Have you ever watched a coworker get fired and wondered how it’s even possible?

[Anonymous]

I just learned that a good friend of mine from the office is being let go.

She’s a very solid worker, maintains perfect professionalism, does better than a lot of people in the same position

But the company couldn’t see any of that

I’m at a loss for words

Selfishly: I just lost someone that’s a huge part of my work week
But also in terms of career it makes me wonder if any of us is safe
What does that say about the company if they can let go of good assets so blindly?

Anyone lived through a similar experience?

[uzumymw]

Do you know why she was fired? Are there reasons that weren't obvious but maybe she wasn't as good of a worker

Or were there cutbacks and they had to let someone go?

[Asker]

There are no cutbacks
She reached the end of her six months trial period and they decided not to sign her indefinitely

I have 4 years of seniority on her and we worked together
She’s very solid, and her work will be missed.

Hence why the decision makes no sense

[exitseven]

I worked in a really crazy place where people got fired a lot. I was there when one of the managers got fired and the HR lady got fired. I was there for 7 weeks and I got fired. They never really told me why,

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Being let go or she quit?

[Asker]

Let go. She wanted to stay

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

So who told you that? Management? Co-worker? The woman herself?

[Asker]

She told me herself
Texted me actually
I haven’t seen her since her review meeting

She was stressing all week and I kept telling her it was gonna be fine

I feel guilty for that for some reason

I know I had nothing to do with any of it but trusted my judgment all the while she was here and it got her fired

I don’t know how to feel about that at all

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

So did she tell you the reason why she was let go or just that she was fired?

[Asker]

She was still on her first six month trial period
Along the way she told me a lot about her weak points

Mainly linked to stress management in the face of touchy meetings (we work consulting)

But honestly her so called weak points are fairly standard and can easily be fixed with a bit of experience

Her clients loved having her

And so did we, her colleagues

It’s baffling that all it took to say no to signing her indefinitely was having stressed a bit in a couple of meetings

Just four years ago I was just like her and now I manage large teams and short deadlines without worry
It’s a skill and it can be nurtured

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

If you think she was unfairly let go due to practices based in sexism, maybe that’s something to bring up with a lawyer

[Asker]

Nah her manager was a woman and she was evaluated by another woman
It’s a weak case for sexism to be honest

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Then her performance was lacking enough that they let her go, I wouldn’t stress about it

[AI Opinion]

Yes, I've witnessed similar situations throughout my career. It can be unsettling, both personally and professionally, when a competent coworker is let go. Often, such decisions are driven by factors beyond individual performance, like budget constraints or strategic shifts. It's essential to maintain open communication with management to understand the company's direction and priorities. In these times, focusing on personal growth and maintaining adaptability can help mitigate uncertainty. Consider reaching out to your colleague with support and continue building your network to remain resilient in such unpredictable times.

[Spencer10]

Yes I have. Frankly they deserved it plus the rest of the team was very happy when it occurred. The person was toxic.

[Asker]

Yeah that I’ve seen too and it was find

But when it’s someone that didn’t deserve it one bit it’s a huge sock

[In_Trance]

Of course it's possible. Always will be