# Asshats Who Fire Employees Right Before the Holidays **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 29, 2002, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423 "2002-12-29T00:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/21 "2002-12-30T06:35:24Z")
Having been whacked once after a vacation and once before the holidays, I tell you I would much prefer to get the news early. You can cancel the vacation or take an extra long one depending on your situation and preference. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/22 "2002-12-30T07:20:04Z")
What days during the Christmas period are paid holidays in the US? Here, it’s Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day for those in the private sector. Those actually working on those days get paid penalty rates, so apart from any ethical considerations about firing someone just prior to Christmas, there are also sound business reasons to do so BEFORE the holidays rather than after. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/23 "2002-12-30T14:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by featherlou \* > Let me tell you _my_ worst firing story. I had just bought a townhouse (by myself, no one else helping pay the bills), I took possession Feb. 1, I had surgery Feb. 21 and had to take a week off of work (with no pay), then I was fired (by a message on my answering machine) Feb. 28. No two weeks severance or anything, because I was a temp; just “Don’t come into work tomorrow because you don’t work here anymore”. I look back on this period of my life as “The Dark Time” now - I used my line of credit to pay my mortgage more times than I care to remember. \*\* I’m curious…Why would you purchase a townhouse or make any other significant financial investment while working at a job that, by it’s very definition, is temporary? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/24 "2002-12-30T14:34:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by reprise \* > What days during the Christmas period are paid holidays in the US? It really depends on the individual employer, but for a basic office job I’d wager it’s Christmas Day and New Year’s Day only. Some employers might offer Christmas Eve Day or the latter half of that day as a paid holiday as well. ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/25 "2002-12-30T15:09:32Z")
> [@](#): > > The new owner fired the most knowledgeable employee he had, because of “personal differences”,… Many people do not think of this but when you have a new boss, whether its a new owner or a new direct supervisor it is a \*\* very dangerous time \*\*. If you are going to get canned without being downsized or incompetence, this is probably it. The big mistake aggravating this is that people, expecially experienced people, have a knowledge of how things should be. So, when the new boss comes in, this person ‘resists’ his ideas. Not fight but doesn’t enthusiastically embrace them. If you are to survive, you must embrace the new bosses ideas. If you don’t, no matter what the good reason, you will be labeled an obstruction and dealt with accordingly…“personal differences”… Even if you don’t resist but do not embrace the new ideas, there is a temptation on the part of the new boss to move out the old people and replace with ‘their’ people. People you directly hire take you more seriously than people someone else hired. Just some thoughts from my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/26 "2002-12-30T19:26:44Z")
**msmith** : I had been a temp for about 5 years at that point, and had never gone for longer than a week without a good position. After my unexpected firing from this position (they gave me no notice or any indication things weren’t working out), I had a hard time getting positions. Just the vagaries of temp work, but it happened at exactly the wrong time for me. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423/27 "2002-12-30T21:42:22Z")
“My sympathies, vato. Another reason to keep a one man shop.” Geez…indeed, danceswithcats… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-fire-employees-right-before-the-holidays/145423.md?page=1)