Employees share the funniest stories of getting fired and how losing their jobs ended up being the best thing that could’ve happened to them: 'I ended up making 3 times what he was making at the job he was fired from'

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Nov 25, 2025 9:00 PM EST

Some people get fired and spiral. Others get fired and laugh all the way home. This story falls squarely into the second category.

When this couple had their first child, they did the math that every new parent eventually faces: daycare vs. staying home. After factoring in commuting costs, work clothes, gas, lunches out, and everything else that quietly drains a paycheck, the husband's job would have brought in a net of… $5,000 a year. Not nothing, but not exactly worth missing your kid's first steps for.

So they decided he'd resign and stay home. He cleaned out his desk, wrote a polite, professional letter, and walked into his already-scheduled meeting with his boss the next day ready to hand it over.

Except he didn't get the chance. Before he could utter a word, his boss told him they were no longer in need of his services.

What followed was a comedy of timing, including six weeks of severance, months of paid health insurance, and, because he'd been fired instead of resigning, eighteen months of unemployment benefits. He stayed home for almost five years.

When he finally did return to work, it was for someone who later retired and sold him the business. Today, he earns triple what he made at the job that fired him.

A firing has never aged better.

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  • And that's just the first story. Keep reading for a whole thread of stories from employees with satisfying stories of getting fired. 

  • Cheezburger Image 10579714560
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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


     

  • "What are some of the funniest 'got fired' stories?"

    Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - When our first child was born my husband and I did a cost analysis to figure out if it made sense for one of us to stay home, or to put him in daycare.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - As it turned out, if we put our son into daycare my husband's pay would net us about $5,000 after all of his hard costs (commuting, work clothes, etc...) so we decided that it made sense for him to quit his job and stay home for a few years.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - He cleaned out his desk, and wrote up his letter of resignation giving them two weeks notice.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - The next day he had a previously scheduled meeting with his boss, and he planned to resign during that time.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - At the meeting, before my husband had a chance to give his resignation, his boss told him they no longer needed his services.
    via Aarunascut
  • Cheezburger Image 10579715328
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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


     

  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - They gave him six weeks severance pay, and paid our health insurance for a few months.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - He came home laughing hysterically. Ultimately he stayed home for almost five years, the first 18 months of which he was able to collect unemployment.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - When he finally went back to work, first part time then full time, he ended up working for someone who wanted to retire, and sold us the business.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - When we purchased the business my husband ended up making three times what he was making at the job he was fired from.
    via Aarunascut
  • Aarunascut https://www.reddit.com/r/work/comments/1p27geq/what_are_some_of_the_funniest_got_fired_stories/ - We laugh about it to this day.
    via Aarunascut
  • 5footfilly That same scenario played out at my workplace, only I was the boss. I was forced to downsize 5 employees due to restructuring. I did everything I could think of to save those jobs with no luck. The day came for the layoffs and I felt horrible. After telling 1 guy and giving him his package I found out he was planning to resign for another job. I couldn't have been happier. And I kept my mouth shut so the company didn't get a chance to rescind the severance.
    via 5footfilly
  • No-Price5802 Great story, here's mine! Worked at a sawmill for 10 years till they shut it down and made us all redundant. They hired a Temp for a day and a half to type up our c.v's, one of my crew told me to go see her as she is very attractive. The next day I asked her if she wanted to go out on my motorbike this weekend, she said no but I'll go out for a drink with you tonight. The short version is, I met her on a Monday She bought me dinner on a Tuesday I bought her breakfast on a Wednesday
    via No-Price5802
  • beginnerjay I worked for a large, international corporation (retired now). My peers and I were planning a layoff. It was far enough along that I had the names and date. A remote worker set up an unexpected meeting where she told me she plans to retire. I strongly suggested she wait 2 weeks before she sent me an official notice. About a week later, she became eligible for 20 weeks severance pay.
    via beginnerjay
  • luala A colleague of mine went to resign because her husband had accepted a job overseas. Our boss gave her the letter back, told her to wait a few weeks and don't say a word. 2 weeks later we were all made redundant and she got a really good payout. God tier boss.
    via luala
  • HotRabbit999 Pretty much the same story tbh. I had my letter of resignation typed up & ready but couldn't get in to the boss as there was a board meeting he was included in going on. Board meeting finishes - he calls me in to his office & tells me my position has been identified as surplus to requirements but he's negotiated me 3 months pay (my notice period was 2 weeks). Trying not to smile I told him it sucks but I understood they needed to put the company first & I'd rather it was me than any
    via HotRabbit999
  • mariposajelly At my previous job, I had an argument with the boss at my second week (he called me on Saturday at 9pm to scold me over a stupid email. he was a disgusting bully and my patience was over). Then I came back to work on Monday at 8.30, worked until 10.30am. Around that time he called me to tell me he fired me on Saturday after our argument, but only told me on Monday after I got up in the morning and came to work. Funny part is he took back the same day he fired me because his client
    via mariposajelly
  • sjwit I was offered a commission based job which was new for me. They did some extensive personality test and the owner was super enthusiastic about hiring me. He had me meet with other employees and they shared with me that they were earning well over 6 figures within their first year. (This was in the early 90s, so that was impressive). The owner offered to match my current salary for 90 days, and if my commissions exceeded my temporary salary he'd pay me commission instead. I'd be full commis
    via sjwit
  • NoAge358 Our software company of 130 employees got bought by a much larger IT company (13,000 employees). We got rolled into one of their enterprise-level software platform groups. I had a 1 year contract where they couldn't fire me, and I couldn't quit. They first assign me to the division office. I'm in sales and live nowhere near their offices. All remote conversations. After a few months, they decided I should be working at the regional office. Same building, different floor. Took a month fo
    via NoAge358
  • tfcocs In 2008, I was beating the \\\\ out of my horrible coworkers with a Nerf bat while in a conflict resolution class. At around noon, I was pulled out of the training for a meeting with corporate, and learned that my position had been eliminated. To my knowledge, it was not related to the Nerf bats.
    via tfcocs
  • RioDodger Similar story. I took a new job that wasn't starting for a month. My direct report was on PTO, and I was waiting a few days for him to return so I could tell him in person. The next day I was called in by HR and told there was a restructuring, my department was being outsourced, and that today was my last day. They handed me a check for 2 months salary as severance. So I ended up with a month of paid vacation and an extra month's salary.
    via RioDodger

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