I (18M) had been working as an electrical trainee for almost 6 months. Everyone loved me and I was immensely popular in the company. I almost got laid off (or fired) in
August, because of a few things:
1: I used my phone “too much” (IE: pulling it out to check the time occasionally, answering texts from my family once in a while, and replying to work emails).
2: Taking “too many bathroom breaks,”. I have IBS and IBD, so I had to use the bathroom once every hour, and I even explained to my journeymen the issue.
3: I was making some mistakes. Since everyone liked me, nobody told me I was making them, and they fixed my mistakes without notifying me at all.
4: I ate a handful of Skittles from the candy jar in the shop office. The boss accused me of eating all the Skittles, and I didn’t.
5: Not taking a long lunch. Company norm (but illegal according to state law), is combining your rest breaks with your lunch to create a longer lunch. I didn’t do that because I am prediabetic, and I needed the time to eat a handful of cashews or an apple and recharge.
6: “Leaving early”. Everyone told me that the shift was 7-3 Mon/Thurs, and 7-2 on Friday. I left at those times.
Anyways, I was given a second chance, and I didn’t use my phone as much. But on Thursday night on my way to a concert, my boss called me. He told me him and the vice president of the company had done some talking, and they were going to go ahead and lay me off. I just said “okay” because I didn’t know what else to say.
Please let me know what you think.