Living Without Job Security: Afraid of Being Fired From Your Job?

Do you know what really bothers me about my co-workers? Their fear of being fired. Now, I understand that this is a legitimate fear, because many things are at stake if you lose your place of employment: you can't pay the bills, you can't do the things you really want to, you can't eat, you can't pay the rent, lose your benefits, etc. Nobody wants to hear from their boss that he or she is being let go.

So, even though I understand this fear, what bugs me about other employees talking about this fear is that they could talk about it a little too much! "Oh, don't do that, or you'll get fired; watch out, or you'll be written up for that; ah man, I thought I was going to get fired because I did this; be careful about this person, because he/she could get you fired." It goes on and on, and you just get sick of hearing it.

Now, once again, I understand a person's fear of being fired. Like I said, many things are at stake if you lose your job. But do you want to work at a place where you are driven by the fear of termination? Do you want to work at a place where your supervisors subtly instill that fear? Do you want to go to a place everyday and feel that you just have to be careful or else?

Going to work, believe it or not, should be enjoyable. You should feel comfortable working where you do. You should feel that you could approach your supervisors with any concerns. But okay, in reality, you may not always have the best supervisors and you may not always enjoy your work, but one thing you should not be concerned with is being fired. In fact, that should not even come to mind. Being fired is definitely not, or shouldn't be, the first thing on an employer's mind and it shouldn't be on yours.

FIRING IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

Any employer with good sense would know that firing a person is bad for business, especially if the employer usually has a hard time hiring folks. Hiring is very time-consuming if you consider the applications you need to read, the applications you need to weed out, the interviewing, the training, etc. Some employers go through a lengthier hiring process than others, and the lengthier the process, the less practical it is to terminate someone out of the blue.

Think about police officers. Do you know the process officers go through to get hired? Every place is different, but in general, applicants must take a written test, then a physical agility test, then an oral interview. If the applicant is considered a good one, then he must go through additional steps including a medical exam, a psychological test, a polygraph (lie detector) test, and a background check where everything from your credit to your employment history to your criminal records to your places of residence is checked. All of this takes months to complete and it's very costly. After the candidate is offered a job, then he must go through the academy for about six months. All of this would cost the employer over $100,000 per applicant.

So, if police officers are always fired from left to right, you could bet that the agency would go completely broke because the hiring alone is costly, and the training part is addition expenses. In addition, firing one officer puts one police car out of service, which means less coverage in the city.

Some jobs are so critical that firing someone, despite the reason, would do more harm than good. One less paramedic equals one less ambulance on the street, because it takes at least two paramedics to work one ambulance. One less dental assistant means slower service and more stress for the dentist. One less actor could mean the whole show depending on the role. One less teacher means 150 students who won't get a lesson for at least one day.

So, firing someone in these cases would be avoided as much as possible, because termination could be very critical for the entire agency or company.

MISTAKES ARE APART OF LIFE

People are afraid of making mistakes, especially if they just started the position. They think that one mistake could cost them their job. But let's get real here, people. We make mistakes! We will always make mistakes. We will never be so proficient on the job that making a mistake would be impossible. Even the most seasoned employee with a hundred years experience will make a mistake.

Now, there's a difference between making a mistake and being negligent. A mistake could be easily fixed and people who make mistakes do it unintentionally. Being negligent, on the other hand, is nearly unforgiveable to the point where being neglectful just one time could cost you your job. Negligence is when a person makes an error due to either carelessness or malice (that is, with intent to do harm). Depending on the type of job you have, negligence could either cost the company a lot of money or could cost someone his life.

If you were let go because of negligence, it's not so much because your employer is unforgiving, but because you're seen as a danger to either the company or a person. Letting you go is considered taking a safety measure.

NICE GUYS DO NOT FINISH LAST

People think that in order to get ahead in life, you have to be mean. After all, it is a dog-eat-dog world, isn't it? Well, as cold-hearted as the world may be, no one could truly let go of a nice person.

Being nice and smiling gets you places. People are more likely to trust you, bend their backs for you, give you plenty of chances, let you off the hook for something (such as a speeding ticket), etc. If you're the mean and rude type, then you are likely to be screwed over the smallest thing.

I don't need to give examples about how being nice always come out on top. Even if you yourself are the nasty type, you would admit that you'll respond better to someone who respects you and smiles than a person who is, well, like you.

If you always respect your supervisors and your employees, willing to work with others, and are a nice person, you would have very little to worry about. Now, if on the other hand you can't seem to get along with people, you always have an attitude problem, and people generally complain about you, then you might be on your way out very soon.

If your friends generally describe you as the moody type with a short fuse, let that be a warning for you to change immediately!

BEING COMPETENT IN THE BASIC THINGS

No, I didn't say "competitive," bit competent, being able to do your job. You wouldn't be working where you are if your employer didn't think you could do the job. So, as long as you show that you know what you're doing and working at doing it better, then you shouldn't worry about losing your job.

Usually, it's the basic things on the job that your employer is truly concerned about. If you're a sales associate and you don't know how to ring up an item, then that's a problem. If you're a police officer and you don't know how to arrest someone, that's a problem. If you're a teacher and you don't know how to control your class, then that's a problem. Being competent in the basics is always grounds for being competent in other aspects of your job. If you don't have the basics down, then you won't last long in your job.

For example, a doctor may know how to administer medications very well, but may not know how to dress a wound. Giving medication is an advanced skill but it's definitely not needed all the time, and if it is needed, it's one of the last things he should be trying to do. If a person is bleeding out and he doesn't know how to control that bleeding, then giving medication would be a waste of time.

Competence begins with your basic skills on the job. If you have those basics down, then you shouldn't have a problem being more skillful in the other areas of your job. Without competence in the basics, then you better work on it!

STAY HUMBLE, BIG MAN -- OR WOMAN!

Nobody could stand a know-it-all, even if you yourself is a know-it-all. People with humility problems are usually those with years and years of experience, new folks with no experience, or people who are not really self-confident.

People, especially employers, love humble people. Humble folks are easy to talk to, easy to constructively criticize, easy to get along with, and easy to ask help from. Humble folks are willing to learn new things from both the veterans and the newbies. And humble folks are nice, which is by itself an amazing quality to have.

We all have a tendency to be a little cocky, which is not necessarily a bad thing because it does show you that there are things you're confident in. But just keep it to yourself. Even if somebody is telling you something that you know, just listen anyway instead of blowing that person off. You just might know much more than the other person, but you don't need to express that.

PUTTING IN A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

Employers love an employee who is willing to give a hand. For instance, if your employer is a bit short on workers one day and ask if you could work a few extra hours, it would be in your best interest to do so if it is possible. This doesn't mean that you'll be a push-over, but it shows your employer that when desperate times come, he could count on you to save the day.

Besides coming to work, doing your job, and going home, see what other things you could do to make things go smoother for both your employers and employees. Clean up your area, arrive to work a little earlier, be extra friendly to customers, be willing to stay a little past your shift when necessary, etc. Do more than what your job asks of you and your employer would not want to let you go.

Firing employees isn't something employers generally want to do, and really, it's something they avoid doing. That's why many employers go through action plans before they finally terminate a person. If you've done something very serious, the employer would give you a verbal warning. If you continue to do this serious thing, then the employer would give you a written warning. If you haven't corrected the error of your ways yet, then you might be suspended for a certain amount of time. If that doesn't work, then the only other option would be to terminate because now you are just being negligent.

Every employer has its particular guidelines for different steps towards termination. Some things you do on the job might be serious enough to get you fired on the spot. Other things are not as serious as long as you take steps to correct them. Other things merit verbal and written warnings. It depends on the employer, but generally, termination is always the last resort if nothing else could be done.

Now, if you work for an employer who does instill the fear of termination, then you don't need to be working there period. Work shouldn't be a place of fear, and you don't need that kind of stress on your life. If you are working at such a place, then you should start looking at working elsewhere.

Relax! Your boss is not out to fire you. Firing you is one of the last things your boss wants to do. You may, however, be among the unfortunate employees who work for a ruthless person. But overall, your job is secure.