Hiring manager tells new hire her first day of work is Monday, September 22nd, fires her when she doesn't show up on Tuesday, September 2nd: 'Your employment has been terminated due to not reporting to work on the first day'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 3, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

There is very little room for big mistakes during the hiring process. If you're 15 minutes late to your first interview, it doesn't really matter if 99.999% of the time you are the most punctual person in the world. The recruiter doesn't know you and has no real reason to believe that you wouldn't be 15 minutes late to every shift if they went forward and hired you. 

Sometimes, recruiters being overly discerning in the recruiting process helps protect the company from someone who is a slog to be around. I hate to admit it, but if someone annoys you during a 60-minute conversation, the chances that they'll annoy everyone for years of employment are very high. That can be frustrating for job seekers who don't immediately connect with strangers, but there's little you can do if you're clearly not a culture match. The best thing you can do as a job applicant without a million-dollar personality is to cross your Ts and dot your Is… being professional and courteous goes a long way.

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  • There are aspects of the hiring process that candidates can control, but if a recruiter provides incorrect information that prevents you from attending your first day of work, you truly cannot control that. The new hire in this story received an email stating their first day of work would be September 22nd, but she was fired for not showing up on September 2nd. What a nightmare.

  • Cheezburger Image 10550166016
    via Resume Genius

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I got the wrong details about the starting date and now I got fired for it

    Congratulations! I am happy to notify you that your pre- employment screenings have been completed successfully, so you may now consider your offer final. Welcome to the team! We are excited to have you on board and are sure you will make a significant contribution. Your start date of Monday, September 22nd is confirmed. will be in touch regarding first-day details - time to arrive, dress code, etc.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • This email is to inform you that your employment has been terminated from! effective 09/02/2025 due to not reporting to work on the first day. If you have any questions, please rely to this email or contact me with the information below. Thanks.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • cyberentomology What kind of incompetent moron sends the wrong start date as a "confirmation" and then fires you for not showing up on the wrong date without so much as a "hey, we have you down as starting today, but you're not here, is everything OK on your end?” If they can't even get this right, what else are they incompetent at? Looks like you may have dodged a bullet.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Boneyg001 Why would you bother reaching out to the candidate you spent time and money on recruiting, interviewing and hiring when you could fire them and repeat the process!
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • HumanoidVoidling Yes why wash your socks when you can ones! buy new
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • NocturnalB3ast Bc you're getting paid to find socks
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • NoninflammatoryFun Yeah, they should've called before firing. How ridiculous.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Confident-Local-8016 Sounds like a bait and switch ngl, 'hire' a few people, give them the wrong date, call the one you actually want with the correct start date and fire the others for not 'showing up'
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • bo_bo77 What? To what end?
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • dvillin Tax credits. Some jobs get credits for hiring a certain number of people within certain criteria.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • SkunkyFatBowl This literally happened to me when I was a teenager. They hired too many people and then fired me for not showing up to a "team" meeting after one shift... No one told me about the team meeting, they just needed a reason to fire me.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Cheezburger Image 10550169856
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • BUSKET_RVA For some companies, especially ones with weak and unsure management, they feel like direct in- person firing is too confrontational and a potential security risk. And there are plenty of high turnover jobs that end up hiring too many people due to different managers not communicating. There's also companies with young wealthy asshats that think hiring and then firing is funny. Those are usually short lived businesses.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Dapper_Vacation_9596 They aren't going to ask the hiring manager squat. They will just pretend they did. The reason why is because if they look incompetent, then it puts their job at risk. It's more proof that most of these HR guys are jokes. Honestly, the fact that they couldn't call even once nor properly communicate says a lot about that workplace. Let's see if the hiring manager actually sends you a message or calls you. Bet they won't.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • cyberentomology I bet the hiring manager would be the HR people. LIVID at
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • psychocookeez I'd contact the hiring manager myself. Or whomever you interviewed with. Their excuse is that the email confirmation says the 22nd, but they said you signed an offer letter stating the 2nd. However, theoretically either one could be a typo, i.e. did they leave a 2 out on the offer letter date or mistakenly add a 2 to the email date? It's ambiguous so I can't see how they could possibly blame you for this.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • HermannZeGermann It's less ambiguous since the confirmation email says Monday, Sept 22. Sept 2 is a Tuesday. So if the confirmation email was wrong, it requires two mistakes, one of which is not a simple typo. Although HR may have been on autopilot at that point, since most start dates are a Monday.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Alice14_VS OP Would I be able to pursue legal action do you think?
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • dev-246 100% reach out to the hiring manager asap, do not come across as angry or upset or explicitly blaming HR. Instead tell him how much you still want this job and apologize for not noticing the inconsistent date (some people will say "don't admit fault" but that's awful advice in this situation). Any good manager will realize this is an HR mistake without you saying it. You won't be able to pursue legal action if you signed a contract that says 9/2/25.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • V2Blast Yeah, "don't admit fault" only makes sense as advice when you have something to lose by admitting fault. OP literally already doesn't have the job right now. They lose nothing by admitting to confusion over the inconsistent dates.
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • PickleWineBrine Did the offer letter that you signed state Sept 2nd as the start date?
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Cropped shot male financial advisor consulting with clients about house and showing contract document
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Alice14_VS OP Yes it did but I went with what she wrote instead thinking she calls the shot on the start date
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • 34786t234890 Wait, you saw the discrepancy and just assumed that later day was the correct date instead of asking for clarification?
    via u/Alice14_VS
  • Few_Reference3439 100% lesson learned then. Any discrepancy like this needs to be brought to their attention prior to either of the dates in question. If you signed paperwork with one date, that's the 'legal date' they expected you there, even if they then sent you another date later. I would have 100% immediately been like 'hey you said the 22nd, but my offer letter says the 2nd, what's up?'
    via u/Alice14_VS

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getting fired I got fired workplace-stories fired first day toxic-workplace hired hiring manager fired story new hire work recruiting hiring workplace got fired
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