The Forums › Forums › The Workplace › Lost/Losing My Job › Another one bites the dust.
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May 19, 2011 at 3:56 pm #89612
Well I have had this job for 6 months now, and instead of “we are so excited to have you on this team” I am hearing “you are not impressing the boss”. I am doing a job that your average blind-folded chimpanzee could do. Since I have been running out of work and the tasks assigned to me are getting far simpler in scope and complexity, its only a matter of time when I am gone. I am amazed I have lasted as long as I have. I still have no clue what I did or how I acted to make the change.
Does that happen to any of you?
REPORT ABUSEMay 19, 2011 at 5:47 pm #104237
AnonymousInactiveMay 19, 2011 at 5:47 pmPost count: 14413Years ago (late 70s) when I was working in a CBS record plant (vinyl records) I discovered I was way slower than anybody else and they were giving me hard stuff to process (I guess you had to be on good terms with the guys passing out the good stuff). The kiss of death was being taken off the inspection line and put in a corner ripping magnetic tape out of cassette tapes so they could grind and recycle the plastic cassettes. I did that for about a week or so and then I was laid off just before Christmas. Luckily the record plant I had previously worked for took me back and gave me a promotion to audio inspection. Never burn your bridges behind you, always leave on good terms, even if you can’t stand your boss.
You could ask to speak to your boss or supervisor and tell them what you noticed, and ask “is there something I can do to improve my performance?” If they are genuinely interested in keeping you on, they will help you. If not, then start looking for something else, don’t quit, but keep your eyes peeled for something else. Leave on your time, not theirs.
REPORT ABUSEMay 19, 2011 at 6:13 pm #104238TY for the reply.
I am an old hat at this. At 56, I have been “Laid Off”, fired, or given “special projects” until I found another job, for almost 35 years. I have NEVER had a job longer than 2 years, and most of them last somewhere between 6-12mo. Unlike my coworkers, who get employee of the month, I don’t take 2 hour lunches, I work at my desk and I don’t surf the web during work hours. I rarely have conversations in the hallway about anything but work. I don’t read news papers in the breakrooms, bathrooms, or empty meeting rooms. I do my work. That is what I am paid to do.
For me, I am always looking for a job, because I know the one I have, won’t last very long. So my resume is always up to date and my cube has nothing in it.
REPORT ABUSEMay 19, 2011 at 7:49 pm #104239
AnonymousInactiveMay 19, 2011 at 7:49 pmPost count: 14413Your work history and performance style sound EXACTLY like mine (I’m 55), except that I had 2 jobs (my first, and my last) that lasted 5 years. Everything else was maximum 2 years. I’ve been self-employed before and I’m self-employed again, but if I was my boss, I’d fire me for the procrastination and distractedness I get away with now (I wasn’t like this at work).
I also never took 2 hour lunches, worked (and ate lunch) at my desk, didn’t surf the net, rarely had conversations about anything other than work, etc etc etc. I have come to realize that THAT is the problem. We are hyperfocused on work and not on building relationships, which is why other people get ahead (not completely, but it’s a big part). It’s something you might want to look at.
REPORT ABUSEAugust 22, 2011 at 9:50 pm #104240
AnonymousInactiveAugust 22, 2011 at 9:50 pmPost count: 14413Ummm woah. I’m 32, and this is already very old hat for me. I’ve always been the most focused, hardest working, best-at-my job person at every job… and I’m always the one who either gets fired or I start to sabotage myself until I get fired. I’ve spent years enduring others chastising me for this. While I’m unhappy to see that there are others suffering from this same thing, I feel comforted by the fact that your stories read like my life’s book. Thanks for sharing this, since I never would’ve had the balls to admit it
REPORT ABUSEDecember 26, 2011 at 6:03 pm #104241My cure for the ADD job merry-go-round was finally landing the job/place where the interruptions and chaos are the norm and the super blessing of having an understanding ADHD boss (whether he knows it or not) who talks endlessy, interrupts as mush as I do, who won’t committ in print because his e-mails might be like mine which contain errors (although intelligent because I am unable to see or take the time to check them if Outlook/Word doesn’t catch them), has a terrrible memory, etc. Keep looking and you’ll find your niche or the ADD/ADHD boss who gets you, too, and will use your strengths while dismissing the weaknesses. I agree this website is a relief to see people who are so similar, enduring the same frustrations and coping as well as thriving. Hang in there.
REPORT ABUSEDecember 26, 2011 at 6:06 pm #104242I’ve never stayed in a job more than 3 years. Always jumped, never pushed, but one boss, when I was leaving told me he’d replace me with the pot plant in the window as it’d do a better job than me.
REPORT ABUSEDecember 27, 2011 at 1:07 am #104243
AnonymousInactiveDecember 27, 2011 at 1:07 amPost count: 14413Same situation for me, 2 years was the norm. Totally agree about the social aspect to work. I really never knew about that sort of thing until the ’90’s when a chance comment to my wife caused her to ask if I thought to say hello to co-workers and exchange any sort
of greetings. Of course I wasn’t. I was there to work. It still amazes me that the work-place can be such a social thing.
I wish I had thought to try for self employment. None of my jobs ever came close to being what I wanted nor was I what they wanted.
Even when my work was of superior quality, my lack of social skills and inevitable boredom after 2-3 years ended most jobs.
Not really sure what i wanted to be anyway, really lacking direction, even after stacks of aptitude/profile tests.
REPORT ABUSEDecember 27, 2011 at 3:19 am #104244This is the longest I’ve worked ANY PLACE – 7.5 years.
Prior, the longest was 7 – self-employed farmer, next longest was a bit over 6 years – IT and computer design at CCC, and on down…..
I’m bored with this one, starting to irritate folks, and frankly, many there irritate me, and so constantly spend all their time breaking rules, skirting security, pirating music and movies, etc. I can hardly stand to be around them. In our own department we have someone who takes credit for things I and my team leader do, takes all day to setup a printer than should take 1 hour, finds ways to get extra hours and cheat the system, I just can’t stand it.
I have to prove everything I say to the boss as this guy is constantly trying to prove his worth by sneaky means.
He just automatically tries to find ways to get rid of things I’ve set up over the years. Even if it’s the best solution, because he didn’t propose it, or because I did, he tries to tell the boss it needs to go or be replaced as he has better ways. The boss is such a sucker, he believes it.
I’ve got answers to a lot of the issues with our network, but because I can’t show “how I got there”, I’m not believed.
I know the issues with the newly upgraded security servers are in large part due to network issues with the SQL server, but I can’t document or prove it – it’ just something I know as I see the pattern others can’t – or won’t – see.
I need a new job really badly.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 1:44 am #104245
AnonymousInactiveMarch 22, 2012 at 1:44 amPost count: 14413I already posted this in another thread, but I will post it here. Give me your feedback on what I should do in this situation.
ADHD_GA Member
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I was fired from Walmart in January. There was an incident in which a customer complained that I flipped her off. I was on the parking lot doing my job getting buggies out of the corral and the lady pulled near where I was getting buggies. She beeped her horn at me to let me know she wanted the parking place near where I was.I waved at her and she went in and complained to the manager that I flipped her off. I still am unsure whether I flipped her off or not. The store manager said he was going to put me down as eligible for rehire in 90 days (which are almost up) Anyway, I discussed the incident with my psychiatrist whose care I’ve been under for years for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and he said that doesn’t even sound like anything I would do…i then discussed some other problems with him, and we determined that my medication wasn’t working anymore. He changed my medicine and its working better for me. Every time I’ve been in the store as a customer since being fired many of my former co-workers are asking if I am coming back,if I want to come back, etc. One of the people who asked me if I wanted to come back was my department manager and she said she “sure does need me”. Do you think it would be worth my time to ask to be rehired ?
my ADHD falls in the impulsive category in that I tend to act without thinking…most of the time I can find the “calm place”, and since my Doctor and I changed my medication I have a lot less trouble with impulse issues. I don’t think the department manager would lie to me telling me that she needs me if they really didn’t need me. I really did enjoy working at Wal-Mart and got along great with the people I worked with.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 8:31 am #104246@ADHD_GA, I do not understand what you’re asking other than should you try and re apply.. That is your choice.. Never heard anyone getting fired then re hired.. Are you in the U.S. ? If so, you could have filed for unemployment assuming you worked there long enough..Yes, the company would appeal, but you have almost 100% of wining and receiving unemployment benefits.. I know Walmart has camera’s in their parking lot, is that how they decided you flipped this person? Or her word against yours? What other problems have you had in your employment that would cause your superiors to believe a customer over you? Does Walmart know you are ADHD? Could Walmart have fired you because of your ADHD?
–foogol
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 2:04 pm #104247
AnonymousInactiveMarch 22, 2012 at 2:04 pmPost count: 14413The department manager (the same one who said she needs me) knows I have ADHD, as did a few of the people who I worked with most closely. The Store manager said he looked at the tape but it was inconclusive. I feel that’s why he told me I was eligible for rehire in 90 days. I was, unfortunately, not there long enough to qualify for unemployment.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 2:12 pm #104248
AnonymousInactiveMarch 22, 2012 at 2:12 pmPost count: 14413Aside from that, I do remember having trouble focusing on the job and having trouble focusing on other areas of my life, feeling anxious, feeling nervous, stressed, frustrated, impatient and impulsive. Having discussed this all with my psychiatrist. we agreed that changing my medication would be the thing to do since I had been on my previous medication for many years, we believed that it was no longer effective. The new medication I take–along with adding vitamins and more protein to my diet– is working greatly.
I explained all of this to my department manager when I was in the store as a customer. She actually stopped me as I was shopping in the store one morning a few weeks ago. She asked me if I was going to come in and talk to the store manager, and I explained to her that I had to wait 90 days as he had told me after I appealed the termination.
She asked me how the medicine was working for me, if I was able to focus, and if the new medicine was controlling my other symptoms which it is a lot. I see improvement every day with the medication.
Then about a week ago I was in the store again and she talked with me and told me the store manager said he was going to get with the assistant manager who terminated me although I can’t remember what for.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 6:27 pm #104249@ADHD_GA:
When one is terminated/fired from a company there is always a reason for this action.. I would curtail the information you share with the department manager to the basics.. Example; don’t say your medication wasn’t working before and now it is…
When Walmart told you the tape is ‘inconclusive’ then they either fired you for having ADHD and/or the customers word over yours or both.. Assuming the store manager or whomever terminated you was happy with your performance prior to this incident..
It would be a disservice to you and the company not to know why you got fired..In fact, they should of told you and shown evidence on their decision..
If someone along the lines made an error on your termination; it would make sense to bring you back rather then get sued..
It’s possible there are other reasons for your firing that you nor I can imagine at this point.. This is why you should have known or told by your superiors.. What state are you in, assuming you are in the United States… –foogol
ps; always make it a point to put you’re ADHD on your employment application..
REPORT ABUSEMarch 22, 2012 at 7:07 pm #104250
AnonymousInactiveMarch 22, 2012 at 7:07 pmPost count: 14413I’m in Georgia.
I ran into the assistant manager who fired me about two weeks after I got fired . I was in the store, picking up a few things, including my ADHD prescription. We talked for a few minutes and I asked her about my work performance. She said that There had been nothing other than a customer service manager said I needed to speed up a bit. some of the customer service managers though, have told me that I should talk to the store manager about coming back when my 90 days are up. I then told her the Store Manager had told me I would be eligible for rehire in 90 days (which are up a week from this coming Monday)
I even asked on more than one occasion, to see the tape. It’s almost 80 days since the incident and I still haven’t seen the tape.
Do you think, that it would be worth my time to go in and talk to the Store Manager when my 90 days are up?
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