1) Dishonesty
This one is kind of a no brainer, even though it tops the list. Of course if you lie to your boss, share proprietary company information, fudge or fake time sheets or expense reports and the like, this is always potential grounds for firing.
Add some social media wrinkles to this one though now. Doing things like tweeting/blogging/sharing disparaging things about your boss, co-workers and/or company can get you in trouble, as can taking a sick day and then posting Facebook pictures of yourself tubing at your friend’s lake cabin. That last one is hypothetical by the way.
2) Lying on a resume
As you well know, increasing numbers of
employers are checking every single reference a job candidate provides, although EEO regulations make this more difficult to complete in recent years. Many employers, including staffing agencies, require a candidate provide copies of high school, vocational school, and/or college transcripts and diplomas, as well as certifications and licenses when applicable.
Some employers are even running regularly credit checks on workers. Vendors who can perform bulk credit and background checks make this cheaper to accomplish these days.
3) Refusing to follow directions and orders
This is another one in the no brainer and self explanatory categories. Employers are paying a worker to be there, performing certain duties and functions. If the worker is unwilling or unable to perform those functions, there is going to be a problem. And probably a dismissal.
4) Too much personal stuff at work
Companies consider computers, telephones and so forth to be their property, and using, or misusing, company property on a continual basis for your personal stuff is frowned upon. Endless surfing on the web, engaging in social media sites, excessive chit chat with coworkers is also a waste of company time and could get you fired.
Companies consider computers, telephones and so forth to be their property, and using, or misusing, company property on a continual basis for your personal stuff is frowned upon. Endless surfing on the web, engaging in social media sites, excessive chit chat with coworkers is also a waste of company time and could get you fired.
5) Inconsistency
We all have bad days, right? That won’t get you fired. Usually. But if your productivity and moods are swinging all over the place in a pendulum-like fashion, that could put you in another category. The fire-able kind. This is often the kind of thing that can be addressed in a regular performance review. If you are an employer, you should be conducting them regularly. There are too many tools available today not to. No excuses. And if you are an employee, you should be receiving reviews on an annual, or even more frequent basis.
6) Inability to get along with others
Can’t we all just get along?! Seems like an easy enough ask, but as we all know, the workplace environment is not always a perfectly harmonious one. Isn’t it great to be the person about whom others others say, “They get along with everybody.” Conversely, the lack of an ability to play well with others can derail your career and advancement opportunities.
7) Can’t do the work
With more and more people desperate for work these days, by the time someone reaches the actual serious interview stage, it’s quite possible they might not answer honestly to specific questions about their skills and experience. For jobs that require certification and/or licenses, this scenario won’t happen. But for less technical or more general positions, it’s possible an employer – or even the employee – may not know someone’s true ability to perform work until they are actually on the job. If someone is hired and shown they simply can’t do the job, they will likely be let go. It’s like a blind date, the true you will emerge eventually, you may as well be honest from the start. On both sides for that matter.
Too slow to adapt
With more and more generations in the workplace than at any time in our history perhaps, a willingness and ability to adapt to different work styles, communication methods, motivations, etc., is essential for success. No doubt we have all seen situations where change is instituted by a new boss, perhaps a younger or less experienced one, and that change is resisted by long-tenured or more experienced employees. With the pace of change in the workplace today, we all must be highly adaptable and willing to evolve.
9) High absenteeism rate
I have a very diligent, serial entrepreneur friend who when discussing the correlation between persistence and success, often talks about the importance of simply “showing up.” Of course, not showing up for work carries with it consequences, which may include firing. With many employers aggregating vacations, mental health days, sick time, holidays, and other personal days into one category called “Paid Time Off” or something similar, detailed explanations about the reasons for not being at work may not matter as much. But showing up regularly still does.
Be sure and look for a subsequent
Staffing Talk post about a woman who got hired, got sick (very sick in fact) and got fired. It’s an interesting case study.
10) Drug and/or alcohol abuse
Obviously drug and alcohol issues can leads to all kinds of problems in the workplace, such as inconsistent work, errors, accidents, poor interpersonal relationships, increased absenteeism, low morale and so on. It’s bad for the company and bad for the worker. When these problems come up, they certainly transcend the workplace, and losing a job may not be the biggest problem.
That’s our list. It’s fairly comprehensive, but we wouldn’t assume it’s complete. Did we make any obvious errors or omissions? Let us know your thoughts and comments, including perhaps a difficult firing decision you have had to face.
Source: Written by
David Gee
