Fired! whats your opinion? LONG WINDED

**sahm2boys** · 09-12-2012, 02:52 PM

Hi people

its been awhile since i have been on the site. last time i was here it was december and we had some finanical trouble, and I had just been hired as a adnministrator, after being home for a while.

I started the day after Christmas, I had 1 week of training and then i was left to my own devices. I felt that i fitted in for the most part. I always had the feeling my direct boss, the president thought very little of me. Or maybe that he was just better..im not sure. i just know i was never completely comfortable with him.

The company was expanding in all aspects, they decided to bring in additonal help. This was August.

They had me conduct the interviews while they sat and viewed.

I was quite shocked at the presidents #1 choice his number #2 was the same as mine.

The girl was very sweet but dumb as a box of rocks.

He called the girl back to offer the position and was having second thoughts after offering it to her, so he asked #2 to come in for an offer and he never retracked the first girl, next thing i know there are 2 assistants.

not enough work space or computers

Both are young, attractive girls.. and the offer was an entry level positon.

The president made several comments about their good looks at the office where i felt uncomfortable.
but I am self conscience anyways so i chalked it up to my conscience. (plus size)

I didnt like the cut i was recieving, it was uncomfortable to have him comment on their looks and the effect it would have on other employees

i was also left out of a lot of meetings after their hire

While doing an audit the executive found where some employees did not get entered for time and therefore they did not get paid for several hours on an important date. this happened in feburary but it was located in September.

my work is based on others being on time with their work and me being notified of changes which was hardly ever done in a timely fashion. I am limited to the time i have to turn work in.

After that Audit we spoke of auditing it all. I was informed to have the new girls do it. But i had the available time and i wanted to make sure there were no other mistakes. So i started it with their help. (they needed someone to show them how)

2 weeks into the audit...i found 3 mistakes from a 9 month period.
I printed off large amounts of paper copies so that there was both paper and electronic on file as required.

I am pulled to the side and fired for the incident the occurred in Feburary because mistakes are not acceptable from day one. (there is no checks and balances at this company, my husband runs several divisions for his employer and we spoke several times about how there is no one checking work and his exact words were that with them not checking behind all employees (being only us 3 in the office in feburary) that something was bound to come back and i would end up taking the fall) wow was he right

Apparently me doing the audit was a NO NO..but they never stopped me in the 2 weeks nor said anything, they even came by and over saw what we were doing.

they basically said it looked like i was covering up mistakes (nope) and that i had alot (nope) he ASSUMED because i was printing documents that they were all mistakes, I explained that NO they were copies for the file cabinet. He also states that he told me not to do it, that HE would do the audit with the new girls. (nope)
but his decison was made at that point.

I truly feel like i was thrown out because he hired 2, instead of one and 3 was too many. That the "air head" kept the positon because of her looks. I had nothing against her she was a very sweet funny person but when the girl doesnt know the name for basic office supplies and writes down the spanish word off the box, she is not in the executive level but because shes a size 0 and had HUGE assests she was picked over me. (she has a work space in his office)

His attention to their training was appalling to me I did not receive such training and time. When i asked for assistance he was to busy but he has all the time in world to train the new girls.

i seem bitter i know but i orginally enjoyed my job and i felt like it was all taken away by someone elses good looks. I had hopes of finially finding my niche and growing with a company and now im hoping for unemployment.

**Greebo** · 09-12-2012, 03:10 PM

I think that the company you no longer work for won't expand for long if the president (does that mean "owner" who's putting on airs?) is hiring for looks not skill.

That said, is it a real company? Does it have an HR department? If so you should call them up and voice your concerns.

**SueBee49** · 09-12-2012, 03:28 PM

I'm so very sorry this happened to you, sahm2boys. Being terminated is bad enough and tough on anyone's ego, but believing it might be because of looks or body build would really intensify all the negative thoughts one goes through with a termination, I'm sure.

Is there anyone you can appeal the termination to? Probably not. For practical purposes, most states are "at will" states meaning the employer really doesn't even have to have a reason to terminate. Texas is like that. Legally speaking, one can be terminated on a whim although that isn't usually the case.

I know that what I'm going to say next is going to ring extremely hollow right now, but I've come to believe that things like this usually work out well in the end. That has been my experience. Years and years ago, there was a certain stigma attached to being fired. That same stigma no longer exists in today's work force. Right now, I would advise you to focus on the practicalities - loss of income = looking for a new job ASAP. Absolutely do not dwell on what you believe to be the reasons for termination as it will effect your self-esteem and that will be picked up on by others. If you feel you need to work on your body image, do so. Otherwise, hold your head up and be proud of who you are, the work and effort you put into that job, and what you have to offer.

As for my opinion? Frankly, I don't know and it really doesn't matter. More importantly, I think it's important to deal with the immediate emotional fall out a termination always brings with it.

**Rona** · 09-12-2012, 03:33 PM

I am so sorry that this has happened to you (((hug))) Do you have anything like Citizens Advice or maybe someone you know who is a shop steward (union rep) that you could ask advice from? I would also agree with Greebo that this doesn't sound like a well run business.

**frugalwarrior2** · 09-12-2012, 03:55 PM

Your 30 so I will give you the opinion of a 50 ok?
From the minute the 2 pretties were hired you should have realized you were gone. The audit you were not to participate in became a way to get you exited.
I would have not participated in the audit and let the 2 fluffs hang themselves.
And I think maybe you unwittingly helped him by doing so.
Put it behind you,lesson learned. You will watch your back w/ a smile on your face next time. Start looking for another job. Can't be any worse right?

**Contrary Housewife** · 09-12-2012, 03:57 PM

It's tough to get fired because the boss wants to flirt with the cute girl instead of doing his job and running the company well, but ultimately you probably didn't want to be working there in the long run anyway. With that kind of management something was bound to blow up on you and you should be glad to put it behind you and get a job where you are appreciated for your contribution to the company.

I hope you get your unemployment and find something new soon.

**Russ** · 09-12-2012, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by SueBee49

Is there anyone you can appeal the termination to? Probably not. For practical purposes, most states are "at will" states meaning the employer really doesn't even have to have a reason to terminate. Texas is like that. Legally speaking, one can be terminated on a whim although that isn't usually the case.

.

Suebee is correct.

If an employee believes he has been terminated unfairly, does he have a legal right to challenge the termination?
Virginia is an employment-at-will state; this means the employer may terminate any employee at any time, for any reason, or for no reason. As a general rule, therefore, the employee has no right to challenge the termination. There are a few very limited exceptions. For example, an employee may not be discriminated against or terminated because he has filed a safety complaint or exercised his rights under OSHA law. Virginia Code § 40.1-51.2:1. Also, federal law protects employees from discrimination because of age, race, sex, religion, national origin or handicap.

Virginia Department of Labor and Industry

**sahm2boys** · 09-13-2012, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Greebo

I think that the company you no longer work for won't expand for long if the president (does that mean "owner" who's putting on airs?) is hiring for looks not skill.

That said, is it a real company? Does it have an HR department? If so you should call them up and voice your concerns.

Hi Greenbo

I would never before thought that hired for looks...98% of the office is male.

HR..when i worked then i did about 50-60% of HR and the CFO did the rest

I always found it disappointing how many terminated employees they had...the terminated file for 3 years in business was a minium of 125 and the active was 25-35..they mainly just wrote you off the schedule if they didnt want you working anymore...i always felt horrible when they would call and be like "why am i not on the schedule"...and for a while the owner would ingore their calls...i thougt it unprofessional...but who was i to say.

**sahm2boys** · 09-13-2012, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by SueBee49

I'm so very sorry this happened to you, sahm2boys. Being terminated is bad enough and tough on anyone's ego, but believing it might be because of looks or body build would really intensify all the negative thoughts one goes through with a termination, I'm sure.

Is there anyone you can appeal the termination to? Probably not. For practical purposes, most states are "at will" states meaning the employer really doesn't even have to have a reason to terminate. Texas is like that. Legally speaking, one can be terminated on a whim although that isn't usually the case.

I know that what I'm going to say next is going to ring extremely hollow right now, but I've come to believe that things like this usually work out well in the end. That has been my experience. Years and years ago, there was a certain stigma attached to being fired. That same stigma no longer exists in today's work force. Right now, I would advise you to focus on the practicalities - loss of income = looking for a new job ASAP. Absolutely do not dwell on what you believe to be the reasons for termination as it will effect your self-esteem and that will be picked up on by others. If you feel you need to work on your body image, do so. Otherwise, hold your head up and be proud of who you are, the work and effort you put into that job, and what you have to offer.

As for my opinion? Frankly, I don't know and it really doesn't matter. More importantly, I think it's important to deal with the immediate emotional fall out a termination always brings with it.

Hi sue bee

and thank you

I certainly hope it wont be negative towards me in the next span of interviews.

I think financially we are ok for now. If i get unemployment my goal is to make that a cushion for an account.

I was spending so much of my income on child care and gas that i think we are better off this way. We moved to the country this summer but i still worked in the city. so i was spending $100.00 a week in gas and $800+ in child care and exhausted at the end of the day trying to cook and clean

Im just disappointed and feel like the butt of a joke i guess...to act one way and know all the long they planned on letting me go after i trainined "my replacement"

**sahm2boys** · 09-13-2012, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

Your 30 so I will give you the opinion of a 50 ok?
From the minute the 2 pretties were hired you should have realized you were gone. The audit you were not to participate in became a way to get you exited.
I would have not participated in the audit and let the 2 fluffs hang themselves.
And I think maybe you unwittingly helped him by doing so.
Put it behind you,lesson learned. You will watch your back w/ a smile on your face next time. Start looking for another job. Can't be any worse right?

Good Morning Frugalwarrior

I agree with you 100%

I felt that when we started interviewing honestly but i didnt want to believe it.

**SueBee49** · 09-13-2012, 09:24 AM

Well, sahm2boys, a termination is hard on the ego no matter what. If you were wrong/made a mistake, if you truly believe you did nothing wrong, it it's a company-wide lay off...the ego is badly bruised. But when you truly believe you did nothing to warrant termination, it is doubly bruised.
That said, I think you are probably onto something in terms of the benefits of not working. You were spending some big bucks just to get there, not to mention the evening exhaustion.
Years ago, I broke my foot and had to be casted. They wouldn't let me work for that period due to liability issues, but I also had no pay. I found it was almost cheaper to not work. No gas, no pantyhose, able to cook much cheaper meals, time to shop the grocery sales...that sort of thing. I assume you are eligible for unemployment? With that income, you will likely be ahead of the game for at least a period of time. And let me tell you...coming from the perspective of a very soon-to-be 63 year old...let the disappointment and feelings of being the butt of a joke fade into the wind. Those feelings don't help and can do harm. Their loss, your gain. You are out of what sounds like an unhealthy environment.

**frugalwarrior2** · 09-13-2012, 09:32 AM

So sorry. When I was in college I had a District manager who acted 4. I was not the type to flirt and laugh at his dumb jokes but the other 2 bimbos who worked there were. I got chicken pox and had to take a week off work and of course he said fire me. Fortunately my older female boss said no that she knew who did all the work. I outlasted at least 3 of those. I had hoped that that crap was over but men are men. You know what they say-Don't get mad get even. Go to HR if it makes you feel better but I would concentrate most of my efforts on finding another job.

**Ramona** · 09-13-2012, 11:57 AM

I know it hurts but I think you're well out of a situation that has the potential to blow up in the boss's face. I can just imagine one or both of the girls bringing a sexual harassment suit against him. He's a jerk, good riddance.

**Hamada** · 09-13-2012, 05:21 PM

Losing a job is never fun. But this job really sounds as if it would just be a pain in the a%% the more you stayed. Once you get over the loss and anger try to remember that you now have work experience behind you since you stated you hadn't worked in a while. Try to think about what you might want to do, where you might want to work, and how many hours. Don't be afraid to try temp agencies. May help you get a foot in the door at different places. Volunteering is also a great way to network.

Hang in there, everything will work out.

**jollyquilter** · 09-13-2012, 07:58 PM

Hold you head up and put a smile on your face! I know this is a blow to your ego. But it sounds like your pocket book will be better off. And look at it this way, it took 2 of them to replace you

So go and find another job and know that when a future place of employment calls them for a reference all they can tell them legally is that you worked there from _ till _. And no there was not any complains. They cannot even say you were fired.....legally!