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Share your stories about guys who got fired
- Thread starter alek95
- Start date
- Replies 119
- Views 13,065
BajaFire
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2023
- Location
- Across the street from McDonald's
Foundry I used to work at had a couple of goons who were playing football across the foundry floor with aluminum-bronze gates and risers. The old German boss didn't think it was such good sport to be had.
The weirdo kid in my first year manual machining class got sent home for running a 3 inch face mill in reverse then continuing to feed it across a face of the part in his vise even after all the inserts popped off. Didn't get fired since we were in class, but he got sent home for the day. If I recall correctly, he also dressed up sort of like a pirate.
alphonso
Titanium
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2006
- Location
- Republic of Texas
In 44 years, I only had fire one guy. He was in his fifties and got tired of working in Houston so came home to Hamilton County. Just couldn't do the work. Final straw was turning some aluminum bars at about 90 sfm. Actually told him there wasn't enough work so I would have to lay him off. Filed for unemployment. I think it was denied after I told them he just couldn't do the work required of the job.
CarbideBob
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2007
- Location
- Flushing/Flint, Michigan
So, rookie.
Drilling holes on a B-port in reserve gear.
Comes and says having some trouble. He is hanging off the the quill handle with all his weight and might and burning up drills.
He did not get fired.
Okay.... I see bad teaching.
Many of my firing has been those who just do not want to pay attention or learn.
I think maybe twice in 40 years was "you can not handle this". That was sad and I remember it well and wonder.
My job to teach and train, bring them in.
And then there is not showing up for work with 1000 excuses or drugs.
Bob
Drilling holes on a B-port in reserve gear.
Comes and says having some trouble. He is hanging off the the quill handle with all his weight and might and burning up drills.
He did not get fired.
Okay.... I see bad teaching.
Many of my firing has been those who just do not want to pay attention or learn.
I think maybe twice in 40 years was "you can not handle this". That was sad and I remember it well and wonder.
My job to teach and train, bring them in.
And then there is not showing up for work with 1000 excuses or drugs.
Bob
Last edited:
4GSR
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2005
- Location
- Victoria, Texas, USA
The first job I worked at many years ago we had a cleaning boy that started work for us on day shift. After about three months they moved him up to machine trainee and put him on night shift. Several months went by and suddenly this boy got mad at one of the other guys on night shift that had been giving him a hard time. Went to his car and came back in the building with a loaded hand gun. He started at the aggravator and the night shift foreman got in the middle and grabbed the gun, managed to get his finger between the hammer and cylinder as he fired the gun. Fortunately, the gun didn't go off. They were both escorted out of the building, one at a time to give the other time to get out of town, to never return.
standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
Over the years have seen many get shown the door. Some really deserved it, some maybe no so much but it usually involved a bad choice, on the wrong day, in front of the wrong guy.
Anyway....some epic tales of big shots getting fired. Some due to changing of the guard because the new boss often has is own entourage....so to speak, but some were truly despicable ass-wipes who stomped on many others to facilitate their careers and finally those they screwed over got the last laugh.
So while I pour a bit of bourbon in glass I'll sit back and think back to the best "out the door you go" I ever had the pleasure to be part of and will offer this valuable lesson....
Anyway....some epic tales of big shots getting fired. Some due to changing of the guard because the new boss often has is own entourage....so to speak, but some were truly despicable ass-wipes who stomped on many others to facilitate their careers and finally those they screwed over got the last laugh.
So while I pour a bit of bourbon in glass I'll sit back and think back to the best "out the door you go" I ever had the pleasure to be part of and will offer this valuable lesson....
"Be nice to people on the way up because you’ll meet them on the way down" – (Wilson Mizner)
???
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2017
Not a firing more a non hiring.
I was looking for a toolmaker and this young Iranian Muslim guy turned up with the necessary paperwork. Gave him a test job and went away, came back to find him drilling through a tool steel block with a spot drill. Had a chat and asked where did you get your papers. Turns out his father owned a big plastics company with a tool room. Told him I couldn’t hire him as he didn’t have the basic skills required. I asked him what he had actually come to Australia for. He says I want to learn to fly planes. This is post 9-11 so I just said don’t tell anyone one that or you will be deported and good luck finding a job. Last I spoke to him he was coaching tennis.
I was looking for a toolmaker and this young Iranian Muslim guy turned up with the necessary paperwork. Gave him a test job and went away, came back to find him drilling through a tool steel block with a spot drill. Had a chat and asked where did you get your papers. Turns out his father owned a big plastics company with a tool room. Told him I couldn’t hire him as he didn’t have the basic skills required. I asked him what he had actually come to Australia for. He says I want to learn to fly planes. This is post 9-11 so I just said don’t tell anyone one that or you will be deported and good luck finding a job. Last I spoke to him he was coaching tennis.
I thought that was Ralph Kramden?
I worked for a large corporation in an engineering capacity - occasionally, engineers would just disappear, it was very hush hush.
lazz
Stainless
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2012
- Location
- The warm desert of Phoenix Arizona
Maybe as many as 30 years ago while working construction.
My crew was striping forms. There were safety problems, not with my crew, others wandering to our area. As we took forms down from the ceiling in one spot any and everything 20 or 30 feet in any direction could fall. I spent a quarter of my day maintaining our perimeter.
That job lasted over a year...at the end I caught shit from the main office because every injury on that job came from my area.. No one I kept time on got hurt.
As a cigar smoker at the time. Taking a cigar into a confined spaces with monitors would set the alarms off.
I sat my cigar on a ledge, did the job in the confined space. When I came out my cigar had been knocked off the ledge and a labor from a different crew was standing on it as he pushed a broom.
I asked his name... Called the office on my radio and asked the secretary to get his final checks. She asks me why... and I tell her he is standing on my cigar. A couple seconds later with laughter in the back ground she replies he need to get his stuff and come to the office.
I fired a guy for stepping on my cigar.
The rest of the years I worked for that company new hires were warned about me and my cigar.
My crew was striping forms. There were safety problems, not with my crew, others wandering to our area. As we took forms down from the ceiling in one spot any and everything 20 or 30 feet in any direction could fall. I spent a quarter of my day maintaining our perimeter.
That job lasted over a year...at the end I caught shit from the main office because every injury on that job came from my area.. No one I kept time on got hurt.
As a cigar smoker at the time. Taking a cigar into a confined spaces with monitors would set the alarms off.
I sat my cigar on a ledge, did the job in the confined space. When I came out my cigar had been knocked off the ledge and a labor from a different crew was standing on it as he pushed a broom.
I asked his name... Called the office on my radio and asked the secretary to get his final checks. She asks me why... and I tell her he is standing on my cigar. A couple seconds later with laughter in the back ground she replies he need to get his stuff and come to the office.
I fired a guy for stepping on my cigar.
The rest of the years I worked for that company new hires were warned about me and my cigar.
gmach10
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
- Location
- N.E. Illinois
Not to sound like my English teacher brother but they saying we use, "The toes you step on today are connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow"!
gmach10
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
- Location
- N.E. Illinois
A guy gets called into the boss' office and he's told he's fired! Guy yells, "Why am I getting fired, I ain't never done nothing"!
Houdini
Titanium
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2017
Fired a guy 15 minutes after he was hired.
I told him run the auto saw while machine runs.
pause it when you need to switch parts.
walked by 2 minutes later, he was staring in machine, I said remember run saw while it runs, ok.
Some minutes later went by, still staring in machine, looked at him, he looked at me.
Come minutes later same, I said, you need to remember to run saw.
He said I want to just watch the machine for a while, and see what it's doing.
Said I understand, but I need you to run the saw also.
Come minutes later, same.
When I walked by and looked at him he yelled, " don't worry about it man, I'll get to it!"
I told him " we don't do what you want here, we do what I tell you to do!"
He said , do it yourself then!
I said, I will, your fired!
Dude wanted to be paid for his 15 minutes.
I told him run the auto saw while machine runs.
pause it when you need to switch parts.
walked by 2 minutes later, he was staring in machine, I said remember run saw while it runs, ok.
Some minutes later went by, still staring in machine, looked at him, he looked at me.
Come minutes later same, I said, you need to remember to run saw.
He said I want to just watch the machine for a while, and see what it's doing.
Said I understand, but I need you to run the saw also.
Come minutes later, same.
When I walked by and looked at him he yelled, " don't worry about it man, I'll get to it!"
I told him " we don't do what you want here, we do what I tell you to do!"
He said , do it yourself then!
I said, I will, your fired!
Dude wanted to be paid for his 15 minutes.
Houdini
Titanium
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2017
Had a little dude in injection shop kept coming in machine shop antagonizing this huge ex baseball player. extreme!
Big dude eventually had enough after some months.
Beat the shit out of that little dude in the parking lot.
Little dude was surprised when he came in all bloody, and I fired him.
Cops had to remove him.
Mental!
Big dude eventually had enough after some months.
Beat the shit out of that little dude in the parking lot.
Little dude was surprised when he came in all bloody, and I fired him.
Cops had to remove him.
Mental!
Superbowl
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2020
I got fired once, when I was about 17 years old. I had a part time job at this Exxon station that had a big repair shop with about 12 lifts, 6 on each side with a tall overhead door on either end. I had been working there evenings and weekends for about a month as a junior mechanic. It was a very cold Saturday and the manager's buddy opened one overhead door and walked out and disappeared around the side of the building. After a few minutes of the bitter cold blowing in, I walked over and hit the close button. The door started slowly moving down. Just then the boss's buddy comes tearing around the corner in a station wagon with a roof rack with out even looking at the door. The door came down on the wagon's roof just in front of the rack. It tore the rack off and bent the hell out of the overhead door. I got the blame and was fired for just closing a door.
triumph406
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
- Location
- ca
Got a semi amusing story about how I was fired once. It was embarrasing so I'll keep it to myself.
alek95
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2022
We want to hear it
Seesecurity
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2017
- Location
- Brisbane Australia
I had a Nigerian bloke working for me, he was 6'9", hands the size of dinner plates. He used to use a 9" grinder with one hand like I would use a 4" grinder, he could flick the switch and it wouldn't even kick. He also had a pretty short fuse, one day a delivery driver was giving him shit because he wouldn't unload him, even tho' he wasn't allowed to, in the end he just picked the guy up by his shirt with one hand and threw him back in to his cab from about 6 feet away.
One day he just stopped turning up, no phone call, nothing. After 4 weeks I paid what he was owed in to his account and I took him off the payroll.
3 months later he rocks up for work on a Monday morning like nothing had happened. I'm crapping myself because I had to go and tell him he'd been terminated, thinking he'd lose it and snap me in half.
He just said "Ok boss, I understand" picked up his toolbox and left.
One day he just stopped turning up, no phone call, nothing. After 4 weeks I paid what he was owed in to his account and I took him off the payroll.
3 months later he rocks up for work on a Monday morning like nothing had happened. I'm crapping myself because I had to go and tell him he'd been terminated, thinking he'd lose it and snap me in half.
He just said "Ok boss, I understand" picked up his toolbox and left.
kb0thn
Stainless
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
- Location
- Winona, MN, USA
I hired one of my star employees 17 year old daughter for a random tasks person. $20 something per hour part time. She set her own schedule. Less than a mile from her high school. Best and easiest job ever. Production work was slow so I had her cleaning. She tells her co-workers and manager that if she is cleaning tomorrow then she doesn't want to work. So I fired her. Apparently it took her a couple of a months to find a new job at Walmart. Where I doubt she is making $20 something per hour. And probably still has to clean.
