I have remarked on more than one occasion on how people are getting fired faster and with less cause today than ever before. Whereas at one time, people were only fired for incompetence or a crime, today it might be because a new manager just doesn’t like how you make them feel.
One of the more common reasons for letting someone go is by using that “you don’t fit with our company culture” statement. Sometimes that is a good thing for you; sometimes it is a cop out for the employer.
Here are some issues you might want to be aware of:
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• Treat overly friendly people with normal, realistic behaviour and don’t disclose too much about your personal life. Know the difference between associates and friends. Charming people make it easy for you to open up about yourself, but you never know where or when they may use that information to your disadvantage.
• Watch for people who can only see one side of an issue, it might not be the same side as you’re on. Short-sighted colleagues or bosses can make you look bad or incompetent even when you’re not.
• Listen out for peers who badmouth anyone behind their back. What might they be saying about you? Shut down gossipers as soon as they start denigrating someone by changing the topic or walking away.
• Look at criticism as a gift. (After assessing whether it really is you or the criticizer). Ask a criticizer to give you an example of your difficult behaviour, and then act accordingly. It is ok to be wrong. It’s okay Wear elastic around your wrist and every time you resort to your old bothersome ways, snap the elastic on your wrist for a quick behavioural modification reminder.
• Keep a file folder of all your accomplishments and tasks or assignments you volunteer for or contributed to especially those that are over and above your job description. Keep thank you emails and letters from customers and colleagues/bosses on file. When you are having a low self-esteem day, pull out the file and read the wonderful things people had to say about you.
• Pay attention to moody people – colleagues who are quick to argue and defend, and bosses who make arbitrary decisions. Give these people lots of space. You don’t want to not trust people, but you can’t always take behaviour at face value either. People can put on convincing masks in the workplace.
• Be cautious and patient with naysayers and those who are overly cautious. Acknowledge that their concerns are certainly legitimate, show statistics and show them that their fear is highly improbable.
Understand that people’s perception of you is based on their own reality. Once someone decides you are not their cup of tea, it is extremely difficult to get back into their good books. Be true to yourself, be real and work on your emotional intelligence on a daily basis.
Colleen Clarke
Career specialist and corporate trainer
www.colleenclarke.com
Author of: Networking: How To Build Relationships That Count and How To Get a Job and Keep It
I very much liked the article and I will consder this as a very useful tips for future.
I have been currently laid-off from a well paying job which as a whole I was very satisfied with. Now I am in the fourth month after I got laid-off, still am not able to figure out the reason why I was laid-off.
I have one question here. There is too much researched and written on how employees have to be flexible, adaptive etc. is there anything done on the part of employers? Are there any statistics showing how organizations are changing to cater to the need of employees.
Bosses (management) who fire on a whim are not worth their salt… it is better to be away from that work environment… trust me.
Some managers are just freaks and fear for their positions and Job security.
The bottom-line is that they are never confidence with themselves and are racist and unreasonable.
I, really going through a lot of the stuff you have talked about, but I don’t know what to do or who can help me. I migrate to this country and working in the same company for the last 5 years and after my manager changed ,things are very different Any suggestions please
And the best thing in this case in the case of being dismissed for reasons as stated above is to not hesitate to file off a ‘Notice of Civil Claim’ in the supreme court.
It’s well worth the $200.00 filing fee. As most judges really, really despise these types of firings.
Of course people can be let go in Canada for any reason, as long as appropriate notice is given and/or appropriate severance is provided.
I got Laid off a couple of months ago without apparent reason. They just said “your fit is not well in the office”, and I consider this article exactly what happened to me.
I was performing well, actually I got that new the day I finished a big submission, so means I was doing perfect as they waited me to finish that. Unfortunelly the big boss liked another person who started to work in parallel with me (competition) as well as I knew that this new one invented bad things about my performance so the big boss just took it stupidly practical: I like this one and I don’t like the other one.
When someone is always inventing bad things about your work, even if you are sure that he or she is a liar, creates a big grey cloud over you.
I advise to act inmediately and clarify with facts all the things he says. If the big boss does not have the time is important to record everything so not only you demonstrate how organize you are but also stops that liar of doing the same.
It is a shame that talented people have to leave work places just because they don’t play that dirty game. Also because other people wonder how you got that position instead of working in their own path of life.
I am well, much better now and totally sure who I am: talented, positive and proactive professional.
I have never thought this article described the situation I lived.
Thanks so much,
Gabriel.
ya thats damm true!!
Some very interesting comments but it does make one wonder if we should be psychologists before we are employees! If you constantly have to fear a miss step or are so afraid for your job you are not being allowed to do your best work due to that constant fear Should a Culture of change in the workplace be something that needs to be explored with senior management, rather than loosing good employees?
To Gabriel – If your comments are like your work, you really need to have the assistance of a mentor.
Paul.
Yes, this certainly happened to me a couple of years ago. I was hired to work in a Learning Centre with a co-worker of mine and we were hired to do the same job, tutoring students. The boss seemed overly enthusiastic about us and remained very friendly and intrusive. Over a period of time, my “partner” started to get more hours and more extra jobs and when we were paired to work on projects, conveniently “forgot” to bring her worksheets into the office for me to sign. I was asked to create workshops, and do some extra stuff too, which I performed perfectly as my students appreciated my work. One day the boss asked me to please photocopy all my work and put it into a “special” file. I started feeling pressure to do this and complied but had a suspicion and something was going wrong…it was just in the air. She then started becoming colder towards me and one day, just telephoned my other office to ask me not to come in the following week. I was flabbergasted and rush!
ed down to her office for a person to person chat. She then told me that I was too smart and bubbly, and did not fit well into the office but that she would get me another job somewhere else. I was very upset, having learned to listen to my instincts, and walked out, never looking back. My co-worker, who was the favorite, left too after a year or so, as she was then on her own to cope with the nutty boss. Thanks for this article…I am going to print it and paste it on my wall.
Sounds like the economy – people like to play the dirty game! The one in power is always the one in control. Preparing yourself is the key.
Learner
Can somebody tell me why managers do not like bubbly employees ? and suggestions on how to be quiet on the job…
I got told by an HR Manager infront of my boss that this company (in which I was working at the time) is just not the right place for me to work at !! The reasons behind this are pretty complex and long-winded, hence I won’t get into the details. But in summary, what this article is saying actually matches with what happened to me !!
Thanks Workopolis for such a fabulous truthful artcile about the kinds of things that go on in today’s workplace. By the way, Colleen, are you a big Dilbert fan?? lol. Since Dilbert cartoons can pretty much tell you what to expect in the workplace….
I must say that very often, the views of one manager or a hiring staff member do NOT actually reflect the views of the company. I’ll tell you a true story about this, this happened to me:
More than 10 years ago, I went to a job fair in the Toronto Ontario area where I had the opportunity to meet with a representative from a company who was looking to hire telemarketing staff. After a 1-2 minute long dialog with me, he told me that I am not assertive enough and hence I won’t be a good fit into this position. He didn’t take my resume, he rejected it. Anyways, a few days later, I applied with a staffing company who got me interviewed and selected for this same position in the same company. On my first day, as I walked into the office’s building in order to work, I saw that same person (who told me I am not assertive enough) in the hallway. He very likely didn’t remember me, but I sure remembered him.
I, too have heard these words, “just not a good fit”.
At the time I had been assisting at a privately owned business in the social service sector. The owner had over time been attempting to recruit an additional person, and when this person accepted, my boss was so excited he actually built a workspace, transforming space in the back room into an office. Literally. With bricks. He had actually piled up the bricks directly in front of my desk! Until my skirt brushed up against the dust and I started moving them myself, joined in by a colleague after hearing my mutterings of obvious disgust.
Contemplating on what really happened, after the fateful day of firing, I remembered when I was offered the job, it was via a phone message he left that said, “everyone here seems to like you, so do you want the job?” I realized what was missing was, “I like you.” He really never did. And it truly was as simple as that. If the one in charge does not like you (and he was the owner), there’s not really much room for a successful relationship.
He was also someone who professed to have an office that was always open, and wanted open communication. “Tell me how you feel”. Beware. Most people that say that they want to be told the truth, really do not. This is not a judgement, just a human nature observation. And it is especially tricky in the world of business.
My termination came 48 hours after walking into the “open office” to have an honest discussion. If the one in charge does not like you, odds are your needs and your opinions will not be respected.
I was fired after only being three weeks on the job and was told that I wasn’t a good fit. I feel that the company actually was being discriminatory as I have a physical disability and I wasn’t treated fairly. The work world is a tricky place and I feel that its a rare thing to find a nice work place with a reasonable line manager who actually will work with you in a cooperative manner.
This just happened to me this past month. After almost 15 years of doing the same work (4 of which were at this last company), the new manager that was just hired not even a year ago, and who didn’t like me no matter how much above and beyond I went, has decided that all of the sudden I don’t know what I am doing, and, am apparently a poor employee. What, did I just wake up one day after 4 years and now I am unable to do my job? If you don’t like me for whatever reason that is one thing, but don’t tell me I am not a good employee.
The very next morning, I seen my position posted online, but with a slight change to the name of the position. Turns out all along he was working on getting rid of me so he can hire someone for practically minimum wage. Well, good luck. You get what you pay for. You are certainly not going to get someone with 15 years experience cheap.
Also, like Heather, he started asking for all my templates. Should have listened to my instincts. But who thinks their boss is going to be so dastardly?
Wow! I have just spent the last 2 weeks wondering what is wrong with me. It seems that this new cause for firing is being abused. I recently discovered through an HR manager that this is quite common in the workplace now. It is a shame and in my case, a cause for termination. I can relate to all of the above comments and now can underscore Chinook Man’s comments. It is really sad that employers can be so flippant with lives and quite frankly, the company’s money – I, after all, had just received my benefit card! What a waste of resources and what a waste of my time and talent. Take your job and shove it I say…!!
All great comments…so much of what you all say seems to be based on ‘misunderstandings’ between employer and employee. And I feel it is the employer’s responsibility to quell thses misunderstandigns before they get out of hand. Isn’t that the job of a manager? To work with an employee from the get go to work out small kinks before they escalate? In the past, I have left two jobs because I “sensed” things were beginning to turn south. I reluctantly “quit” two great jobs in the past 30 years because the office culture was becoming toxic. I left when I could choose to leave and in my resignation, greatly thanked the company for the employment but made sure the letter included a polite note to the effect that the working environment was ever-increasingly becoming toxic and I could not remain ana effective and dedicated employee. At least there would always be a paper trail of what happened in the office. Years later, I was vindicated when I found out both companies ended up h!
aving a major retention of employee problem. So leave when YOU want to leave a job and with your dignity and self respect still intact. Good luck out there.
I was let go after about 18 months of good hard work in which I had received one good review and a raise. I was and remain mystified why I was let go and no real explanation was given. I tried to get a reason by asking my boss what course would be recmmended so I could improve in an area that may help me in the future and no suggestions where offered. I know from the severance settlement that there was no just cause and that my termination could have led to a wrongful dismissal case, however, life is too short. I can rest knowing I did nothing wrong and in the end it was the company making a decision they thought worked for them. In my mind it is their loss and I will find a better more suportive environment to work in the future. Everything happens for a reason!
I have worked several years in HR in a hiring and firing capacity as well as holding various specialist roles. I am currently at a new company in a specialist role (after several years with my previous one) and it takes A LOT of effort to fit in and to understand the culture, norms and requirements. I chose to change jobs so the onus is on me to determine the right path in this company which is not easy. I think many employees do not work as hard or contribute as much as they used to because organizations are struggling to make ends meet so the focus on results is not where it needs to be and the coaching is not there to help people succeed (which is vicious circle because they need the results to achieve).
In my almost 20 years in HR most people I have had to fire should have been let go for various reasons with the exception of merger downsizing where duplicate roles existed. The rest just didn’t do what was expected. The fact is most employees have a sense of entitle!
ment, don’t take the time to relationship build and don’t understand the culture. Most employers spend tons of money and effort to hire the right person but don’t always do the right pre-work on what they need or on who will fit. In addition, when new employees show up they are just thrown into the mix without sufficient orientation or goal setting. This happens at every level which makes it hard to be successful. The responsibility, to me, lays with both the employer (assessing the need, creating a profile, hiring to that profile, integrating the hire and setting them up for success) and the employee (understanding the company, asking the right questions, doing your best and learning how to work your way through the organization). Sometimes unfortunately good people are let go just due to financial reasons and “”fit” is the least volatile reason to give someone being let go. Find a mentor, ask questions and do your best – that’s all you can do. It doesn’t get any easier as you get older or in more senior roles unfortunately. All you can do is all you can do. Good luck!