My coworker is going to get fired, I'm in the loop, what should I do?

don't say anything

srsly, zip it, conscience boy.

don't say nothing

Stay out of it. Not a word.

start looking for items to snipe off her desk once she's gone

Don't say anything. Big Boss shouldn't have said anything to you until after the deed was done.

i don't know why they'd tel you that, but ya - mouth shut.
i was in the same spot as you 6 years ago except for the fact that i hated said firee with a passion.

xpost

p.s. Big Boss may have told you in order to set you up for raise/promotion but i assume you know this

srsly, zip it, conscience boy.

ke, I appreciate the honesty. Its like you and my wife share a brane.

Big Boss shouldn't have said anything to you until after the deed was done.

Prolly not, but he knows that I have A LOT on my plate right now, and he was looking to nip any fears/anxiety I have about my security here in the bud. Which I appreciate.

Big Boss may have told you in order to set you up for raise/promotion but i assume you know this

Of course I thought of this, but, you do realize that by you saying this, it will not not happen.

Of course I thought of this, but, you do realize that by you saying this, it will not not happen

don't go negative. 2008=Year of Positive

Don't say anything. She gets fired whatever you do, but if you say something you might be next. Don't feel bad about it - firing someone because they can't do their job properly is a last resort, and it's likely that your boss has spoken to her already about her lack of performance and she hasn't been able to pick up the pace.

And don't tell her after the fact that you knew.

if you feel you have to do SOMETHING, go back to the person you just talked to tell and them that you really appreciate the reassurance, but the situation makes you v uncomfortable. but thats not really doing anything at all, yknow? basically i agree w everyone else.

ya zip it

i'll go with the consensus. it's not your business, it's between her and the boss. saying anything isn't likely to help her, and could get you crosswise with the boss.

She won't be fired. This is a test to see who's the leak. If you say anything, be prepared to leave the country.

/Smiley's People

it's likely that your boss has spoken to her already about her lack of performance and she hasn't been able to pick up the pace

This is the case.

saying anything isn't likely to help her, and could get you crosswise with the boss.

This is the most logical assesment of the situation. I will follow this.

I guess the feeling that I'm having is not one of guilt, so much as one of - I'm becoming one of them instead of one of us. Kind of like in the movie Waiting where the Mac Guy is offered an assistant manager position, and he's looked down upon by his other servers.

But, taking this line of thought out to its logical conclusion, the message of THAT movie is that Assistant Managers in restaurants suck b/c they come down on the protagonists of this movie - WHO ARE ALL CAREER SERVERS!!!

The last thing I want to be is a mediocre worker (I'm not) and I'm in a position where, for once, my enthusiasm and intelligence are really becoming highly valued. Its just a little bit of a reality check to see a coworker picked off like this.

this thread is retardo montalban

That seems really indiscreet of the mgmt?? Unprofessional even. Still, while I agree w/ 69er that it's worth telling them that they've put you in an awkward position both personally & professionally, there's nothing you can really do. You can at least make sure the gracelessness ends with you by keeping schtum and out of it. :(

I mean, what would have been wrong with telling you right after she left the building? You could stand to be stressed for a couple of hours as opposed to burdened and guilty for weeks.

nothing you can do that would improve the situation.
presumably your coworker has already been informed on a couple of occasions that she's on the hook for better performance, unless she's simply being cut because after 6 years she's too expensive compared to you, the comparatively cheaper noob. If the latter is the case, just know that you work in a shitty place. If the former, that's what happens, it sucks, weird that they let you know ahead of time except OTOH I've been in situations where I just show up and a coworker has mysteriously been let go for no known reason which is kind of weirder and more morale-sapping than your case.

when she is fired, quit in protest. then they'll be really fucked

retardo montalban

BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME IDEA EVER

LOLOL

presumably your coworker has already been informed on a couple of occasions that she's on the hook for better performance

As noted above, she has. Several times, I assume.

unless she's simply being cut because after 6 years she's too expensive compared to you, the comparatively cheaper noob

Not REALLY the case, but the fact that she's getting paid what she is because of her years of experience, and she is delivering WELL below their expected level has been pointed out to me.

you work in a shitty place

This is NOT the case. My bosses are like Pei Mei. I am taking a beating now, but will emerge a stronger, deadlier fighter than others who entered my profession at the same time.

Prolly not, but he knows that I have A LOT on my plate right now, and he was looking to nip any fears/anxiety I have about my security here in the bud. Which I appreciate.

He could have done that without letting you know about co-worker getting the axe. Look how well the new info has settled your nerves! Seriously, you should use this new job-security capital to chew our your boss for indiscretion.

actually I have a question now, which would fuck you up more:

A) Showing up and your coworker is gone, no explanation or notification given, no "good bye everyone" e-mail in your inbox

B) Showing up and being informed that in a week or so your coworker will be gone, explanation given, decision has been made already, you have no input

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40042000/jpg/_40042465_bill_gordon203.jpg

Seriously. That's what I show up to - every fucking day.

actually I have a question now, which would fuck you up more:

CLEARLY, option A

Showing up and your coworker is gone, no explanation or notification given, no "good bye everyone" e-mail in your inbox

The "not having any input" would be even MORE inappropriate.

And it hasn't really frazzled my nerves, in all honesty. More like some residual, sensitive early 20s pangs of guilt - my 31 yr old self was just looking for some opinions.

The "not having any input" would be even MORE inappropriate

By this I meant that, if I had been asked for input, it would have been WAY more inappropriate.

dude shut up who cares shes getting fired big deal ARARGGGGWEWERT$R%

also: pls forward her this thread

dude shut up who cares shes getting fired big deal ARARGGGGWEWERT$R%

Or, put another way...

dude chaki yr thread police schtick is YAWN

2x

the thread police they come to me in my thread

oh im sorry "69" i'll stop complaining and proceed to start threads every time something boring happens in my life and i cant figure out how to deal with it myself.

thread police and theives
In the streets
AHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

oh so it's turning into one of those threads now

oh im sorry "69" i'll stop complaining and proceed to start threads every time something boring happens in my life and i cant figure out how to deal with it myself.

Oh, I'm sorry - the mouse button fucking FORCED you to click on this thread, prick?

And you HAD to make snarky, affected disinterest laden BULLSHIT comments about something that the rest of us were interested in?

Your lame, holmes. Maybe not everywhere, maybe not in real life, but here - your lame. LAME-O.

leave his lame out of this.

"Your lame, holmes."

What songs should Chaki do for Karaoke tonight?!

seriously chunki, don't you have some very important donuts you should be eating or something?

CHAKI IN SAND IN VAGINA SHOCKAH

i am eating important donuts, thank you. don't you have to whine about your alcoholism on a thread somewhere, kev?

time to make some popcorn

anyway you shouldn't feel guilt because it's not like you can do anything to change the situation. you should feel guilty if you could have. coffee is for closers, etc etc etc.

i am eating important donuts, thank you. don't you have to whine about your alcoholism on a thread somewhere, kev?

-- chaki, Friday, January 4, 2008 2:45 PM (Friday, January 4, 2008 2:45 PM) Bookmark Link

actually fattey, you're the only one who whines about my alcoholism.

oh yah you whine about your father's. sorry.

Yes, it is all being the same, "69." Ufffffff.

I think I missed the brothers twist.

i gave birth to 69 and BLAM on Halloween by the light of the Blood Diamonds Moon

is that all?

luna is the father

i gave birth to 69 and BLAM on Halloween by the light of the Blood Diamonds Moon

Shut the fuck up! SECRETS, man!!!!

look... i talked to BLAM on the phone and heard a dog and a child.

haha

if you take her chair, make sure it doesn't have a serial number on it.

if you take her chair, make sure it doesn't have a serial number on it.

I know some people that got burned for this at an earlier job.

Luckily, she and I both have the same chair.

http://smilies.newcastlebeats.com/smilies/bananallama.gif

chaki otm

she shitcanned yet?

<i>I appreciate his stated intent of wanting to let me know ahead of time so that I wouldn't be caught off-guard.</i>

Is there a reason why you <i>shouldn't</i> be caught off-guard when a co-worker is fired? Think about it. It's easy enough to fire here and then call you into the office immediately afterward and say "no reflection on you, etc. etc." Moreover since you seem so in the loop about her poor performance, presumably you are smart enough to figure out why she was canned when it happens, at least for the what, hour or so until they can have a separate talk with you. The reason we keep saying this is a dick move on management's part is because it should show you something about their attitude toward employees. In other words, when you get fired, assume that everyone else in the office will know about it before you. I wouldn't say look for another job yet, but their lack of scruples in mind. These are the same kind of people who would, say, see the logic in firing an experienced, better-paid employee because they could replace them with someone new and cheaper.

Man that shit would make me feel like I was going to church again.

This thread reminds me of the one where the guy posted on how to stop his toilet from overflowing.

'Help someone is in my house hitting me with an axe what do I do?'

'hitting me with an axe'

hitting, hitting,

'help my phone is just ringing and ringing, how do i get it to stop?'

These are the same kind of people who would, say, see the logic in firing an experienced, better-paid employee because they could replace them with someone new and cheaper.

I disagree. This person is a 6th year attorney, who, according to his reports, has not been producing work of the level that a 6th year attorney should be doing, and certainly not up to a level commensurate with her salary. Despite repeated attempts to get her to do better work, or to at least show a more concerted effort towards improving, she has not. Thus, shitcanned.

As for my future here, they have never been anything but happy with my work, and I plan to stay here for at least a little while.

I don't necessarily think it was a suspicious thing that I was brought into the loop. I understand y'all's concerns and appreciate your advice - but I think I'm good. Really.

Well, they just fired her.

We will see what the rest of the day brings.

Where are you, West Coast?

when did people start saying shitcanned? was it from a book? did you pick it up from a book? was it used in the office? (but it doesn't sound british.)

The constructions which are being examined here form only a small part of the overall group of meanings involving shit. Partridge (1984:1052-1054) lists over sixty combinations involving the use of shit in either its referential or emotive sense. While some of these may be archaic, doubtless others have evolved which remain unrecorded. Indeed, the continued creative evolution of terms involving shit has been noted in the literature. To give a simple example, Gaines (1948) describes the United States Army slang shitcan for "trashcan". Gilliland (1980) goes on to report that this term is still used, but has also been extended to a verbal form to shitcan, meaning "to discard in a speedy and permanent way". With such evolutions presumably often passing unnoted, capturing every single meaning is obviously impossible.

Work in Brentwood, live in Pasadena.

-- B.L.A.M., Friday, 4 January 2008 21:19 (1 week ago) Link

Dude, you need to quit that job.

You might live badly but at least you won't have to work to do it.

pasadena to brentwood can be tolerable if you do it right, though i bet it's worse than my los feliz to west l.a. route.

Is firing someone on a Friday a really good or really bad idea? I can't remember which.

I went out for my usual post-lunch walk around the neighborhood and when I got back one of the other programmers was fired. Escorted out by HR, clean the desk out, the whole works. The other programmers were "we all knew this was going to happen. By the way, how are your Perl skills?"

(I had no idea this was going to happen. My Perl skills are adequate)

The fired guy had been working on a major project that's been through several rounds of delays (six months behind) but I'm not sure how the project status is going to change.

I hate it when everyone else seems clued up on something in a workplace that I turn out to be oblivious to.

This happened with my officemate three times in a row at my first company. The second time sounds closest to the feeling I'm getting from you, E.T. (In my case, I found out later the guy was illegally burning company bought software for himself, and was caught.)

(three different officemates, obviously, lol.)

leave his lame out of this.

-- omar little, Friday, January 4, 2008 3:43 PM (7 months ago) Bookmark Link

Ive worked with quite a few who've been unceremoniously fired before, inc one guy actually being frogmarched out of the office with his things, not allowed to touch anything or say goodbye to anyone. He'd been stealing userIDs and passwords of our dialup internet clients and keeping them in a file. WHich he then sent offsite for safekeeping, to a friend. Who was the head network engineer, and who underdstandably dobbed the dickhead in.

Another guy at same co got fired after many years of service and good work there, because he'd been running a torrent server inside the office network or storing pirated software or somehting like that.

inc one guy actually being frogmarched out of the office with his things, not allowed to touch anything or say goodbye to anyone

Haha yeah when it happened at my work, afterwards the guy who had to do it (my supervisor) dusted off his hands and said smugly "I *really* enjoyed doing that".

The guy deserved it, he did no work and was a whiny smarmy skeevy little shit who leered at all the girls and did everythibng he could to rip off the place. We had a few other "do as little as possible" guys at that time, it was suprising, they never got away with it for long though. Heres a tip, lazy types: wait until AFTER your 3 month prpobation before you start pissfarting around!

leave his lame out of this.

-- omar little, Friday, January 4, 2008 8:43 PM (7 months ago) Bookmark Link

so good. so good Max and I both had to revive the WIN.

what happens to people who are fired? Is is it the kind of career black mark that means they never work again?

Ha ha ha ha ha. Um, not really.

Though I suppose it depends on why you were sacked. I've never been sacked for doing anything illegal. (Though I was once sacked for reporting something illegal.)

having been summarily fired twice in my time, i can say an inequivocal "no" to that.

xpost

I realise now that I think about it that I've rarely left jobs voluntarily (though I've only been "let go" once): contracts run out, companies cease to exist, that sort of thing, instead. I'm obviously the kiss of death.

Though the one boss who DID fire me was killed a few months later by a van doing an illegal U-turn as she crossing the road outside a hospital to visit her husband who had donated a kidney to his best friend. This means that I can tell this story as a reason for her non-availability as a referee, rather than saying, "Er, she won't say anything good about me since she fired me."

Just on being fired, when you go for your next job, and they say "why did you leave your last job?", do you need to launch into a huge defensive thing about how it wasn't really your fault etc.?

Um, no. It's really better if you don't. Just shrug confidentaly and say something non committal about how you needed a new challenge or something like that.

I'm lucky, in that I've done so much actual contract work, that I can gloss over one or two sackings as contracts ending.

Chances are they'll find out when it comes to references anyway, so it might be kind of tricky to hide, unless it was a short-term job you can just forget to mention. I suppose it depends what you were fired for.

most places i've worked for will only allow hr to confirm that an individual worked there and what their title was.

Depends on the employer, it's not unheard of for an employer to warn a fellow employer if they are about to hire a troublemaker. Saying that, most employers do tend to err on the cautious side so you can't sue their ass for defamation. Silences can speak volumes, mind, if a character reference is asked for.

I was fired about 6 weeks ago but their reasons for doing so were oh so very shakey. To keep me from kicking up a fuss they offered me references, two weeks pay and said I could tell any potential employers that I left due to "restructuring".

I wanted to leave anyway so I took the deal although was fearful they may not stick to it, particularly once they realised how few emails I actually bothered to deal with. Fortunately though, all is well. Would have been screwed without the references though and did NOT like fending off the "so why did you leave your last job?" question at interviews, particularly when they delved deeper than I was expecting.

I was "asked to resign" my last job and in all honesty I dont blame them. I'd just stopped caring and my work was sub par, but the reason was because the company was run like shite, no one knew what I did, the CEO made it very clear he disliked me (and women in general unless they were being cutsey secretary types), and I wasnt even doing the job I'd been hired for.

On top of all that I was suffering from a serious bout of depression and my bf of 4 years had left me, so you know.. YEAH I DID A BIT OF A SHIT JOB WHAT OF IT YA CUNCE.

Ahem. They did me a favour, frankly.