Why I Was Fired
In November of 2004 I was fired for missing too many days at work.
What Being Fired Has Been Like
I am disabled and was working part-time. When I was hired they knew I could be out for days at a time and this was accepted. Since they didn't have to provide any benefits, retirement or pay me a salary, it was felt by both sides that this was an equitable trade-off. But the company was bought by a larger one and went through three different reorganizations while I was there. During this time it seems they misclassified me somehow. When they terminated me I mentioned this fact and it seemed to be a surprise to the HR department. By this time the people that knew me were gone or no longer involved with my department. The company nearly panicked and, though they had a policy of not doing it, they offered me a 3K severance package. I could have fought the dismissal but my health was such that fighting it would be more than I could handle. I haven't worked since.
Advice
- Get everything in writing.
- Make sure you keep in contact with the HR people.
- Get to know your chain of command. I was only familiar to my immediate supervisor.
- Get everything in writing!
- Don't lock yourself into a situation. Always keep your options open, just in case.
- And finally, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!
