The 7 Most Common Reasons People Get Fired From Their Job

Getting fired can be a huge blow to your ego that is difficult to bounce back from if you’re not careful in how you play your cards. It not only puts your back up against the wall, but it’s also embarrassing. Whether it was your fault or not, after you get fired there is a stigma that follows you everywhere.

You quickly grow tired of talking about it and cringe every time someone brings up your job situation in a social setting. While the reason for getting fired may not always be immediately clear or the reason you are given may not be the actual reason you were let go, there are certain behaviors that are clear cut and will lead to almost certain termination.

1) Blundering on Social Media

We’ve all heard that we need to be careful about what we post on social media, yet people continue to get terminated every day for what they post online. So what are they posting that gets them in trouble?

Here in Colorado, the most common one is someone calls in sick for work, and then their friend tags them in a picture at the ski slopes. Their boss sees it, and they get terminated for lying about being sick.

Never post disparaging remarks about your company or boss online. People that go on a rant against their company on social media are almost always terminated.

Stay away from hugely controversial posts that can be seen as highly offensive. If your online activity is offending customers, you will be quickly replaced.

2) Getting Negative

The second you make the conscious decision of joining the others at the office who are negative, you are putting your future with the company in jeopardy. While you don’t have to agree with everything that goes on, pick your battles wisely and don’t become known as a gossiper.

3) Acting as a Lone Wolf

In today’s working environment, most people are expected to work as part of a team. Not everyone has strong social skills. However, effective communication is an essential piece to being a contributing member of a team. When you’re a lone wolf you don’t become fully part of the team.

When something goes wrong, all the blame can easily land on the lone wolf. You’re much harder to get rid of if you’re a team player.

4) Being Late

This one should be straightforward but being on time to work is an essential part of the job. Showing up regularly on time (or even a little earlier depending on your office setup) builds a sense of trust in your supervisor/boss’s relationship with you.

Simply showing up on time can lead them to believe you are ready for more serious work on a consistent basis or even a promotion to a higher level.

5) Disobeying Your Boss

Sometimes you have worked somewhere long enough where you feel you might have built up a cache or body of work to take matters into your own hands. However, disobeying your boss’s clear intentions is a quick way to be let go. If you have suggestions on how to improve a project or process at work, always offer them up in a way that is constructive.

6) Giving the Minimum Effort

Some people think they can slide by at work by continually giving the minimum effort and rarely if ever going above and beyond what’s asked. These are the people that feel self-entitled and that the company is lucky to have them despite them not having made any major contributions.

Putting forth the minimum effort will ensure that your name will continually come up any time there is any talk by the management of needing to restructure or let people go.

7) Using Inappropriate Behavior or Language