Have you ever wondered why managers instantly fire employees? Firing someone because of poor performance is one thing. But instantly firing an employee is a completely different story. They have to do something really bad to get fired like this.
Violation of working policy, environment, values, and culture gives a company enough reasons to terminate an employee. Unfortunate cases of the random and baseless firing of employees are not rare. However, a company doesn’t fire its employees unless they reach a breaking point.
Here we can compare the percentage of reasons why bosses fire their employees.
List of 10 Reasons to Fire Instantly an Employee
01. Lying in a Resume
Even though you may find this point strange, it is very common. Many people like to fill their resumes with false job experience and achievements. Their idea is very simple: They think that they can easily secure the job by doing this. However, they face the reality as soon as they join the workforce.
Lying in a resume can only take you so far. And even if you somehow hack the selection process, the manager will understand your lack of knowledge very soon in the office. And they will immediately fire you after they find out the truth.
02. Breach of Code of Conduct
This is an extremely severe case that may even lead to federal cases. Code of conduct sums up how you are required to behave and work with your colleagues. Breach of that may have severe consequences.
“Misconduct includes and is not limited to sexual harassment, verbal harassment, inappropriate usage of language, hitting or getting into a fight with an employee, bullying, using racial slurs, etc.”
If the cases are too severe then the company may even launch a federal investigation. Things don’t look good for those who will take part in this at all.
03. Getting Caught up in Office Politics
Office politics is more or less present everywhere and it’s very easy to get caught up in this. But it’s wise to keep away from such instances. There are both pros and cons to participating in office politics. Pros include the possibility of fast promotion and having control and power. But the consequences can be deadly and may result in instant termination.
Backbiting and badmouthing office colleagues are a part of this point too. The manager may instantly fire you if they find you spreading false rumors about fellow workers.
In short, you should avoid anything that causes division in the workplace. Those situations usually end up harming you.
04. Violation of Company Policy
Company policy may include both subjective company policies and objective government policies. The company policies are made for ensuring the best working environment in the office. That’s why breaking the policies may result in severe penalties.
Companies usually have predefined policies on certain dress codes, cell phone usage, romantic relationships between co-workers or colleagues, and social media usage. It’s imperative the employees thoroughly read the instructions before joining the company.
05. Drug or Alcohol Abuse at Work
In some countries, possession of drugs and alcohol is strictly prohibited. But even if those are not illegal, arriving at work being drunk is not what the employers expect from their employees. This is one of the primary reasons for getting fired across the globe.
Drugs and alcohol consumption results in several problematic factors: increased risk of injury, inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment, loss of productivity, bad publicity for the company, loss of morale for the employees, increased absenteeism, etc. all these give the company legitimate reasons to fire an employee.
06. Personal Use of Company Property
Yes, being an employee gives you some special facilities which may include limited usage of company property. But it’s very important to notice whether you’re abusing it.
Company resources are allocated to serve the company. You may get away with a few occasional printouts using the office printer, but constantly using office laptops, phones, and other similar gadgets for personal purposes like surfing the internet, scrolling social media and youtube, etc. are not appreciated at all. Some even go as far as to use company vehicles for personal use. Don’t join that group. Otherwise, you might have to bid farewell to your job too.
07. Stealing or Damaging Company Property
The headline itself says how bad it is, right? Companies deal with situations like these with the utmost seriousness. And getting caught up in instances like this falls within the most common list of reasons to instantly fire an employee.
Stealing includes small things like office stationeries. However, it may also include cash and large equipment like laptops, printers, furniture, or other similar products. Damaging may be accidental or intentional. It’s pretty bad in both cases. So don’t forget to watch out around you!
08. Falsifying Company Records
This is actually a federal offense- yes, it’s that bad. It’s unlikely that the perpetrators will get a good job after getting fired for this.
This also includes the digital and legal properties of companies like trademarked and copyrighted contents and materials, program materials, digital content, project reports, etc. The financial expense records must be cent percent accurate.
Moreover, falsifying company records puts not only your job but also the whole company at risk. This is something that may get you instantly fired.
09. Insubordination
Company hierarchy is present to maximize productivity and efficiency. It also falls within gross violation of company policy to violate those relationships.
It’s important to give the superiors the respect they deserve. As employees, it’s necessary that you follow orders to learn first. Naturally, certain disagreements may arise. But those can be suggested or presented by following proper procedure and making conversations. There are necessary steps to climb the promotion ladder in the workplace, and following the superiors is an important part of that.
10. Inappropriate Use of Social Media
This is such a common occurrence these days that we had to make a separate point just to elaborate on this. Social media is used as a medium of expression and whether it falls under the freedom of expression category might be a separate argument. But some companies don’t want their employees to post controversial content or opinions there.
Inappropriate usage of social media is susceptible to subjective interpretations. So the employees must have a clear idea of what that is. Inappropriate usage may include and is not limited to: sharing offensive content, badmouthing company, promoting ideas that may disrupt societal harmony, posting violent or harmful content, etc.
Before sharing anything on social media, we can apply the “THINK” formula.
The Bottom Line
At this time the job market is highly competitive. Modern society is also very conscious about its rights and ideologies. This may cause the management to be rightfully ruthless in their demeanor. However, this is not as concerning as it looks. You have nothing to worry about if you are a sensible employee who has a good work ethic.