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It is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the worker.
Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons,
ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of
the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in many cultures. To be fired, as
opposed to quitting voluntarily (or being laid off), is often perceived as being the
employee's fault, and is therefore considered t o be disgraceful and a sign of failure.
Finding new employment may often be difficult after being fired, particularly if there is
a history of being fired from previous jobs, if the reason for firing is for some serious
infraction, or the employee did not hold the job very long. Job seekers will often not
mention jobs that they were fired from on their resumes; accordingly, unexplained
gaps in employment are often regarded as a red flag.





Most US states have adopted the at-will employment contract that allows the
employer to dismiss employees without having to provide a justified reason for firing,
although the variety of court cases that have come out of "at -will" dismissals have
made such at-will contracts ambiguous. Often, an at -will termination is handled as a
"layoff". Sometimes, an employee will be dismissed if an employer can find better
employees than the incumbent, even if the fired employee has not technically broken
any rules. This is common with probationary employees who were recently hi red, but
who cannot adjust to the environment of the workplace, or those who have been
around for a long time, but can be replaced with a less experienced employee who
can be paid a lower salary.
Some firings are not so dishonorable. Some examples include conflict of interest,
where the employee has done nothing wrong, but the presence of the employee on
the employer's payroll may be harmful to the employer. This may be the case when a
family member also becomes employed by the firm. In other cases, those w ho report
wrongdoing in the workplace, known as whistle blowers, put their job at risk because
they might be retaliated on.

There are many reasons why an employer may fire an employee. While many view
firing as the employee's failure, firing in some cases can be the result of the
employer seeing a lack of value in the employee, or the ease in replacing the
employee, whereas there is no fault to the employee. Firing can be the result of a
series of incidents, that when put into a larger picture, make the emp loyee look
negative, or the result of a single incident that is considered so severe (known
as gross misconduct), it is grounds for most serious action. In some cases, firing can
be the result of a seemingly minor infraction, that following other violation s, is viewed
by the employer as the last straw.
Some of the more common reasons for firing include attendance problems, poor
work performance, problematic conduct, or off job -site conduct.[3] Attendance
problems include frequent absenteeism or tardiness, or even worse, the "no call, no
show" in which an employee does not come to work and fails to notify the employer.
Other attendance problems involve improper taking of breaks, such as taking
extended or unauthorized breaks or not returning on a timely manner from a break,
or walking off the premises or area within of the job site without approval from the
supervisor. Work performance problems can lead to termination even with good
attendance at a job. An employee may be fired if their work performance does not
meet the employer's standards. Some of these issues may be lack of necessary
skills to perform duties, incompetence, failure to learn the required skills or
processes, neglect of maintenance or safety procedures, refusal to perform
duties, laziness, or negligence.
Conduct problems can lead to firing if they continue over a long period. Behavioral
issues may include unprofessional manners (especially in customer service jobs),
constant or gross insubordination, inability to properly relate (i.e., get along) with co -
workers, customers or both, arguing with supervisor, co -workers or customers, use
of foul language while at work, or sleeping while on duty. With these conduct
problems, the firing is frequently (but not always) part of a "progressive step"
process, meaning the employee will have been warned and given an opportunity to
improve before more severe measures are taken.

Gross misconduct offenses can lead to immediate firing without any further warning.
Gross misconduct includes damaging work equipment through negligence; discovery
of false information on the job application (such as resume fraud), fighting or
brawling at work; harassment of other employees, such as sexual or racial
harassment; use of employer's equipment (e.g. vehicles and computers) to engage
in non-work-related activity or other violations of employer policies, illegal activity, or
to view pornography; testing positive for illegal drug usage; failure to submit to a
mandatory drug test (especially for transportation or heavy equipment -related jobs
such as machine operators); engaging in illegal activities on the job (such
as embezzlement or illegal subordinate harassment); or cheating the employer out of
wages by "padding" a time sheet.
In some cases, an employee's off-the-job behavior could result in job loss. A
common example is drunk driving, especially if the employee's principal
responsibilities require driving. Often, an employee getting charged with a crime will
affect the employer's ability to trust the employee. Whether off -the-job criminal
charges will result in termination relates to several factors, including the nature of the
offense, the nature of the job, and the values of the employer. In some types of jobs,
minor convictions that are not related to the job activities may not lead to termination;
a ditch digger who works with a shovel who is convicted of drunk driving may not
lose their job. However, in some jobs, the perception of trust is very important, so
even a non-job-related conviction, however minor, will result in termination, as in the
case of banks, security firms, and schools. Another factor is the values of the
employer; while some employers may believe that an employee should have a
"second chance", other employers may have no tolerance for convicted individuals in
their company, even if the employee has very little responsibility, as in the case of a
manual labourer.

  
 


Some fired employees may face additional consequences besides their dismissal.
This may occur when the reason for the termination is a violation of criminal law, or if
serious damages are caused to the employer as a result of the employee's actions.
Such ex-employees may face criminal prosecution, a civil lawsuit, or a reporting to
a database of those who have engaged in serious misconduct in such a position, so
that the chances of ever obtaining a similar position with another employer are less
likely. Some examples are a caregiver who engages in abuse, a bank teller who has
stolen money from the cash drawer, or a member of law enforcement who has
committed police brutality.

For the most serious violations, especially when the employer's security may be at
risk from the employee in question, a guard or officer may escort a fired employ ee
from the workplace to the parking lot upon their dismissal. Such actions are often
taken by government offices or large corporations that contain sensitive materials,
and where the risk exists that the terminated employee may remove some of these
materials or otherwise steal trade secrets in order to retaliate against the employer or
use it to the advantage of a competing enterprise.

ÿ


Though many employers would like to get rid of their "problem employees", some
employers are reluctant to fire those who one would expect would be deserving of
termination. There are many reasons for this, which may include:
Some positions may be hard to fill. This may be the case with a rare skilled position,
or with certain low-wage jobs that are generally unattractive, where finding applicants
is difficult. A person who has unusual skills, or who is doing a job that is considered
undesirable, such as cleaning sewage from pipes may be hard to replace. As such, a
person in this position may be retai ned even if they have absenteeism or conduct
problems.
Another reason that bosses do not fire some problem employees is from a fear of
retaliation. Sometimes the employer must be concerned about various types of
action the ex-employee may take against the company, such as filing a R  
   
  : The terminated employee may take legal action in response to the
firing. While laws vary in each country and jurisdiction, many employers keep
extensive documentation of disciplinary action, evaluations, attendance records, and
correspondence from supervisors, co-workers and customers in order to defend
themselves in the event of such a suit. Additionally, the at-will employment contract,
where the law permits, allows the employer to dismiss employees wit hout having to
provide a reason, though this has sometimes been challenged in court. As well, the
employer may be concerned that the employee could make a  
  by divulging things about the company to others, thereby hurting their
business; or that the employee may





 An ex-employee may
remove materials or divulge confidential information from the former employer and
use it with another employer or in an independent business.
Some employers may be afraid that a worker may make a R
   , in the event that the employer's practices are illegal to the law. Other
fears include the risk of
 by damaging machinery, erasing computer files,
or shredding documents; or even    ; In some most extreme cases, fired
employees have attacked or even killed their former employers or the staff at their
old company or organization, sometimes known in slang as " going postal." In some
cases, this has occurred several months or years after termination. Some e mployers
terminate their staff off -site to avoid these issues.

Other reasons include:

D ð  
 

 In the United States and some other
countries, such benefits are financed by employers. A firm's unemployment costs
increase with each worker laid off or fired.
D  
  : The problem employee may have a special relationship with the
boss, which is not necessarily romantic, but the employee may be a family
 member or close friend, or the employee may provide other needed connections
for the employer
D c
   : Despite the hardships the employee brings to
the organization, the employer ma y find the employee useful in other ways. The
employee may hold some rare knowledge or skill that is not easily replaceable.
D ¢ : A sympathetic boss may feel bad about firing an employee.
D ( : In some cultures, it is against the values of the employer to fire a long -
serving, hard-working employee, even during an economic downturn (e.g.,
in Japan).

(  

Employers have several methods of countering some of these potential threats. A
common method is forced resignation, and it allows t he employee to resign as if by
choice, thereby freeing the employer of the burden of a firing. Other methods used
by employers include:

D —     The employer and employee make a joint

decision to end employment. Though it may be debatable if the termination was
truly mutual, the employer offers the employee a "softened firing" in order to
reduce backlash.
D ¢  The employee is offered some extended pay or benefits
and a glowing reference in exchange for departure. In turn, the ex-employee
agrees not to sue, file for unemployment, or take any other action that would hurt
the employer.
D c   The employee is moved to a lower position, their hours or pay are
cut, or the working environment is made increasingly unattrac tive in hopes of
getting the employee to depart voluntarily. In some cases, the employee is
officially kept as an employee, but offered little or no work.
D (   : The employer may modify the employee's duties so the
employee doesn't feel dishonored by the changes, but no longer performs the
duties with which they were struggling.
D ð 
 : To avoid being fired as a cost -cutting measure, an employee may
agree to take time off without pay, either spread out over a long period (e.g.,
taking off one day a week without pay over a year), or concentrated (e.g., taking
off one month without pay).


  

A forced resignation is when an employee is required to depart from their position
due to some issue caused by their continued employment. A forced resignation may
be due to the employer's wishes to dismiss the employee, but the employer may be
offering a 

 . Or, in a high profile position, the employee may want to
leave before the press learns more negative information about one's controversial
nature. To avoid this, and to allow the dismissed employee to "save face" in a more
"graceful" exit, the employer will often ask the employee to resign "voluntarily" from
their position. If the employee chooses not to resign, the processes necessary to fire
them may be pursued, and the employee will usually be fired. The resignation thus
makes it unclear whether the re signation was forced or voluntary, and this
opaqueness may benefit both parties .

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In some cases, the firing of an employee is a discriminatory act. Although an

employer may often claim the dismissal was for "just cause", these discriminatory
acts are often because of the employee's physical or mental disability, or perhaps
their age, race, religion, gender, HIV status or sexual orientation. Other unjust firings
may result from a workplace manager or supervisor wan ting to retaliate against an
employee. Often, this is because the worker reported wrongdoing (often, but not
always sexual harassment or other misconduct) on the part of the supervisor. Such
terminations are often illegal. Many successful lawsuits have res ulted from
discriminatory or retaliatory termination.

Discriminatory or retaliatory termination by a supervisor can take the form of

administrative process. In this form the rules of the institution are used as the basis
for termination. For example, if a place of employment has a rule that prohibits
personal phone calls, receiving or making personal calls can be the grounds for
termination even though it may be a common practice within the organization.

( 
 
 


Employers who wish for an employee to exit of their own accord, but do not wish to
pursue firing or forced resignation, may degrade the employee's working conditions,
hoping that he or she will leave "voluntarily". The employee may be moved to a
different geographical location, assigned to an undesirable shift, given too few hours
if part-time, demoted (or relegated to a menial task), or assigned to work in
uncomfortable conditions. Other forms of manipulation may be used, such as being
unfairly hostile to the employee, and punishing them for things that are deliberately
overlooked with other employees. Such tactics may amount to constructive
dismissal, which is illegal in some jurisdictions .

  R    

Depending on the circumstances, one whose employment has been terminated may
or may not be eligible for rehired by the same employer. If the decision to terminate
was the employee's, the willingness of the employer to rehire is often contingent
upon the relationship the employee had with th e employer, the amount of notice
given by the employee prior to departure, and the needs of the employer. In some
cases, when an employee departed on good terms, they may be given special
priority by the employer when seeking rehire.
An employee may be 
  , meaning the fired employee may
be rehired readily for the same or a similar job in the future. This is usually true in the
case of layoff. Conversely, a person can be 
  , meaning an
employer will not rehire the former employee to a similar job in the future. This can
be for many reasons: incompetence, misconduct (such as dishonesty or "zero
tolerance" violations), insubordination or "attitude" (personality clashes with peers or
bosses). Termination forms ("p ink slips") routinely include a set of check boxes
where a supervisor can indicate "with prejudice" or "without prejudice". During
the Vietnam War, the CIA used this terminology with regard to its locally hired
operatives. In the case of severe misconduct, it is alleged that the CIA would
assassinate them or "terminate with extreme prejudice" .

'    


High-profile firing refers to the termination of an employee who is in the public

spotlight. In such cases, though terminology may be similar, t he rules may differ from
the typical firing. For example, in professional, a coach's dismissal is generally
referred to as a firing. However, though the employment will cease, the team may be
required to pay the coach the remainder of his contract. A playe r on a team who
faces the same action is generally not considered to be "fired", but rather "released"
or "waived".
In many countries and smaller jurisdictions, the chief executive reserves the right to
fire certain official's positions in which they appointed, and the termination will be
effective immediately with no obligation for any further pay, though in some cases, a
severance package may be paid. There are times when the President of the United
States will ask his entire Cabinet to submit their resignations. He can accept some of
them and file the rest away. This is often done by a new President who has inherited
his predecessor's Cabinet, as a way to reorganize with reduced hard feelings.