Millions of people are unemployed and some have given up roaming the streets in search of employment. Many people who lost their jobs are the victims of a backward economy or a struggling organization or both. Even smart people lose their job, and this is not as a result of their lack of effort, desire and passion to work.
There are so many reasons why employees get fired and relieved from their jobs. But for most employees, companies do not need any reason to take such action. Unless there is a bargaining agreement or contract between you and your company, you are likely to be an employee that can be terminated from work at any time without reason or prior notice.
Howbeit, most intelligent people can lose their jobs because of silly factors or reasons they could control. While some of these mistakes are due to temporary lapses, others result from serious personal problems. For instance, in situations where an employee takes excessive advantage of using the company’s business phone during office hours to call friends and family members; having irrelevant discussions that could wait till after the closure of work. Another persistent problem the company experiences is the inappropriate social media postings employees engage in. This is partly because there are no clear guidelines for social media use in the workplace. Here are some of the reasons why employees lose their jobs.
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CALLING IN SICK.
Every now and again, people take a “sick day” when they are not exactly sick; and employees with real health challenges may constantly call in sick and get away with it. This is especially if they have an applaudable job performance. But too much of everything is bad and calling in sick frequently becomes an abuse to sick days.
Pretending and calling in sick to absent yourself from work while you share pictures of your time out with friends on social media shows how poor your judgement is. Your employer might consider sacking you for pulling a “sickie” stunt. This is especially so if you have abused the policy of the company in the past. Using sick time inappropriately is one thing; but posting about your day at some fun place for everyone to see is just careless. Sometimes, employees think of their employers as separate from their personal lives. Hence, they do not think about them seeing those types of posts. These employees forget the internet is a public place where anything is viewable.
Even if the company lags or wastes time til a new month before sending you a paycheque, do not think to cause inconvenience through your sick days because you can be easily replaced. After all, there are more than a dozen applicant on the waiting list who would do the needful to replace and take your position. Taking every amount of sick time you are allotted even when you do not have a health challenge shows a lack of integrity. If you need to take a sick time for any reason, confide in your bosses and they may make an accommodation for you.
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POOR PERSONAL HYGIENE.
One may wonder what having poor personal hygiene has got to do with keeping a job post. But it is an important factor that can not be overlooked or swept under the carpet; especially when it has something to do with working in a public relation office where your clients comes from the different facet of life. Apart from the irritating feeling you have when you are dirty; people around may feel more disgusted if they perceive the least bad odour coming from you. Having and maintaining proper personal hygiene is a plus if you intend on keeping your position as an employee in any business organization. An employer can fire you for any reason except discrimination based on gender, race or religion. Nonetheless, it is perfectly legal for an organization to fire you because of bad hygiene.
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LYING ON YOUR APPLICATION.
Honesty plays a major role in both the hiring and firing process, hence, the importance of being honest, straightforward, and forthcoming with management and colleagues. Most employees include blatant lies on their resume to help them get a job. And although these lies sometimes go undetected, workers end up struggling with honesty and integrity problems even after they get the job. These workers may habitually lie about their not being punctual or why they missed work. They fall under the category of employees who pull the “sickie” stunt on their bosses. Workers who frequently misrepresent the truth may find themselves heading to unemployment.
Although sometimes it comes after a long interval, some organizations carry out post employment background check on their staff. Employers go back to dig into an employee’s past to discover if there is an alteration in any provided document and if truly the employee is operating on a clean slate. The fundamental purpose for verifying and carrying out a post-employment background check is to validate the claims of an employee and terminate the working contract of employees with an unscrupulous and questionable background to prevent being bankrupt from an employee’s bad background record.
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If there are notations on your resume of more than one employers having died, or there are untraceable educational certifications, you stand the risk of being fired for fraud. Be ready to show a documented proof for those closed down schools. Fortunately these days, a lot of employers now require that you present, and provide a copy of your secondary school, technical school, and university transcripts and diplomas, as well as degrees and licenses.
No matter how tempting it is to stretch your qualifications, it is appropriate to highlight only those resume achievements that can be proven. In fact, do not even attempt the small lies like omitting the slightest detail from your employer. Having a good integrity with honesty as one of its portfolio is an approvable trait in any employee which spawns office culture and creates a peaceful ambience within the office environment. However, this does not mean that you should not be discreet with confidential information.
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INAPPROPRIATE DRESSING AND APPEARANCE.
Unfortunately these days, books are first judged by their covers before their contents. An employee’s physical appearance and behaviour is a kind of self-expression which reflects the culture of the organization he works in, as well as the types of clients he serves because, at work, you represent your company. Your appearance counts and it also helps you to adapt flexibly to your work environment. Having a poor choice of clothing and dressing shabbily could make you lose your job. You should be dressed in business attire when going to corporate organization and not a polo shirt, khaki and casual shoes no matter how clean and trendy they are.
Different organizations have their standard dress code thus, appearing contrary to stand as representative shows you as being unprofessional. In official cases such as this, your appearance matters a lot so invest some time and money in selecting an appropriate and befitting outfit for your official position. Wearing the wrong clothes can serve as a distraction or worse, it may break your deals with clients. Put the company’s culture into consideration and dress accordingly.
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GOSSIPING AND IGNORING CUSTOMERS.
Customer relations management is an important factor for most corporate organizations. Gossip is like a harmful bacteria that eats deep into something and cause it to not function properly. It causes chaos where there is order and creates a breach in communication between employees working in the same environment. Employees should endeavour to pay attention at all times to customers. They should not allow personal conversations and gossips to distract them; even if the business is not moving on a fast sorted speed. Employees who engage in personal and meaningless gossips in the office do not only spread false rumours about their colleagues; they also end up ignoring customers. Doing this creates disunity and creates an unpleasant working environment for everyone.
Though gossiping and paying less attention to clients is not a trend that begun today; it still creates problems for companies. Many offices and factories prohibited their employees from conversing during office hours in the early 1970s. They believed that employees were paid to work and not to talk. This policy slackened during the 1980s and 1990s. But as soon as employers discovered the amount their companies spend on talking; they started laying off the talkers. Albeit, some employers allow a certain amount of this type of activity and it is important to understand the policies of your company. Follow and not abuse them.
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In order to have a good working result, avoid passing on company gossip or sending messages with lascivious information about your team. The last thing you want as an employee is a bad record to ruin your reputation.
Finding a job is not rocket science but it is possible for you to lose your job even faster than a rocket flying to space. Have it at the back of your mind that many companies have laid down policies which entail disciplinary actions which may be taken before an employee gets fired. If you get confused at any point and need a leading like information on the company’s policy, check your employee handbook or ask assistance from the Human Resources department for information on company policies and procedures.
Dipo Umoru
07014636348
dipo@klinsheet.com
Verification Consultant – Klinsheet Consulting