20+ Managers who had to fire their worst employees: 'He left with over $4,000 from the cash register'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 22, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

These managers all remember the worst employee they've ever had to fire, and they shared their stories, telling exactly how it all went down. 

Every job has that one employee who just cannot stay out of trouble, try as they might. They're the one that the manager dreads seeing, because they're probably going to be late, or they're going to spend the whole shift on the phone arguing with their terrible boyfriend, or they're going to be taking constant breaks to sneak outside and avoid actually working. But some do even worse things than those relatively harmless actions — instead, they're stealing money or committing serious offenses that will absolutely lead to punishment, if not an outright firing. 

Some employees find ways to skim money and avoid getting caught for years. If they take a dollar or two per shift, who's going to know? Well, with cameras set up in most workplaces, they're bound to get caught eventually. One clever employee took this a step further, and set up a shell company with his sister, which he then referred his business to. Of course he got caught, though. Why? He was insisting that his current company run things through his shell corp, and no one else. Sigh… the unethical things people will do for money are never-ending! 

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  • 01
    unflappedyedi I was a newly hired manager at McDonald's. The guy before me was working the cash register. This store was very highly trafficked, it was right off of the interstate right on the border of city and middle of nowhere. It was the first place to stop and get some food for travelers coming in, and the last place to stop and get
    via u/unflappedyedi
  • 02
    some food for travelers leaving out. It was not uncommon to have over 1,000$ in under an hour in the cash register and policy was to "drop" money in the safe at least once every hour. So this new guy comes in, works for a few hours, but the manager never did the drops. After about 4 hours, the employee goes to the bathroom and disappears.
    via u/unflappedyedi
  • 03
    Turns out he left with over 4,000$ from the cash register. Police were called because obviously they have the guys ID, address, and information on file. Only to find out that everything was false. He stole someones ID and social that looked similar to him and used a fake address. I don't think the police ever found him or figured out who he was.
    via u/
  • 04
    boxin... One employee was constantly stealing food from the refrigerator, that other employees placed in there for lunch and late work-night dinners. Eventually, after weeks of complaints the IT department set up a hidden camera and caught the woman taking two yogurts, a weight watchers TV dinner
    via u/unflappedyedi
  • 05
    and a can of coke in one swoop. At another job, a co-worker got snippy with the receptionist during an internal phone call. As she clicked the phone, she said 'f-g b!tch' - but the click did not disconnect the call, the receptionist was still on the line and said 'what did
    via u/unflappedyedi
  • 06
    you call me?' HR would later get involved, it was investigated and the co- worker was terminated.
    via u/unflappedyedi
  • 07
    jimmyb1982 I'm not a manager but an employee of an airport cargo handling company. We had a guy, high, crash a brand new jet engine airstart unit into a jet engine. Bosses were not happy.
    via u/jimmyb1982
  • 08
    Nutto... Literally just shoveled money out of the cash register into his pockets with 3 separate cameras looking at him. He took several thousand dollars.
    via u/Nuttonbutton
  • 09
    [deleted] Supposed to drive a car from one city to another on a Friday. Probably 2 hour trip? Took it to Mexico and partied for a weekend and delivered the car on Monday. This was not even a border state.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    OldSwerdlow Just a few weeks ago: Salesman tells HQ that his very large national customer wants us to use a specific vendor for a multimillion dollar contract. We set it up but have procurement run backgrounds on the vendor to make sure they are
    via u/0ldSwerdlow
  • 11
    reliable, no slave or child labor, etc. After digging down many layers, the founding documents for the vendor come back. It's owned by the salesperson and his sister. It was done quietly to save face with the customer, but the salesperson no longer works here.
    via u/0ldSwerdlow
  • 12
    baltinerdist I read that as dumbest instead of worst and started typing this, so I'll finish it out anyway. I managed a call center for a while. One of my staff was a 23 year old guy who just could not figure out how to get to work on time. He had his own car and only lived like 15-20 minutes away, but he would be perpetually up to a half hour late shift after shift.
    via u/baltinerdist
  • 13
    We had a generous tardiness/absence policy - three strikes for unexcused absences but an unexcused tardy was only half a strike - and we were even nice enough to give him just a verbal warning at least two or three times instead of starting to count them because the call center wasn't one that had like an inbound call service level, it was just outbound calls so
    via u/baltinerdist
  • 14
    the time you lost hurt you in other metrics and killed your chance at getting bonuses, but soon enough he had burned through five of the six unexcused tardiness he was allowed. The last time he was tardy, I brought him into my office and told him this was his final written warning. If he was even a minute late clocking in without a legitimate excuse for the
    via u/baltinerdist
  • 15
    next 90 days, he would be terminated on the spot. That was on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, he was scheduled to arrive at 4:00 PM for an evening shift. He walks in at 4:25 PM holding a Starbucks cup in his hand. "I couldn't help it, the drive thru took forever!" I took his badge and walked him out. I hope he learned from it.
    via u/baltinerdist
  • 16
    p38-l... Dumbest, maybe not the worse: A mechanic in my chemical plant wrapped expensive copper tubing around his chest and put his coat over it. It was a really cold day and it started drawing up to where he couldn't breathe - just as he got to the guard gate. The guards had a good laugh. unwinding the soon-to-be- unemployed mechanic.
    via u/p38-lightning
  • 17
    RaniPhoenix Bank. One guy managed the dormant accounts. Incredibly nice guy, everyone loved him, had been there for years. One day, after an audit, it was discovered that he'd been embezzling money from the dormant accounts
    via u/RaniPhoenix
  • 18
    for quite some time. Turns out he'd gotten himself into. debt he couldn't climb out of and that was his solution. Not only did he get fired, he went to prison.
    via u/RaniPhoenix
  • 19
    Barista in denim shirt and apron clasps hands while talking with upset older woman who has one hand up in a "stop" motion
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 20
    withgreatpower Call center job, can't decide between: The guy who lit fireworks off at his desk OR the guy who challenged a customer (who happened to be local to our location) to a fist fight.
    via u/withgreatpower
  • 21
    Busy days for management but, all in all, probably the least remarkable call center firings that will be mentioned in this thread.
    via u/withgreatpower
  • 22
    i worked at a super market. chain, and a new store was being opened up. they pulled employees from multiple stores to go assist in its grand opening and training of new employees. one of the managers and an employee (who was a friend prior to me working there)
    via u/withgreatpower
  • 23
    got caught logging hours for each other in the system when they werent there. something to the tune of a full month's pay
    via u/withgreatpower
  • 24
    moor... I don't know if "worse" means dumb or bad but either way this is a question for me! They get worse as you go down. For context because of where I work all of these acts and crimes were committed by teenagers, usually 16 or under.
    via u/moorealex412
  • 25
    - stole pizza and when asked what she was doing replied "I'm stealing." - was on track for a minor leadership role when it was discovered that he had been stealing ice cream products all summer. The description of the thief was very specific and this guy wore the same bright pink hoodie with a giant rose on it every day.
    via u/moorealex412
  • 26
    Naturally the hoodie was included in the description. The guy insisted that the girl who reported the thief had him confused with an identical employee who wore the same hoodie. - sold other employees already used employee tickets to guests and lied about it to the general manager.
    via u/moorealex412
  • 27
    - stole the iPhone of a born and bred New Orleans guy three times his size off the desk of the HR manager. He then refused to give the phone back when the guy he stole from and his big brother knocked on his door (tracking him down with find my iPhone).
    via u/moorealex412
  • 28
    - Stole a car under the (truly mistaken) impression that he was borrowing it and allowed to do so. He took another employee in said car to go get food, with himself driving, despite the fact that he had no license or permit. He thought a school ID would suffice. He then went
    via u/moorealex412
  • 29
    about 60 down a 30, swerved from one ditch to the other and totaled the car in the ditch outside the place of employment.
    via u/moorealex412
  • 30
    jagger129 Company that had work issues laptops hired a guy to repair them when needed. Got a call from a local pawn shop that they just bought 10 laptops and found the company logo on them He brought them over on his lunch hour.
    via u/jagger129
  • 31
    Robadamous When I ran a retail store | once had an employee steal money from the safe. I got a call from one of my assistant managers close to close that the safe was short money. I drove to the store and verified the safe was short and figured out what happened within 10 minutes.
    via u/Robadamous
  • 32
    The employee took a broom and moved where the security camera was pointing. To make sure it was no longer pointing at the safe, they stepped in front of the safe. Unfortunately for them I could still see their legs on the camera and they were wearing shorts. This happened in the winter in Michigan, only one employee wore shorts to work at that time.
    via u/Robadamous
  • 33
    TehAsianator He was perpetually late, uncommunicative, and constantly on his phone. Then he threw an exceedingly loud and public. temper tantrum that I got promoted instead of him despite his senority.
    via u/TehAsianator
  • 34
    MacDaddyDC Had one of my very well- liked and hard workers leaving the state, he'd done everything needed to do with HR, two-week notice, started returning issued items. On his last day, a store manager trainee got a bug up his ass because this guy didn't have an issued item with him, dude explained the above, today is my last day, etc. Manager
    via u/MacDaddyDC
  • 35
    trainee didn't want to hear it at all. My guy gets the "fuck this shit, I'm out" look, jumped on a forklift and drove it across the parking lot to the Taco Bell drive through and bought a "last meal." Parked in the middle of the parking lot and ate his burritos.
    via u/MacDaddyDC
  • 36
    Manager trainee lost his mind, my dude just smirked and tossed his company owned stuff at his feet as he drove by, parked the forklift, and clocked out. Still makes me smile to this day
    via u/MacDaddyDC
  • 37
    Karmaluscious It was grease trap day at the salad joint. If you don't know, the dishwashing sink was set up to collect grease and oils so they don't go into the water system. Eventually, this "trap" needs to have its collection dumped. It absolutely is one of the most disguising and vile smelling things you will ever experience.
    via u/Karmaluscious
  • 38
    I had a new guy that had been there for around two weeks and we needed to clean the grease trap and transport the viscous liquid to the grease disposal spot. We got it all in a few five- gallon buckets filled to the brim. He grabbed two at once, and on his way out of the kitchen and into the dining lobby, he dropped them. Both of them. That liquid went absolutely everywhere; running back
    via u/Karmaluscious
  • 39
    into the kitchen, under tables, seeping into the baseboards and walls. I was absolutely astounded by the mess. This wasn't just something you could mop up, it was gallons of the most foul slippery substance imaginable. The smell was something like dead raccoons and leech farts. Totally atrocious. I said "Dude, we have to figure out how to clean this
    via u/Karmaluscious
  • 40
    up." and he said "Okay, I'll be right back". He didn't come back. I waited around fifteen minutes, called him and left a voicemail. "You're fired". I spent a few hours using various cooking sheets to scrape it up and dispose of it. I then mopped the remainder off the floor with whatever chemicals I could find, pretty sure I took the finish off the floor. My shoes
    via u/Karmaluscious
  • 41
    and pants were completely stinky and ruined and I had to take the bus home, which took longer than an hour. The owner gave me $100 the next day. We decided to hire professionals from that point on, but funnily enough, the guy that came and collected it accidentally spilled the thing in his fucking car. That place was cursed.
    via u/Karmaluscious
  • 42
    Worker in tan shirt taps screen with credit card with restaurant background
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 43
    Lazy_Brother1575 He pulled the fire alarm in an airport terminal, and denied that it was him in the security video
    via u/Lazy_Brother1575
  • 44
    toph... Asked them about their skillset and experience when they were transferred to me, as I was told they were underperforming. Asked specifically about things they said they could do on their resume and from their interview (not mentioning why I was asking).
    via u/tophmcmasterson
  • 45
    They plainly stated they had no experience in any of those things. Ended up letting them go within the week. My guess is they had someone write their resume for them and studied common interview questions, but no idea how they even got through the
    via u/tophmcmasterson
  • 46
    interview stage. Pretty sure the person who interviewed them got let go eventually too though.
    via u/tophmcmasterson
  • 47
    Male office worker with loosened tie sits dejectedly on stairs with box of office belongings as papers fly around him
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 48
    prosa123 I used to work for a large retailer that had all its employees take an annual anonymous job satisfaction survey on the computer. Although the survey was supposed to be tamper- proof, the store manager somehow was able to change the results before sending them to corporate headquarters. He would have been able to get away
    via u/prosa123
  • 49
    with it, except for the fact that he changed the results too much. As altered, the survey showed that every employee in the store was 100% satisfied with their job. Headquarters management immediately saw this was completely impossible, launched an investigation, and the store manager was soon an ex-manager.
    via u/prosa123
  • 50
    ihideBabies My stupid sister lied her way up to get an engineering manager job at a boat manufacturer company she has absolutely no education higher than a GED,/ HS diploma. However boat company decides to give her a company credit card upon hiring and a bunch of projects for her and her team to work on She has no idea how to do the projects
    via u/ihideBabies
  • 51
    because she is not an engineer. Has no idea how to manage a team as she never managed people before She doesn't show up to any project meetings, so the team she was hired to lead never knew what to do. Time goes on and the employees that are left hung up with no leadership on what to do start complaining. The boat company finally tracks her
    via u/ihideBabies
  • 52
    down and turns out she was traveling around the US site seeing and spending money at high end restaurants. She was fired. Rightfully so. Not sure if she had to pay anything back or was charged with anything. Sure hope she was tho.
    via u/ihideBabies
  • 53
    bigdreams_littled Worked at a hotel. One of the overnight front desk agents had to evict some guests for partying. After he had them removed, he realised that he had never finalised their check in, and he didn't have any information for the people on the room. Very apologetic. Accidents happen, and good overnight help is hard to find. I wanted
    via u/bigdreams_little****
  • 54
    to get at least a picture of the people he evicted. I did some research on the key used to access the room so I could check the camera on the time they checked in. Turns out the overnight front desk guy made the key...for himself. He threw the party and there was no guest kicked out.
    via u/bigdreams_little****

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