Starting a new job can be nerve-racking. You may have sailed through your interview with flying colors, but now the hard part starts. Meeting colleagues, remembering names, learning protocol and trying to ask an appropriate number of questions to ensure that you can keep up but don’t become a nuisance is a lot to juggle. As long as you don’t get fired, though, you’re doing just fine!
Unfortunately for one man, however, he couldn’t quite make it through his first day of work due to no fault of his own. Below, you’ll find a story that he recently shared on the Anti-work subreddit detailing how a coworker made it her mission to get him fired.
This man showed up to his first day on the job eager and ready to learn
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)
But his career at the company was abruptly halted after a coworker decided she didn’t like him
Image credits: FoToArtist_1 (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Emotional-Moment7729
Most companies in the US are allowed to fire employees at any time for any reason
Many jobs require employees to undergo a probationary period for their first few months at the company. They’ll learn how to do their job under the assumption that they’ll be around for much longer, but it’s important to assess their progress at the beginning, to ensure they can handle all of the responsibilities. So it’s often impossible to completely relax at work until you’ve really gotten the hang of your position. Getting fired on the very first day, however, is a bit extreme.
According to Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC, most workers in the United States are employed “at-will,” meaning that their bosses have the power to terminate their employment at any time for any reason. So technically, you can get fired on your first day, regardless of how brutal it may sound.
Unless the company has a specific policy in place stating that employees must receive a warning before being fired, or that they cannot be fired until a certain amount of time has passed, there’s nothing workers can do about being let go on their first day.
Unfortunately, toxic colleagues can be found in almost any workplace
Image credits: Christina Morillo (not the actual photo)
In this particular case, though, the issue seemed to be a toxic coworker, rather than a boss who was too hasty with their firing. And sadly, many of us are familiar with dealing with an immature or dramatic colleague. According to a survey from CareerBuilder, 77% of employees say they’ve observed childish behavior from a coworker. This often includes whining, pouting, tattling on another employee, making faces behind someone’s back, forming cliques, pranking colleagues, starting rumors, storming out of a room, throwing a tantrum and refusing to share resources.
Alison Green at Slate also says that there’s usually one culprit that all of the drama in an office can be traced back to. She points out that all of the passive aggressive notes that appear on your workplace’s fridge and printer are likely left by the same person, who has a knack for bringing toxic energy into the office.
But because it’s often only one person who’s the real issue, leaders and fellow colleagues can work together to try to keep the energy positive in the workplace. Melanie Gallo, PhD, at Forbes recommends focusing on the bright side of every situation, having a clear mind at work, giving your dramatic colleague time to express their emotions, allowing for productive conflicts to play out and accepting that sometimes you’ll just have to agree to disagree.
If someone is actively trying to get you fired, don’t be afraid to speak up
Image credits: RF._.studio (not the actual photo)
So what should you do if you happen to have a coworker who is actively trying to get you fired? (And you actually have time to do something about it because it’s not your first day.) Office Topics says it’s important to know your company’s policies. Trying to get someone fired can be a form of harassment, so don’t let this behavior go unnoticed and unpunished.
It can also be helpful to start documenting your work, in case you are accused of not being productive or not completing your tasks in time. Document online and written communication you have with the person who’s trying to get you fired. If they intimidate or threaten you, you’ll have evidence. And don’t be scared to seek help from your boss or HR. They don’t want to be in a toxic work environment either, so if they can help eliminate the problem, they likely will. And if they don’t, you can try to go to their supervisors too. Don’t give up.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever been fired from a job this quickly or had a colleague go out of their way to sabotage you? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article, check out this one discussing some of the fastest ways people have ever gotten fired.
Readers shared their thoughts on the situation, noting that getting fired might have been for the best
Some even had similar stories from their own workplaces to share
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