'He was fired within 15 minutes of showing up': 10+ times coworkers got fired immediately after starting their jobs

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Dec 4, 2024 2:00 PM EST

New hires are almost always bound to mess something up during their first weeks on the job, but these folks made mistakes that simply could not be ignored. Of course, you cannot expect your new coworkers to get everything right on Day One. They have to adjust to a particular workplace's way of doing things, so it's only natural that they will do something incorrectly. Those kinds of mistakes can be easily forgiven because these newbies do not know any better.

However, every so often, you come across a coworker who certainly does know better. Here, we have folks who displayed a universally unprofessional disposition just minutes after getting hired. We also have employees who clearly were deeply unqualified. Now, this could have been their fault if they exaggerated their experience on their resumes, which definitely happens. It could also be the fault of lazy hiring managers and recruiters who failed to read between the lines. 

Keep scrolling below for this collection of coworker stories where new hires were dismissed almost immediately. For more, check out this post about an employee who refused to take on new work at the end of the day.

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    Cheezburger Image 10436717824
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    What's the fastest you've ever seen a new coworker get fired?
    via Balansky
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    EmployUpset84... • 2d ago An intern on his first day, decided to open the door of a room where a few of the seniors were having an important meeting. He briefly lifted his leg up, fted and walked away laughing. He got fired on the spot.
    via Balansky
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    TheNumberOne... • 2d ago Isolated mine in Western Australia where you need to fly in to get to work. New start on their first day complains about tooth ache.
    via Balansky
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    Our on-site med team don't do dental so they offered to fly him back to Perth to see a dentist. He accepts and just goes radio silent. No response to calls, texts or emails. After a couple of weeks it's assumed that he has abandoned his employment and is formally terminated.
    via Balansky
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    A few months later a supervisor gets an email from him apologising and explaining that he had to do some time in prison. And can he come back to work...
    via Balansky
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    . Elegant-Babe0 · 2d ago Started training a new waitress who got into a screaming match with a customer over how to pronounce quinoa. She lasted exactly 37 minutes. Manager just pointed to the door without saying a word.
    via Balansky
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    JJOne101 2d ago • Mail on Friday from the boss "Let's welcome Mary back on Monday from her maternity leave". Monday 8:10 AM - Mary, crying, saying goodbye to everybody - she was led off by the same boss just as she came in the office.
    via Balansky
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    NOL MakeYouAGif • 2d ago I work in IT. At my last job this older (50-60ish) guy lied on his resume and in his interview an insane amount.
    via Balansky
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    He ended up getting the job he applied for in the finance department. We got his gear set up at his desk and I met him when he arrived on his first day. It was very apparent to us that he knew
    via Balansky
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    absolutely nothing about using computers. He couldn't open outlook, use Excel or any of the office. suite at all, and seemed completely lost in front of
    via Balansky
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    his computer. His new manager soon came to this realization as well and he was let go before 12:00 on his first day. Fastest turnaround I've ever seen in my whole career.
    via Balansky
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    demonassassin... 2d ago. New driver/guard at an armored car company. Back from her first route, the person checking her in asked where a missing bag of money was. She was hiding it in her jacket. It was only $1200.
    via Balansky
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    MischievousMol... 2d ago Three weeks. Which you may be thinking isn't fast, but as a doctor is like lightning.
    via Balansky
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    We had a new doctor in the emergency department who was hired during c id to fill some of the rota gaps and he seemed friendly enough.
    via Balansky
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    He got put on his first week of nights and didn't see a single patient, he just disappeared into the rest of the hospital. He was caught asking a first year resident how to read a hip x-ray (that was clearly fractured). He
    via Balansky
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    had to have all his patients re-evaluated because then his work was being brought under review. It was an absolute nightmare. Hiring standards during c id got pretty loose because we were stretched to fk, but
    via Balansky
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    that sure was something. I've never seen a doctor show up and disappear that fast. As an aside, a doctor hired alongside him was openly worse than the level of seniority he was hired at,
    via Balansky
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    was open about it, was dropped down to the appropriate level to train at, and everyone appreciated that the guy knew his limits.
    via Balansky
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    sawatdee_Krap • 2d ago • Regular at my bar came in and ordered his regular. Beer and a shot. Served him three rounds over about an hour and a half. Then my business partners wife came in and said " alright ready to start your training!"
    via Balansky
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    He had been hired as a bartender without my knowing. Started his first shift 6 deep. I didn't even rat on him. He made it about 10min before she asked why
    via Balansky
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    he smelled like Evan Williams. He then dropped a beer into the ice well on his first pour. I'd say 10min is one of the fastest.
    via Balansky
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    Cashewkaas · 2d ago I worked in a bar/casual restaurant and we had to let a dude go on his first shift. He decided it was a good idea to drink all the leftovers from the glasses that came back to the bar before washing them..
    via Balansky
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    Huseynov26 · 2d ago . Came to work recklessly swerving in the parking lot and almost hit three coworkers. When confronted he smirked and said "fk em'"
    via Balansky
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    Shoddy Statitici... • 2d ago Worked at a rental car company in the winter. On his first day, the brand new detailer refused to clean snow off cars. He was fired within 15 minutes of showing up
    via Balansky

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terrible coworkers getting fired workplace-stories fired toxic-workplace fired story work coworkers askreddit workplace reddit thread Reddit toxic-work-environment
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