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I was just fired today from a job for telling a coworker and a new hire that this would be my final week at the company. I have not been working there long and I didn't particularly enjoy the job, however I was never told about any rule that stated I could not tell others that I would be leaving.

I am aware that it isn't illegal or anything to be fired for telling someone you're leaving after bein requested not to or being told about a rule making it a possibility for immediate termination. But there was never any rule like this set in place at this company. So is this something that's even allowed? Because it kinda seems like they fired me just to fire me.

Jaxon Arion
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    How was it your final week, and more importantly, why are you telling someone that it's your final week if you didn't put your notice in already? – Aida Paul Aug 07 '23 at 19:19
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    "Is it ok?" is a meaningless question. Is it ethical? Maybe, but we don't have enough information. Is it legal? Again, we don't have enough information. We need at least your jurisdiction and if you have a contract or not. Did you submit your notice to quit? Have you been performing poorly? Why the resignation tag if you were fired? Honestly, if you were there for 30 days, performing bare minimum, nobody would blame the manager for letting you go if they heard you wanted to quit anyway. Especially if your role can inflict damage to the company. Just too much unknown to provide a good answer. – David S Aug 07 '23 at 19:36
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    "I hate this job, I want to quit" "Here, let's make that easy for you - you're fired!" "Wait! You can't do that!"

    I would chalk this up to a learning experience. The only time a Company should know you are intending to leave is when you hand them your resignation letter, after you have a signed job offer.

     – TheDemonLord Aug 07 '23 at 20:33
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    Does this answer your question? Why fire an employee who is resigning? – keshlam Aug 07 '23 at 20:44
  • We’re you fired or was your resignation simply accepted and you were told not to return? – Donald Aug 07 '23 at 21:47
  • Without naming your country (and maybe federal state) this is impossible to answer. In Europe? Certainly not! In North Korea? You are probably happy to be alive and have internet. From the fact that you think it is obvious where you live, and that it seems normal to just be fired or quit on very short notice, I would take a guess and say "USA"? Please confirm by tagging your post appropriately. – nvoigt Aug 08 '23 at 06:24
  • I am still wondering if you were actually fired or were simply put on gardening leave. Gardening leave is your company essentially saying, "don't come to work, there is nothing else we need you for, so here is your last paycheck". It's used in situations where the relationship between employee and employer was or could become sour. – Donald Aug 08 '23 at 14:57

2 Answers2

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You were fired after apparently telling other people this would be your last week, without telling management. If circumstances are different from this, please update your question.

It is certainly legal in the US to fire someone immediately who has stated the are going to quit, unless there is a collective bargaining agreement in place that states otherwise. This is not uncommon.

Tiger Guy
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In most of the US, with most employment contracts, it is legal to fire most people at any time for any reason. There may be exceptions if you are a member of a specifically protected class and can demonstrate that the firing violated specific fair employment laws... which is darned hard to prove unless you can cite an ongoing pattern or they told you explicitly that this was why you were being fired.

Collective bargaining contracts may also be an exception. Or may not be. Always read and understand your contract when signing on, and consider doing so again before departing.

Note that if you were leaving, you should have spoken to management FIRST and formally given notice, then worked until the end of the notice period unless they said they could dispense with you earlier. That's not legally required -- you can quit rudely if you want to -- but it's common business courtesy, and skipping it puts you in a bad position to complain that they were discourteous to you.

Depending on the job (and on management's whim), giving notice may result in anything from "OK, start transferring as much knowledge to your co-workers as you can in the remaining time" to "Turn in your credentials and equipment, and I'll escort you out the door NOW."

keshlam
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