“What Is The Fastest You Have Ever Seen A New Co-Worker Get Fired?” (39 Stories)

Finding a dream job that you thoroughly love is one thing, but keeping it… keeping it is a whole other challenge entirely. Just because you’ve passed all the interviews, signed the contract, and already introduced yourself to all the guys and gals at the watercooler doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily be around for long. Sometimes, people do the most gosh darn stupid things and end up getting fired at the drop of a hat.

Redditor r/njaana asked their fellow r/AskReddit users to open up about the fastest that they’ve ever seen a new coworker get fired and, wow, did they deliver! Their stories are candid, hilarious, and will make you consider the wonderful fact that the global economy is still intact when there are so many ‘employees’ like this moving from job to job.

When you’re done scrolling down and reading the stories, don’t forget to give the ones that caught your attention the most an upvote. Be sure to let everyone know which ones had you laughing and cringing the hardest and share your own experiences about fresh-faced but inadequate colleagues in the comments.

Redditor u/njaana, the author of the thread, shared with Bored Panda the inspiration behind their question and also went into detail about the reality of the job industry in India and how unfair things can be. Scroll down to read what they had to say.

#1

He slept with the boss's daughters — yes, daughters — the night he got hired. The real twist was that one of those daughters is now his wife, and his former boss is his mother-in-law. So, I guess he got the last laugh, and a lot of awkward family dinners.

Image credits: ZombifiedVegan

#2

Boss hired a vegan to work in the cafe were we do coffee and mainly breakfast food. So lots of eggs, cheese and meats and you know, milk. She refused to touch anything with animal products and lasted about 15 minutes. Not sure how she survived the interview process and didn't pick up on the use of milk in coffee drinks or what breakfast food had in it.

Image credits: spytez

#3

Many years ago, we hired a line cook that had a decent amount of experience. He started on steak night. The first steak was undercooked. Re-fire, undercooked. On his third try, undercooked. Fourth try, the cow was still mooing when it came off the grill. The front of house manager goes to head chef and tells him to kick the cook off the line, so he does. His new job was to replace me on the sauté station. The first order he got there was for a side of asparagus, so he put the asparagus into the hot pan and added enough oil to deep-fry them. He turned on the stove. Oil escaped and hit the flame, and started a fire. He went to grab water, and if not for my head chef stealing the cup, we might've had a bigger fire. Just like that, gone. It turned out, all of his previous jobs were real places, but his supervisors were just friends who lied. Total time of employment: three hours.

Image credits: NuclearEyedSquirrel

The author of the viral thread, u/njaana, said that they'd seen a lot of TV shows where people got fired for doing stupid things. Naturally, they wanted to check if there's some truth to that or if it was all made up for entertainment purposes. We'd say they got their answer! Sometimes, fact is stranger than fiction. According to the redditor, the core reason why people act this way and get immediately fired is their lack of maturity. Meanwhile, they shared that the very worst thing they've seen their coworkers doing is sleeping on the job.

The redditor explained that in India, the locals really value their jobs because getting them is a challenge. They also mentioned that the system is very unfair, with people ruthlessly vying for government jobs that offer job stability. "I am not from the U.S or a developed nation, I am from India. Here, people really value a job as it's hard to get even if you have the required qualification due to the large population, so people are more inclined towards government jobs because it has job security and other benefits and the chances of getting fired from it are very low," they told Bored Panda.

#4

We had a new IT hire. It was his first full-time job, he had good qualifications, and seemed okay. His first night, staff called me. He was spamming women with messages on their private phones. One woman's husband called me, saying her phone's camera was on nonstop and wouldn't turn off. He also installed software to switch on their cameras remotely. On day one. He wasn't allowed back on the premises.

Image credits: maxil_za

#5

I used to train new hires at a warehouse. We have a floor for robots to zoom around on, full of merchandise, and cold spite. Only certified technicians could set foot on that floor. The rest of us? Instant termination if we did it. We stressed this frequently throughout orientation. I was training a group of new hires at a work station on their first night. One of our managers came over to introduce himself. One guy, who had already been copping an attitude, asked him about stepping on the floor. The manager reiterated what we told everyone: Do it, and you're fired. The guy said, 'You mean don't do this?' And put one foot on the floor. Away he went. I heard the rest of the new trainees laughing over how stupid he was. He was even whining about it the whole time his termination was being processed.

Image credits: TigerInMyVENUS

#6

There was a new guy hired as quality control inspector after a lot of vetting. The job site was an aluminum extrusions factory — lots of hot, sharp, and heavy things that could crush your hands and slice you up, not to mention all the moving parts. He showed up first day on the job reeking of beer. He said, 'I was just celebrating my new job with my friends before work!' He refused the booze blow test at a nearby hospital. Paperwork was completed and he was fired after 90 minutes by the supervisor and HR.

Image credits: atomicsnarl

The author of the thread, u/njaana, explained to Bored Panda that government employees have far too much power compared to everyone else. "Government employees can do whatever they want and most of them treat tax-paying citizens [badly]. We, the people of India, don't have any idea of our rights, we fear police who are supposed to protect us, the police are corrupt here, they often take bribes and break laws, and use their position for personal vendetta," they went into detail about the harsh reality of everyday life in India.

"It's true in the case of most government employees, they are rude and don't do any work properly. In my country, only people with power and money are treated as citizens and it's horrible, so I wanted to know how was the situation in other countries, that's why I really made the post to know if what was portrayed in the TV shows was true."

#7

We had a guy start in London on a Monday, and he left for a a conference in Seattle later that week. I met him at Heathrow with his badge and laptop on his first morning, and boarded the flight with him. Longish story, but he ended up slapping a member of the flight crew because she wouldn’t let him sit in business class. I called HR when we landed and fired him in baggage claim. We paid for him to fly back to the UK next day.

Image credits: Ok-Zookeepergame-698

#8

I worked at a fast-food restaurant. The new guy came in for his first shift, which was an evening shift in the drive-thru. He literally posted where he was and what he was doing on social media, and told all of his buddies to come through for free food. He then started screwing up orders on purpose, and handed his friends free stuff. The manager called the police and he got arrested.

Image credits: october_rust_

#9

On the first day of a new daycare hire, she spanked a child.

Image credits: maid-for-hire

This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has written about new co-workers getting fired: it’s a popular topic on Reddit. Here’s an article that we put together on the topic earlier in case this list hasn’t fully sated your hunger for workplace drama.

It’s fairly obvious that you shouldn’t come to work drunk, hungover, or worse for wear. However, some people think that such obvious rules don’t apply to them, hence all the stories on Reddit about new co-workers getting fired quicker than the ink on their hiring paperwork had the time to dry.

A large part of a new colleague’s initial success comes from finding a balance between being ambitious and energetic, as well as humble and keen to learn. Starting a new job means learning how all the processes work, who your coworkers are, what’s expected of you, and what the greatest challenges you’ll face are.

#10

A new employee showed up to work early on her first day to eat. We worked at sub restaurant, and she came in with a competitor's stub and started eating in the lobby while in uniform. The boss nicely asked her to eat in the back so customers wouldn't see. She started screaming and throwing a fit, so the boss told her to leave and not come back. I'm not sure if you can really even say she got fired...she never clocked in once.

Image credits: eatMYcookieCRUMBS

#11

On her first morning, she wrote an email to her manager about how grateful she was to be with the company, how she looked forward to working for us, etc. She also wrote an email to her friend about how she'd got a cushy gig, and would scam them for as much training as possible for the first couple of months, and then leave. Apart from the general lack of wisdom of saying this on the company email system, when writing such contradictory emails, it's vitally important to put the right addressee on the right email. She walked out the door after two-and-a-half hours.

Image credits: pmc666

#12

I worked in maintenance at a beach resort. One of the housekeepers managed to get her son a job as a 'runner', someone who would collect the dirty laundry after the housekeepers stripped the beds. She was actually worried when he started working, because I guess he'd a bad track record with other jobs. About three days after he started working, his mother confronted him about his new, expensive-looking athletic shoes and a gold chain around his neck. He just shot back something about having a job now, which didn't make sense because he hadn't even been paid yet. About the same time, there were a couple of reports at the front desk from guests who were missing large sums of money. A police report was made, and people were questioned. So after only about four days, this kid was fired and went to jail for stealing from guest rooms.

Image credits: BaconReceptacle

That’s why it’s so important to put your ego aside and absorb all the knowledge that you can. Ask questions. Heck, ask a lot of questions. Double-check things if you’re unsure even if you feel like you’re repeating yourself: it’s always best to be sure than to make a mistake later on just because you didn’t want to ‘inconvenience’ someone. And if you do make a mistake? It’s no big deal, as long as you learn from it. Your attitude and willingness to adapt are vital if you want to make a good first impression. Meanwhile, a penchant for breaking rules will most likely not.

The Leadership Lab suggests avoiding comparing your old workplace to your new one. It’s something that you should completely avoid doing in your first days and weeks at your new job, according to them.

“Your job is not to criticize what you see. You don’t want to step on anyone’s toes or offend your co-workers right when you’re starting a new job. Being positive and giving constructive criticism after learning more about your new company is a much better way of creating positive change in your current workplace,” they explain that we should opt for learning instead of criticism and for positive change instead of poking at all the various flaws that we see.

#13

It was his second week. The guy came to work very drunk, picked up the emergency axe, and trashed the place with it. He was instantly fired and processed in court shortly after.

Image credits: Bonguri

#14

guy drove a forklift into a fire hydrant, in front of a safety rep for the company. His supervisor was called over, and he immediately tells the supervisor that he won’t pass a piss test, as he used his only bottle of clean piss earlier that day when he hired in.

Everybody standing there immediately burst into laughter, which continued as security (also laughing) escorted him off site. Even the supervisor was all smiles...just gave him a pat on the back and wished him the best of luck. It was wild.

Image credits: Hollywood899

#15

Worked on a logging crew 15 years ago. They hired a guy that “grew up on the farm working hard”… fired by noon day 1 because he literally looked like he was going to pass out and die after a few hours of “light duty” labor.

Image credits: Independent_Ad_9373

Whether you’re extroverted, introverted, or an ambivert (like most of us), you really ought to put in the effort to get to know your department, as well as the colleagues you’ll be closely working together with daily. If you come together as a team, your job will be far easier. You’ll end up learning a lot about the hidden ins and outs of the position while the relationships you foster will mean that you’ll end up receiving support when you need it.

So take the time to get to know your coworkers. Go and grab a cup of coffee together. Join them for lunch or even for a drink after work. Don’t feel like you’re forced to do these things, however, keep in mind that these are the people you’ll be spending a third of your waking workday with.

#16

It was a family-owned business, and she said something insensitive about the owner's recently deceased daughter.

Image credits: Ok-Elderberry-6121

#17

I was working in a small grocery store and we had a new butcher start. He showed up and asked the boss to pay for his taxi because he didn’t have any money until payday. He worked for a few hours and then left for lunch and never returned. We find out why when we went to close the cash register and it was off by about $1,000. So we checked the cameras and watched him shove the cash into his big rain boots. The kicker though? He went to play poker and that’s exactly where the cops found him hours later, with some money still in his boot.

Image credits: madamsyntax

#18

My brother's friend got a job at a car dealership in our town. Within a couple days of working there, he somehow was allowed to 'test drive' one of the brand new models. My brother and I lived a few miles out of town on 40 acres of land. His friend drove that brand new car out to our property to test the four-wheel drive. Well, it being a wet Pacific Northwest winter that year, he swiftly managed to get the car stuck in almost a foot of mud halfway up a good-sized hill. It took a tow truck three hours to get there and an over and hour to pull him out. All the while, the dealership was calling him asking what happened. The thing was DRENCHED in mud from him spinning the tires. He was fired that night.

Image credits: yeehawk85

Meanwhile, Forbes points out that new employees should avoid giving unsolicited advice to their coworkers. You should also avoid announcing all the changes you plan on introducing without first getting to know all about why the things that are done are done the way they are.

Forbes also suggests avoiding boasting to your coworkers (nobody likes a braggart) or bossing them around like you know much better than them. You should also avoid showing your frustration if your coworkers can’t meet your high standards. Be humble at the start. Be willing to learn. First, adapt… then consider making improvements.

#19

First day at a CPA firm, guy gets a talking to from management because he followed a group of female coworkers to a restaurant at lunch, sat at a nearby table, and stared creepily at them for the entire meal.

He got fired a couple of days later for logging into and using a coworker's computer without permission. Never heard what he was doing on that computer, but I think it's pretty safe to say it was something that he didn't want to use his own computer for.

Image credits: cleo_wafflesmack

#20

When I worked at Babies 'R' Us many years ago, an employee wrote on the break room white board, 'F**k b******, hire dimes.' For some reason, it escaped him that there are cameras pretty much everywhere. He was done after maybe three days on the job.

Image credits: westcoastpizzarat

#21

Several years ago, working as a lifeguard at the town pool, we get a new guy named Tim. Tim showed up to his first shift 30 minutes late, gets into the chair, and spends the entire rotation turned away from the pool. We were all very confused. The chair rotated on the stands, and he was actively facing away from the pool.

Turns out he was really hungry, and was enjoying the smells coming from the snack bar. This was the actual explanation he gave his new boss. He was fired in the first 15 minutes of his first rotation.

A true legend of stupidity.

Image credits: squeakycleaned

#22

I work as a Valet in a 5* hotel in Canada and this dude started like 1 week before. He was told that someone with 2 boxes of pretty expensive champagne (Crystal for those interested) that he was going to offer to his employees during a seminar was coming and his job was to put the boxes in his room.

He did just that, except he took one for him and just left.

Police had to come by the hotel to report the theft and the client was pretty pissed (I can see why) but the valet never admitted the theft, even when we showed him the security camera footage.

Image credits: OriginalPastas

#23

I worked at a fast food restaurant and one of the guys who’d been there a while was training a new guy. Halfway through the shift we had a rush and the new guy was trying to do the grill by himself while the other guy training him went on break. The manager started yelling that we needed burgers off the grill faster, and the new guy hurled a block of cheese right at him. I guess he didn’t realize who was yelling, but needless to say I didn’t see him again after that.

Image credits: city18train

#24

Girl wouldnt stop texting during orientation, despite being asked to stop.

She was escorted out in an hour.

Image credits: Nateosis

#25

Some cocktail waitress on her first day walked out with the main bar's tip jar. No one even noticed because we were so busy and thought she was getting ice or something. She got arrested, we never got paid.

I still wonder wtf happened to all that money.

Image credits: iBelieveInSpace

#26

Worked in an office where the manager was a bit on the curvy side.

They hired some new guy who was also a rotound man. Whenever the manager walked by he would visibly stare at her butt and go "MM!"

When I got back from lunch all his stuff was gone.

Image credits: iScoopPoop

#27

I worked in construction for eight years. Guys would quit all the time but the fastest was this kid named Austin. Austin was rail thin and wouldn't stop looking at his phone. Our boss told him to run a wheelbarrow full of dirt to a pile and he sighed before trudging over to it. The kid moved that wheelbarrow maybe fifteen feet, set it down and started looking at his phone again. Boss asked him what he was doing and he said it was "too hard" and he was calling his girlfriend to pick him up. Austin lasted a grand total of five minutes.

Image credits: apocalypticradish

#28

I worked at a bill collection firm in the early '90s (don't judge me). A guy started working there, went through the two days of training, and then started working. After about an hour, he got up and left. Didn't say, 'I quit.' Didn't say, 'this job isn't for me.' He just got up to go to the bathroom, went through the front door, and drove away. It took the managers a few hours to figure out that this guy had gotten the job with a fake name, and erased his own debt on the computer.

Image credits: M_Looka

#29

Worked delivering beer for a few years. We ran through a lot of employees really quickly to the point where we would hire 3 at a time and hope one would stick. Fastest I ever saw was a guy came in for his first day at 7 am, got assigned to drive with a manager (because we were short staffed and the manager was driving routes), and was handed the keys and told to pull the truck into the dock. Never came to the dock. Manager goes looking for him ten minutes later, finds him finishing a beer in our repacking room. Is immediately let go. Twenty minutes on the job.

Image credits: impossiblejams

#30

We had a company holiday party, and the girl who used to be the receptionist had just gotten hired as an account person. She got super drunk that night and started grabbing male employees' crotches. A member of HR took a car service home with her since they lived near each other. She threw up on the HR person on the way home. When they dropped her off at her parents' home. they said not to come back. I think she'd the job for maybe two days.

Image credits: rubensinclair

#31

Worked in retail in a gaming shop (not Gamestop ;)), the guy was hired, on his first day he printed out receipts with steam codes, thousands of euros, I don't know what he thought, the manager found out nearly an hour after the guy started printing, because there was an highly unusual amount of 100 € codes printed out one after another. The guy was fired after his 3rd working hour in the shop.

Image credits: lyndralynn

#32

Guy at a fish factory lasted half a shift before he was fired for refusing to adhere to any health and safety rules.

Later got told it wasn't uncommon for people like that, they had to be seen to be applying for jobs to keep their benefits, would lose them if they quit, but could get them back immediately if fired.

Image credits: Jonny2284

#33

A new hire nurse on my floor was fired after 2 weeks when my manager found out her previous manager lied about her being a reliable worker to get rid of her. Also several nurses refused to train her anymore after one day because she had such a snotty difficult attitude.

Image credits: Oss251817

#34

A number of years back I worked at an inbound call center that also had an upsell side to it. A new guy fresh out of training was bragging about how he did over 10 x the monthly goal in his first week alone. Didn't see him the following week and heard he was laid off because he was upgrading everyone's plans who called in to the highest costing plan without their consent or informing them.

About a week or two later I got a text from him asking if I could be his reference for a new call center job he got. He somehow got a hold of a bunch of our numbers and just spammed everyone asking for a reference.

Image credits: MrCoolizade

#35

Threatened the long term employees, including me the assistant manager, because they/we were younger than her, and shamed us and said "I've been in this industry longer than you! I know more. Okay?! Okay! Hahahaha". Granted, she had been in sales for 20 years, but if she was truly that good, she would have been hired on at a higher position. While screaming this, she was stomping her foot, slamming her fists on the table and standing just a few inches away from each employee when she'd state this.

She was an absolute loon, and tiny. Plucked out eyebrows, greasy skin and all. How she got a sales position? I do not know, but I do know she gave a sob story and begged for the job.

Needless to say when the big boss heard about it and she talked to her in the back she cried like I've never seen someone cry before. Instantly started, and instantly stopped once she was fired, and it was very very loud. She of course, claimed she never did anything worthy of getting fired.

Image credits: therealdildoexpert

#36

I had a boss last 3 days. She lied on her resume and HR found out.

Image credits: alphagettijoe

#37

Chain Pizza restaurant early 2000s. The new guy interviewed well and was fairly likeable. He was there for about a week until the restaurant caught fire overnight. (Nothing to do with him, just a weird accident.) So, all the employees had to be transferred to one of the 2 other restaurants in the area while the fire damage was repaired and we both ended up at the same one. His very first shift at the new restaurant, he decided to clock in and leave before anyone saw him or could say anything to him. Unbeknownst to him, the RGM was sitting in his car in the parking lot on break and saw him come in and leave. Employee came back about 5 hours later and clocked out without anyone noticing. RGM checked payroll at the end of the night and saw the 5 hours that employee "worked" and terminated him over the phone the next morning. Weird scenario overall.

Image credits: Bignasty197

#38

I was training this new guy at the factory and he doesn't come back from lunch his second day. Turns out security caught him smoking pot in the parking lot. They did him a favor because we work with and around heavy machinery and if you're high or drunk or whatever you'll probably hurt yourself pretty bad.

Image credits: vynusmagnus

#39

3 1/2 hours. She started the same day as me. Part way through the morning I told a couple of jokes to break the ice. She said she had a couple of good ones and started off with "What do you call a n****r who...." She went for lunch and never returned.

Image credits: UnfinishedThings