "entry-level" and basically everyone who works there has to start in it. The other openings they have are for the same position. It is "work at will." The day before they fired me, I had a meeting with the person above me and the one who trained me. They said it was to go over how I was doing in the job. I took it to be a learning tool and was honest about the things I still didn't quite understand, figuring those are the things we would work on. Later that day, I was presented with a piece of paper that spelled out the things we talked about (in terms like 'my name' doesn't understand this, etc.). I had to sign the paper. I was a bit concerned when that happened since, the way it was done, the paper didn't present a flattering picture. But I still didn't think they would be planning to fire someone that quickly.

When I had to meet with the dept manager the next day (to get fired), she told me that they can tell in three weeks if someone will be good at the job or not. She said those folks had trained a lot of people, who got it in three weeks, and she trusted their judgment. She said the three-week thing is how they always do it. The two who had made the decision (those I met with the day before) were conveniently in a meeting at the time, so I had no opportunity to confront them or argue my case.

[TorchTheWitch]

21. SOP for "we found somebody cheaper than you"

Seriously... that's what it was. Companies routinely continue to shop your job after they hire you in case they find someone that will do it for less.

Good luck with finding something else. Sucks when they pull that crap, huh? Happened to me a couple times.

[Kat45]

26. That happens a lot, I know, but wasn't the case here.

They had, and still have, other openings for the same job and they're short-handed now. Yes, it does suck. Sorry that it has happened to you too.

[Sequoia]

24. That's pretty sad.

Sorry. I'm sure they must do this to all who were in this job just to avoid paying unemployment.

[Kat45]

27. Thanks.

You're probably right about that.