'Just got fired with no explanation': Man questions the legality of his seemingly random verbal termination

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Stephanie Harper
Aug 1, 2023 1:00 PM EDT

What do you do if you get fired from a job in an unexpected manner? One man took to Reddit to describe his current situation, which sounds super problematic from an outsider's perspective. He explained that he finally found a job he would consider decent, but he ended up getting fired without any real explanation. 

His boss fired him without any warning by simply telling him that he couldn't come back. OP explained that he was on the schedule to work the following day, but now he doesn't have a job to show up to. He's now feeling stressed out about how he'll be able to pay his rent. For a while, he thought his boss with someone who genuinely cared about his employees. 

Now, he realizes that he might've been wrong all along. He explained that one of the possible reasons he could've been given the boot is that he had to leave work early twice, and he takes bathroom breaks at least once every hour due to chronic illnesses he is dealing with. His boss knows about his illnesses, which means the boss is fully aware that OP wasn't just running off to the bathroom on a frequent basis for no reason at all. 

People in the Reddit thread have responded with their own personal accounts of seemingly random termination from jobs. Others have been chiming in with their own insightful advice.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/circesporkroast 5 hours ago Finally found a decent job. Just got fired with no explanation. My boss just fired me last night with no explanation or warning. Just told me not to come back. I was supposed to work tomorrow and now I don't have a job and I don't even know why. s
    via u/circesporkroast
  • 02
    Font - Just got told I "wasn't a good fit" after four months working and now I don't know how I'll afford rent. This was a boss that I thought actually cared about his employees. Up until now I had been thinking I was so lucky to have finally found a job that treats me like a person.
    via u/circesporkroast
  • 03
    Font - I love how the laws in the US make this completely legal. I guess even the "good" bosses really don't give a shit about us, huh. Edit: to the people saying I should get it in writing, how? I feel awkward writing an email just saying "Hey I know you verbally fired me yesterday but can you please confirm that I am
    via u/circesporkroast
  • 04
    Font - actually fired?" Idk how to proceed here. This is a small business and there is no HR. My boss is the owner. Another edit: people keep commenting "this must not be the full story" Guys, I promise it is. Up until yesterday I thought I was a pretty good employee. I knew how to do my job, I showed up consistently, I worked well with my
    via u/circesporkroast
  • 05
    Font - coworkers, and customers regularly gave me good feedback. And the store is currently understaffed. I have several chronic illnesses that have forced me to leave work early a 2 times and take semi frequent bathroom breaks (like once an hour or so). My boss is aware of my illnesses. However I have no evidence that this is the reason I was fired and if it was I'll never get him to admit it.
    via u/circesporkroast
  • 06
    Font - swordstool. 5 hr. ago File for unemployment right away. 1.9k Reply Share GhettoDuk 3 hr. ago ● ●●● If you file, (in most states) they have to respond with the reason you were terminated.
    via u/swordstool & u/ghettoduk
  • 07
    Font - AZ Onk Bawjawz69 45 min. ago Yes, I don't have many things to say that are positive when it comes to my state's unemployment agency, but they will absolutely stick it to any business that gets even a little bit out of line when those businesses lay off or fire employees. I'm 2-0 in unemployment appeals
    via u/bawjawz69
  • 08
    Font - hearings and it had absolutely nothing to do with me being ready or intelligent. If there are any of you out there reading this, thank you. Y'all do a great job making sure employers don't walk all over their former employees. Vote Reply Share
    via u/bawjawz69
  • 09
    Font - NoPerformance6534 Here's a laugh: Long ago, I was fired for no apparent reason. I applied for unemployment, and when queried, the business said I had shown "strange and bizarre behavior". I had no clue what they could've been talking about, since at that time, I was outwardly very ● 50 min. ago
    via u/noperformance6534
  • 10
    Font - vanilla. I was called into the unemployment office to discuss the matter, so I related the only incident I could think of that could remotely be considered as such. I did some work for a prop factory before this job, and I had one of the prop scifi rifles in my car trunk. Spoke about it once at lunch and other employees
    via u/noperformance6534
  • 11
    Font - got excited and wanted see it. I brought it into the break room and they all liked it and enjoyed stories of how it was made. AFAIK, management wasn't around when I did this. That was the only thing I could imagine they were referring to. Anyway, they lost their bid to deny me unemployment, and I got the last laugh.
    via u/noperformance6534
  • 12
    Font - glumgass 1 hr. ago Maybe the boss is actually really nice and stating op wasn't a good fit was maybe because they are bad at their job? It's just not true that places are firing their best workers. OP might be a bad fit for the team, or not effective enough. There is always a reason that someone is let go (bad worker, bad fit for the team, budget concerns).
    via u/glumgass
  • 13
    Font - Madhatter25224 44 min. ago ● Nah thats all but it. Any good boss will work with you to try to get you to where they need you to be. At the very least, you will have had meetings discussing your shortcomings well before termination. Theres no excuse for sudden and unexplained termination.
    via u/madhatter25224
  • 14
    Font - pinky-blue 18 min. ago When they are overstaffed they're going to try to give the jobs to the people that they hold near and dear such as relatives girlfriend's boyfriends and favorites Vote Reply Share
    via u/pinky-blue
  • 15
    Font - Distribution Ok528 30 min. ago Bad fit is code for the owner doesn't like you where I used to work. They let people go who were good workers because the owner is a bit nuts. I got another job before I got on the owners bad side. Vote Reply Share
    via u/distributionok528
  • 16
    Font - psilocindream. 21 min. ago It's usually code for them not liking your personality, or thinking you're a bad social fit for the workplace. Vote Reply Share
    via u/psilocindream
  • 17
    Font - itsame73 1 hr. ago So where does the line get drawn for discrimination or a violation of your first amendment rights? "You're beliefs, that arent racist or a direct attack on peoples civil rights are weird because I think so or I disagree with them (think a trump loving boss and a left leaning
    via u/itsame73
  • 18
    Font - employee)..therefore you should be fired and worry whether or not you can keep a roof over your head" are we seeing the BS yet? It should be illegal and you should only fire someone for serious issues or they are just a nightmare employee, not because they are a little "out there". Reply Share Vote
    via u/itsame73
  • 19
    Font - patmartone 58 min. ago ● Basically, your first amendment rights are between you and the US government, and not between you and your private entity employer. Vote Reply Share
    via u/patmartone
  • 20
    Font - DDS-PBS 2 hr. ago ● Pretty much this. I've been with my current employer for quite a while. But I am fully prepared for the moment they pull me into an office and tell me I'm no longer needed. You have to prepare yourself both mentally and financially for that time.
    via u/DDS-PBS
  • 21
    Rectangle - Weazy-N420. 2 hr. ago Excessive breaks and leaving early. OP told us why even if they didn't realize it. Vote Reply Share
    via u/weazy-N420
  • 22
    Font - PharmerJoeFx 2 hr. ago His reason for these events are based on a disability/illness the boss was made aware of. This would be a violation of the ADA. I'm well aware the boss would never admit this though.
    via u/pharmerjoefx
  • 23
    Font - .0. dekyos 59 min. ago Once an hour to pee doesn't really seem excessive to me, but I guess it really depends on the position. If they're manning a cash register in a small storefront and there's no one to watch the front while they're in the bathroom, this is bad.
    via u/dekyos
  • 24
    Font - But like a 3 minute break every hour when there's no actual hardship to the company because of it? C'mon, we're human beings, not profit machines. Vote Reply Share
    via u/dekyos
  • 25
    Font - OpheliaMorningwood 57 min. ago ● I was on suspension for tardiness then I was called to say I was fired because I didn't get the correct contact info from a customer. I had not been written up for that offense yet and they would not tell me which reservation I had
    via u/opheliamorningwood
  • 26
    Font - messed up. Unemployment sided with me that just because I was suspended for a different infraction didn't mean they could pile something new and unrelated and not give me a warning first or a chance to explain myself. Vote Reply Share
    via u/opheliamorningwood
  • 27
    Rectangle - ApprehensiveKey1469. 5 hr. ago Email, get it in writing. Otherwise he may claim you resigned. 1.0k Reply Share
    via u/apprehensivekey1469

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boss job fired work workplace getting fired bad jobs toxic-workplace toxic-boss
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