I know the mods frown on commercial posts, so let me just say that I’m not being compensated in any way to recommend these folks.
Sloth, hie yourself over to www.writerswrite.com and check out their job listings. They have openings for writers and editors all over the country, including several that are telecommuter positions that can be done from anywhere. If I ever lose MY cushy writer/editor job, this site will be the first place I log on to when I get home with my box o’ stuff.
I was fired from my first job, as a caddy. The day after a tournament, the caddymaster called me in and started bitching me out, asking why the previous day I had told my golfer to rake his own trap. As young as I was, my primary emotion was being pissed off that anyone would think I was that stupid. I depended on kissing this guy’s ass to get a decent tip, and I was going to refuse to rake his trap? I think the guy was pissed at shooting a lousy round, and decided to take it out by making something up about the caddy. Kicking the dog. He wasn’t even in a trap on the hole he said it happened. Welcome to the working week!
Fast forward - while in college and law school, I was working 2 part-time jobs in addition to being teaching and research assistants for 3 different professors. One job was stocking coolers at a liquor store. I was getting tired of doing it because of the hours, and it paid the least of any of my jobs, so I had considered quitting. One day my boss came in drunk, and started bitching at me, telling me what a crappy job I had done the night before. He probably was right. At the time, I figured if I kissed his ass and shaped up, I could keep the job. But since I didn’t need the job, I told him to fuck off and walked out. No biggie, right?
Flash forward a couple of years to where I’m married, out of law school, and starting work for the federal government. In addition to being fingerprinted, you have to fill out endless forms, listing everywhere you have lived and every job you have had for 10 years or so, and answering questions including “have you ever been fired from a job or quit to avoid being fired.” I decided I didn’t have to mention the caddy episode, and said no, cause I did not think I had been under threat of being fired from the liq. Guess what? They do a background check that includes my part-time work at the liquor store, and the SOB tells them he fired me. I got it straightened out, but it was pretty terrifying to have to deal with personnel on something like that the first months of my first full-time job.
As for your situation sea sloth, water under the bridge. Move on, live and learn. Do whatever it takes to avoid being in that situation again.
As a student, how critical is that job for your resume. Exaggerate other things sufficiently to camoflage it – come up with a line about why you weren’t working then. Or hope the old bastard kicks soon and then write up what a model employee you were for him!
I dunno how much it’ll help, but I was working for a temp service until late June. They told me and the company I was working for told me they would give me fair warning if my assignment was going to end. My ass. They called me one Saturday and said “We have to end your assignment, take your things and leave.” I ask why and it’s “They thought your work was lacking.” Lacking my ass
If your work was lacking your ass, you could have… ah … “rectified” the situation by dropping trou and displaying it to them on the way out. grin
I worked for this very rich and very nasty old SOB for a time taking care of him on the morning shift at his home - a shift I dislike but agreed to take. His wife wisely avoided him as much as possible in their huge house. I got to listen to him threaten to fire his company manager in no uncertain terms if he did not cut his family vacation short and get his butt back to handle some minor problem.
My job was to give him his medications, get him in and out of bed, put him in the Jacuzzi and take him out, wheel him around, change his bed, rub his back and keep him from drinking. He had gobs of money. A husband and wife team took the other two shifts.
I did not know that they were looking to start their own temp medical service. I started realizing, when he bitched at me for not kissing his butt, that they were kissing it heartily, knowing he was going to die and hoped to get a big bonus with which to start their company.
One day he fired me, stating to my service that I was not doing my job. The service knew better and, coincidentally the husband and wife team quit the service and went to work exclusively for him. I was fried because I wasn’t used to being shafted by conniving coworkers then. I got a better job later and it cheered me up tremendously to find out that after the guy died, months later, that the two connivers did not get any big bonus! They did start their own business, but it flopped!
You want a fired story…Ill give you a fired story. I had been in a prison holding cell for three days.I hadnt been allowed to shave or shower and was wearing the same suit I was arrested in. (here they can hold you for 3 days with no judges permission required).
My time was up and I was brought to a room with 3 police and 2 of my colleagues. Spread all over a table were my clothes and belongings which had been taken from my hotel room. My translator and lawyer arrived at that point.
I was standing there aghast and probably stinking to high hell. I noticed that my luggage was ripped and couldn’t be closed again.
A messenger entered and told me that my wife had called in and asked that I never contact her again.
It was at this point my colleagues told me that my contract had been cancelled and that they were not required to pay me any salary.
NOW THATS HOW YOU GET FIRED.
Theres obviously a lot more to this story and ive posted the details here before but I think I have got to take the “way to get fired man” prize here.
It may not be worth your trouble, but I’ve been in a similar situation before. I worked for a company that owed me a couple thousand dollars worth of bonuses, plus backpay. I finally quit and came to the company I’m at now. Not knowing what to do, I called the Better Business Bureau. They gave me a ton of free advice and references. They led me to a guy who got me my money at no cost to myself. Apparently, there are certain laws in effect that allowed this guy to get my money and get my old company to pay his expenses. I’m in Texas, by the way. I don’t know about other states. It may be a good idea to give the BBB a call and see what your options are. They’re free and there to help.
As to your job, just look at this as a chance to find something better. It was a shitty job anyway, it sounds to me, so now’s your chance to do something you enjoy. Good luck.
I can empathize with your situation. Although my story isn’t as bad (I quit before I was fired), I’d like to vent here anyway.
Nothing I could do at my old job was good enough. Every period and quote mark was questioned by my superiors (and who is the English Lit grad? Me!). I would say that I was expected to do twice the workload of the other employees, but the problem is that all the higher-ups were workaholics, and we secretaries suffered greatly for it. My boss did not like me leaving on time, and was not very subtle about it, even making comments to a co-worker. Coming in on a Saturday or Sunday became common practice, because those higher in the food chain dragged their butts in getting our department the information we needed. My boss would sometimes come in with us, as a show of solidarity, but she never helped out or anything, just sat in her office. The worst time was being there on a Sunday, from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (hours were 8:30-5:30, M-F). On top of that, I was expected to compile all the information myself, for the others in my department to read over and criticize.
The writing started to appear on the wall when other departments began “requesting my help” for a day here and there, making me leave my department and help out - which amounted to them testing me in that job, and my boss having an easy way out, by letting me go to another department instead of firing me. The problem with requesting my help for a day was that, even though my boss told me that my current workload could wait, that wasn’t the case when I came back the next day. I was planning my wedding right around this time, and was all but told that I could not do my gift registering on Saturday; if everything on my desk wasn’t finished by Friday I would have to come in and get it done somehow before Monday.
So, inevitably, one of the other bosses asks me if I’d like to transfer to a department where I’d been helping. I say no. By this time I am well aware of what’s going on. Little clues like my boss receiving resumes for my position, and phone calls scheduling interviews rolling over to my phone when she wasn’t there. She even had a spreadsheet on the network (visible to everyone in the company) on steps to take to get another assistant (colleges and recruiters were among the items listed). She also kept a file on everything I had ever done wrong (“Called in sick.”), also viewable by everyone. I actually got written up for making a smart remark in her presence, and was made to sign it and have it placed in my file. I became so depressed at this job that I stopped working out, went home and did nothing every day, and slept as long as I could on weekends. I gained 15 lbs., cried all the time, and cursed like a sailor at the smallest problem.
So, the aforementioned co-worker actually gets me an interview with a friend of hers who needs someone like me. I interview, I get the job, and I put everything I’ve just written in my exit interview form. The HR director deliberately didn’t read it, knowing what it would contain.
And, I’m still at that job, loving it, getting more and more responsibilities (and mo’ money), have a boss who understands that we work to live, not the other way around, and everyone here loves me and my work.
I also lost that 15 lbs.
Wow. I’m sorry that I haven’t responded to anyone on this thread since Friday. When I told my SO that I was fired he decided to take me to NYC for the weekend for some R&R, where I was unable to get to the SDMB (although I am much better for the trip - it was exactly what I needed). I also can’t access my hotmail account from his computer so I guess all my friends will find out I’m fired when they try to call me at work.
As an update: when I called and confronted former boss about the missing pay, he told my to hire an attorney. That was enough for me. Thank you to all of you who advised me to call the labour board and/or the BBB. I will be following that advice first thing tomorrow morning.
The people close to me (namely my parents and a couple of close friends) have put some sense into my beleaguered brain. First of all, they agreed with those of you who offered the opinion that this schmuck simply couldn’t afford to pay me anymore. Second of all, they told me that I could use a little break. I’m the sort of person who can’t deal with life without a full-time, tuition-reimbursing, health insurance-paying, all-consuming job. Now that I don’t have one, my first instinct is to look for one to replace the shitty one I just got fired from. After listening to everyone yelling at me, telling me I’m too driven, I need to relax once in awhile, and why the hell won’t I consider unemployment for a few weeks or at least temp for a little while to relieve the frenzied, ulcer-inducing, self-imposed aneurysm I’m gunning for, I’ve seen the light.
I can do this. I can relax. I have no money, but I can coast for a couple of weeks. I can look into unemployment. Most importantly, I’m going to Australia (on the bank of the SO) for 3 weeks in a couple of months and how do you break that to a potential employer? I can’t believe it, but I am considering NOT looking for full-time, permanent employment until next year. Is this what they call freedom? I feel so liberated!
Thank you everyone, for your responses and support. It may not get better, it may not get worse, but it must certainly get more interesting from here. 
Scarlett, thank you for the link to your thread. :o Sorry to confuse you with someone else! Part of the reason is that Catrandom is in my brain due to the minister’s cat thread. I’m a sucker for words.
[shameless horn-tooting]
In my last Scrabble game I made “glutamic,” “neonate,” and “viscous.” [/shameless horn-tooting]
As soon as I can get to my frickin’ e-mail account I will surely contact you.
Chef Troy - thanks for the link! I just got home, so haven’t had time to thoroughly explore. Hmmm, not to mention the fact that it’s 2:30 a.m. Ok, must sleep soon.
I hope more people share sucky getting-sacked stories before this thread gets booted off the 1st page. If not, um, something in French…
Ciao.
Your ex-boss seems like the kind of guy to be out of work soon himself. When your boss sends you out on errands to get him booze, it’s a sign. He will be out of work soon. I’m sorry you got sacked, but I think it’s clear it is not you fault. You have your life ahead of you, your ex-boss has a hardened and swollen liver and an addled brain. It’s sad for him, good for you.
You will find something better. I think we all know it.
Since you live in Massachusetts, contact the state Attorney General’s office, ASAP. Your boss is a scoundrel and something needs to be done.
I had a previous boss who got in HUGE trouble with the AG’s office for paying his hourly employees only once a month (In Mass you have to be paid at least every 2 weeks if you are paid by the hour). If they were willing to act on that small a case (it was a company with less than 10 employees) you could most likely get someone to listen to you and evaluate your situation.
You didn’t, by any chance, work in Cambridge near Central Square for a frenchman, did you?
Look in the Blue pages in the phone book for the AG’s contact info.