10+ Employees whose ridiculous workplace mistakes got them fired on the spot: 'She was walked out within 4 hours of starting'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 3, 2026 5:15 PM EDT

These employees just couldn't hack it at their jobs, and got fired ASAP.

What's the fastest you've ever seen someone get fired from their job? That's what one person, going by Kisnei, decided to ask, and people shared some incredible tales in response to their question.

If you work somewhere long enough, you'll see a steady stream of workers flowing in and out the door. 

This is especially common if you're a retail or food service worker, because those jobs attract both seasonal employees and folks who will accept minimum wage, neither of which have strong ambitions to stick around forever. 

Some workers can't even make it through a full day of training before getting an earful from the boss. 

For example, those who sleep through their first few hours watching training videos aren't going to be coming back for Day #2.

 Or, if you work part of your shift, then go to lunch, and then decide not to finish out the second part of your day, don't be surprised when you show up the next day and you're promoted to customer. 

These employees made it look easy to get fired. As the coworkers who watched it play out can tell you, not everyone is cut out for the job. 

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  • Dude should've drank 2 coffees that morning

    davsch76 I saw a guy in his second week sound asleep sitting behind a guy teaching him something on his computer that hadn't noticed he was talking to no one.
    via davsch76
  • Depiction of an employee who has fallen asleep at work.
    via Getty Images

    Depiction of an employee who has fallen asleep at work as shown by a model.

  • He thought his plan would work

    TheDaemonette Dude that turned up for the job was not the guy who was interviewed - he'd sent someone competent to be interviewed instead of him. It was a coincidence that they found him out because on
    via TheDaemonette
  • his first day he was introduced to one of the people who interviewed him for the job and they realised it wasn't the guy they actually saw a few weeks. earlier.
    via TheDaemonette

    In a big company, this plan might have worked! If this person had a friend who looked enough like him, and if the hiring managers weren't around on Day 1, maybe this could've worked to his advantage. Some people will put a ton of effort into harebrained schemes, which is kind of impressive in it's own right.

  • Confusion over a job interview candidate versus the person who showed up for the job, as depicted by 2 models.
    via LinkedIn Sales Solutions

    Confusion over a job interview candidate versus the person who showed up for the job, as depicted by 2 models.

  • Sometimes, you just aren't the right fit for the job

    Auquaholic A fire watch at a chemical plant got caught falling asleep standing up twice. and was told to just lay down so that he didn't fall and get hurt. He was fired the 3rd time.
    via Auquaholic

    If you're a sleepy guy, perhaps don't get hired as a fire water. 

  • Bro acted immediately

    Euphoric_Document_46 New guy clocked in for his first shift. Some time before the end of his shift, the police entered the store. The security footage reveals that the new guy has been stealing cash from the register.
    via Euphoric_Document_46
  • Representation of a worker operating a cash register with a touch screen.
    via Simon Kadula

    Representation of a worker operating a cash register with a touch screen.

  • HockeyDockey1234 I got fired after nailing the interview...so technically not started. Referred by a friend, worked at a video store. It was 2010, so peak "office"
    via HockeyDockey1234

  • He could not help himself

    He liked me, said I got the job. Had 2 rules 1: Always put things back and be organized 2: Never come in the back door I said "that's what...." and he realized it, and said 'well call you" Never called
    via HockeyDockey1234
  • Video store worker sits down and inspects some movies, as a depiction by a model displays.
    via LexScope

    Video store worker sits down and inspects some movies, as a depiction by a model displays.

  • This is a conversation the HR reps never want to have

    Own-Raisin5849 HR didn't do their job, and a dude in our department was hired before the background check came through. This was also in IT, so he had initial access to some sensitive areas (which isn't necessarily an issue, as we revoke access before a firing occurs, but still).
    via Own-Raisin5849
  • He ended up having a felony, and in government, working IT, that's just automatic disqualification. I felt bad for the dude, his legal issues were decades. ago. He was fired on day 2. I was р ed at those HR w for several reasons.
    via Own-Raisin5849
  • Pteranthus888 Me. One day . I had been a bartender at a slow, luxury hotel bar for a year but at most I'd see 40 people in 6hrs because it wasn't a "spot" it was just a semi small fancy hotel and people would grab a drink to rest after arrival or right before they left for dinner.
    via Pteranthus888

  • That drink must've tasted like every flavor all at once

    My next gig was at a super crowded high volume popular bar and they tried to train me on the POS system (new to me) during HAPPY HOUR. Someone put vanilla vodka in the well and I didn't check and made two vanilla Marys
    via Pteranthus888
  • Needless to say I was happy to not come back and even though those bartenders would clear $2k+/ week I preferred my 4 nights of 6hr shifts at $100-$400 and zero stress.
    via Pteranthus888
  • New-Waltz-2854 New employee showed up but went out to lunch and never returned.
    via New-Waltz-2854
  • Employee eats a lunch before disappearing forever from his job, as a model demonstrates.
    via Marília Castelli

    Employee eats a lunch before disappearing forever from his job, as a model demonstrates.

  • A simple misunderstanding

    TargetAltruistic4720 Technically fired before the interview even started. Applied for a job. Got an email saying interview is 10:00 A.M. - 10:45 A.M.
    via TargetAltruistic4720
  • My dumba thought that I could show up for the interview at anytime within in those 45 minutes, not thinking that was the entire duration of it. Showed up at 10:30 A.M. The interviewer asked how I was 30 minutes late and said I thought I could choose what time I came in within the 45 minutes.
    via TargetAltruistic4720

  • The interviewer will never forget this person

    Told me this isn't a good start and this wouldn't work out later down the road. Left and went back home.
    via TargetAltruistic4720
  • jfcmofo We hired a guy who really struggled. About 3 weeks in, we had a sit down with him where we were hoping to get a reset and figure out how to get him up to speed. He complained that our system we use is too convoluted and he had to break a lot of links to essentially wedge data in rather than letting the code
    via jfcmofo
  • do its work. The system is in place to ensure the data gets populated in other places within the larger platform, so he was admitting he screwed up all of that which meant someone competent had to go in an do his work over again. He was fired on the spot. I could see the look on my boss' face when he was telling us this and there was
    via jfcmofo
  • a moment I could've jumped in and saved him but I chose not to because that would've made him my problem to sort out. He was super mad. I had to him to his desk to get his stuff and then put him on the elevator and he was whining that we sat him up to fail and all this and that. I just asked why would we waste our time doing that and he complained more.
    via jfcmofo
  • tvtoms I had a district manager hire someone and send him to my store to work without telling me. Bad enough already, but after I had confirmed he was really my new employee, I assigned him some work to straighten up a section of the store while the store was empty.
    via tvtoms

  • When an employee refuses to do a task because it's not their job, that is a waving red flag

    He refused saying "I was hired as a salesman and that's what I'll do." I said, "You're hired as my employee and you'll do what I assign you to do or you'll be terminated." He continued to argue with me and refuse my instruction, so I fired him. He said, "Wait! Wait!" and I said, "There is no such thing as wait." and suggested he
    via tvtoms
  • call the district manager. He wanted to use the store phone, but I refused to allow it and instead handed him a quarter to use the pay phone right outside the store. He did and soon left. Subsequently the DM assigned him to another store where he would lie to make sales and the stuff was always returned. He was fired after a few more months of sucking.
    via tvtoms
  • It was about 30 minutes from meeting him to firing him. Would do again.
    via tvtoms

  • Tough break

    samfitnessthrowaway New hire, very promising, first trial day as a producer/reporter for breakfast TV news. Shift starts at 3am. Yes it's early, but, you know, it's breakfast TV. She fell asleep on the sofa in the newsroom. No one bothered to wake her up.
    via samfitnessthrowaway
  • She woke up as the show was on air and was not only ped that no-one had woken her, was not only ped that she'd been bumped from on-air (because she was asleep) but was p ed that no one had written her scripts for her whilst she was asleep.
    via samfitnessthrowaway
  • Honestly, the just falling asleep? We'd probably have given her another chance and it would just be a funny story. We're all young once. and being up at 2am to get into work in central London is tough. The entitlement? Nope nope nope. She was walked out within 4 hours of starting.
    via samfitnessthrowaway

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