“Snitched On Myself”: 25 People Explain Why They Lost Their Job

For most people, jobs are not something that last forever. As employees, we have many occupations throughout our lifetimes. Whether it's due to a lack of good management, poor pay scales or changing career goals, there are a host of reasons people have for saying goodbye to their employer.  But when Redditor Sometimes_Cleaver asked online, "Why did you get fired?” the funniest stories came out in response. We’ve combed through the tales to find the most interesting, infuriating and hilarious submissions that reflect the chaos of the modern workforce and shared them in the gallery below. 

#1 The new shop manager was openly racist and the HR manager fired me because she was tired of being informed every time I got called cracker or honkey. The opening arguments for my suit will be laid out in August- wish me luck.

Image source: Exact_Week, Nathan Anderson / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#2 Wouldn't sleep with 2 of the 3 managers. I was 16. They were grown men.

Image source: SurlyWenchAZ, Oleg Ivanov / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#3 Worked at a gun store for a minute in my 20s. Boss was in his late 50s, and his wife was about 5 years older than I was. As I was bending over to close the floor gun safe, the bosses wife complimented my butt. The bosses office door was open. Fired the next morning, and he attempted to deny my unemployment claim. "Fired for cause!" "What cause?". "Because!".

Image source: Titania42, Adolfo Félix / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#4 I got fired because I got cancer, and after the chemo I wasn't as sharp. America, the land of the free, baby.

Image source: Killbot6, Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#5 Came in to do some mechanic work on my day off. I fixed small engines on go karts, taught by my friends dad. My main job was running the go karts but on my off days I’d come in for OT and to keep up on the maintenance of the cars.

Image source: dins3r, Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo) The manager that day saw me working on go carts and told me to take over for whomever was running the carts that day. I told her I was there to fix some karts and do some regular maintenance as it was my off day. She told me she didn’t have the people to watch karts today and she needed me to do it. I had to explain that wasn’t my problem as I was there on my off day. She escalated and told me to go run the karts or I could leave and not come back. I finished the kart I was working on and left. The general manager called me the next day and invited me in for a meeting where I got my job back, got an apology from the manager who fired me, and I got to watch the manager who fired me get fired after apologizing to me. It was wonderful. I worked there 2 more years in the highlight of my teen years.

#6 District manager emailed the whole store giving us a (large) list of tasks to complete before Black Friday. Jokingly, I simply typed "No." and showed my co-worker, just to get a cheap laugh. I was obviously not going to send that.

Image source: Vexwill, Brad Neathery / Unsplash (not the actual photo) Before I could react, my co-worker reached over and hit "send". My heart dropped and I got a phone call later that evening saying I wasn't a team player, I was refusing a "direct order from a superior". I tried to explain it was a joke and that I accidentally hit send, then I got berated for "not taking the job seriously". Looking back it was a blessing in disguise. It was the last Thanksgiving with my brother before he passed.

#7 I was tasked with washing something that would have 100% electrocuted me. I refused. They fired me. Then asked another employee to do it. They were electrocuted. Sued into oblivion and the place is gone now. Missed my chance for a big payout but eh... didnt nearly die.

Image source: skith843, zibik / Unspalsh (not the actual photo)

#8 My dad was dying and the company didn’t want me spending so much time helping him. I offer to have my dad die at a more conducive time for them but they didn’t take that well so I changed my number in the company directive to a local pizza shop and got things in order.

Image source: MySonHas2BrokenArms, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#9 Got fired because my company hired replacements while I was recovering from Cervical Disc Replacement under workers comp, from an injury that happened while on the job, at that company.

Image source: riv965, Kindel Media / Pexels (not the actual photo)

#10 Not me, but my favorite nursing assistant was fired because she couldn't figure out how to apply for FMLA so that she could get off work and receive chemo. She was just old and computer stuff really confused her, but she was a phenomenal Aide. They let her work her full shift then fired her. She had just applied to nursing school using our program to pay for it. I quit a month later. The fact that they didn't have someone from HR sit down with her and show her how before it got to that point disgusted me.

Image source: greeneggsnyams

#11 I was 16 and working at an Ace Hardware as an after-school/weekend job. One of my responsibilities was taking out the trash at the end of the night. One evening, I was closing with another guy who was a long-time employee. He said he would get the trash and that I could go home.

Image source: WonManBand, Taras Chuiko / Unsplash (not the actual photo) Come in the next day to boss waiting for me. Says, "WonManBand, how come trash wasn't taken out last night?" I respond that other employee said he'd do it and told me go home. Boss says that's not what other employee is saying, says I was supposed to do it and just left. I disagree, get fired. Over 20 years later, still salty. Didn't even like that job but f**k you, John. Edit: John is the co-worker, for clarity.

#12 Back in highschool, I didn’t invite my 30 something year old manager to my underage drinking party. Fired the next shift at work during a rush.

Image source: bluehotcheeto, Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#13 Boss apparently didn't know I had a lazy eye(but able to control it consciously) I was at this job for 3 years without an incident.(Transporting materials) Calls me in and asks me about my vision. Tell him I'm legally blind in right eye, but have been driving since I was 10. Said we can no longer continue with you being employed here. Was so out of my mind, I didn't even think to lawyer up. But FU them, their new driver " accidentally" pierced 4 vehicles with the long forks... Within 1 week.

Image source: Electrical_Escape_87

#14 Changed my status to "available for work" inadvertently while job searching on linkedin. Was connected to HR at the firm and they saw it. I realized my mistake a couple hours too late but they saw it and let me go. Honestly was the best thing ever. I started my own business after it happened a year ago and am thriving. Thanks, a******s!

Image source: Red_Stripe1229, Swello / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#15 Reporting sexual assault to authorities when I was an exotic dancer and wouldn’t take the bribe offered to keep my mouth shut.

Image source: anon

#16 Worked at Rite Aid, some scammers came with stolen gift cards that were actually accepted by the system and they made a huge purchase, obviously I was suspicious and the manager approved the transactions. A month later, I was let go citing stating I wasn’t vigilant enough!

Image source: Keny_Mwas254, Jianhui Gong / Wikipedia (not the actual photo)

#17 The owner was from India. His son wanted Valentine’s Day off to go to a seven day wedding, but I already requested and had it approved. He crossed my name off the calendar and put his and told me if I wasn’t there I’d be fired. Expected me to pick up all his missing shifts the whole week. I picked up all his shifts, but I wasn’t there on Valentine’s Day. I was fired.

Image source: Takeabreath_andgo, Monika Grabkowska / Unsplash (not the actul photo)

#18 I told them in March I’m taking a week off in May. May comes and they tell me they can’t approve it because we’re short staffed. I remind them that we were short staffed when everyone else took their vacations this year and didn’t complain, so come May 15th I’m outta here.

Image source: Icy-Bodybuilder-9077, Behnam Norouzi / Unsplash (not the actual photo) They acted weird for a week after I got back before dropping the news. Wasn’t even mad, I was part time consistently pulling 32-38 hours. Thinking of reporting them to the department of labor.

#19 Because I wouldn't lie to people. Worked for a cell service affiliate in college. Had the worst coverage, price, and customer service of any of the 4 major carriers in my area. Only feather in the cap was cool devices (for the time). Sales expectations were high, only way to get there was lie through your teeth. I refused. Spent most my shifts unfucking accounts other employees had f****d in order to get commission. Was actually relieved to get canned. Was destroying my mental health.

Image source: hilltopper06, Berkeley Communications / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#20 I worked at a shelter for homeless teens. Admin staff were some of the most incompetent humans I've ever worked for. So incompetent one of our teens got r*ped.

Image source: yeah_girl, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo) I started raising hell because there was no accountability for the administration. They kept f*****g up and doing nothing when s**t like this would go down. They scheduled a meeting to talk to me about "my concerns" while I was on vacation and then fired me for not showing up Still makes my blood boil to think about it.

#21 They hired me, didn't give me any work to do, then fired me for not doing any work despite me asking for things to do.

Image source: RuinedSilence, Dai KE / Unsplash (not the actual photo) Addendum: I was a junior PR associate then. Since I had nothing to do, I spent the time monitoring the social media pages of our brands to get insight (this was under my then-superior's advice). One of the reasons why they fired me was "you spend too much time on social media while at work".

#22 Got fired for quitting.

Image source: DannyDeVitaLoca, Guillaume Issaly / Unsplash (not the actual photo) See, phones weren't allowed on jobsites. But, we were expected to call into dispatch before 5pm to get our next daily assignment. Buuuuuuut, we worked from 7a to 7p almost every day, so we couldn't call into dispatch. After being reprimanded for not calling in on time, I said "Ya know, this job isn't going to work out and I quit." Dispatcher said "You have no idea how stressful *you people* make things for me. You're fired, and no longer allowed to work for this agency!".

#23 Because I wouldn't let my boss at a new job put my name on a nasty email. I called her out and said I don't speak to people that way. She was awful. I was happy to see that pink slip in her hand a week later.

Image source: NewTimeTraveler1, Stephen Phillips / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

#24 I put too many olives on a sandwich and got fired from Subway. On my first day.

Image source: fred_fred_burgerr, Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels (not the actual photo)

#25 I pushed 10 carts at a time at target when the maximum is supposed to be 7. They were the last 10 carts in the lot and I didn’t feel like making 2 trips was necessary. Got fired the next day.

Image source: Expensive_Attitude51, Eduardo Soares / Unsplash (not the actual photo)