Ever thought that looking for a job is hard? Well, keeping a job is even harder. While some companies value their workers and stay true to providing benefits to their employees, some other companies are less generous and are always thinking of ways to suck the life out of their staff.
In this article we share these Malaysians’ confessions to the most ridiculous reasons for being fired.
FIRED FOR NOT MAKING TEA
Ren, a media relations assistant with a project management company, had just joined the team. Barely a month into her job, her boss asked her to make tea for him, run his errands and spoke to her like she was his maid.
Confused and angered, she told her boss to make his own tea before one of the meetings.
That was it – the next day she received a letter prompting her resignation before her probation ended. She was considered ‘rude and uncooperative towards superiors in the company’.
“Who wants to work in this company anyway? I am his worker, not his personal maid. Lines should be drawn!” she shared.
FIRED FOR NOT REPLYING TO WHATSAPP MESSAGES
“It was a really awful period for me at that time,” Ting recalled.
“I was virtually working day and night. It was as if I never left my office even after I left work. Emails and WhatsApp messages kept flowing in from my director and marketing director.
“I know I had to reply their messages for important matters, but it was getting out of hand. They messaged me in the middle of the night sometimes, or called even when I was on leave.
“At one point, I was so fed up I left my phone on silent at night and told them that my phone has been sent for repair and that I can only read emails.
“Within less than a month, I was fired for ignoring company calls and not dutifully executing my job tasks.”
FIRED FOR LIKING SOMEONE ELSE’S POST ABOUT HIS BOSS
This had to be one of the most ridiculous ones.
Ollie (pseudonym), was a photographer for a community-based magazine. He takes photos and does video editing for a small company which agreed to hire him permanently.
7 months into his job, he received a letter stating that he had not been complying with company policies and ethics, and was immediately removed without notice.
Later, he realised from his colleague that the reason he got fired was that he had liked a post like this:
“**** you stupid scumbag, be aware of this idiot. He hired me for my services and did not even pay for any of the work I did. Tried calling him and emailing but they ignored my calls. Beware of this company and stay away from him. To all my *********, yes, this is ****** formerly from ******”
The post was a rant from his social media friends, which he had absent-mindedly clicked ‘like’ on.
“I was surprised when I found out it was because of this, I really should keep my professional contacts away from my social media,” he said.
Looking at all these excuses companies use to fire workers, it seems work laws are not strict enough to save our rice bowls.
Despite all the effort and time Malaysians put into their jobs, it seems that companies are not appreciating their staff enough to overlook trivial matters.
And with the social media boom nowadays, it’s easy to mix personal and work matters together. So for the best, keep them separated.
For more articles on Career & Skills, read What It’s Like to Be Depressed When You Have a High Powered Job, and Horror Boss Stories: Malaysians Share Their Story with Us.
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