‘What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen someone get fired for?’ – 23 people who absolutely deserved the sack

Getting the sack is a dramatic thing to happen, but the actual reasons people get dismissed are usually pretty dull, like persistent lateness or gross misconduct in the form of petty theft.

However, sometimes, someone does something completely wild that precipitates getting the boot, and those are the sacking stories that people remember.

AskUK subreddit user Hooray4Jose wanted to get the low down on these cautionary tales, and posted this:

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen someone get fired for?

We share stories all the time between friends, so I want to hear the weirdest and wildest stories you’ve accumulated over the years.

And the folks in the replies did not disappoint. Check these out…

1.

‘We were classed as essential workers during Covid, but they sent anyone vulnerable or cared for someone home with full pay almost as soon as lockdown was announced. Coworker had a child with a serious heart issue, no issues, don’t worry go home immediately, stay safe. She then was posting on social media about going go parties at the height of lockdown, with coworkers and managers on there. It’s the sheer stupidity of it for me.’
–Nickye19

2.

‘A guy on my team, who had started a couple of weeks before me, asked our manager if she was a lesbian. She was, but he still got kicked out of the company for asking.’
–ignatiusjreillyXM

3.

‘Someone at my previous job used one of those fake news templates that were doing the rounds, to give the impression that the company was going bust – fake quotes from the owner etc. It went around the company and caused a lot of pearl-clutching and anxiety.

Apparently making everyone in the company think they are about to lose their jobs is gross misconduct. He got yeeted.’
–Treecle_TTV

4.

‘I worked in a DIY shop. England were playing a friendly match. New lad told everyone he was going to take an axe to his hand so he’d have to be sent home. A few minutes later he appears with an ‘accidental’ hand injury from one of the axes we sold, got sent home to watch the football.

Management found out and sacked him. Not going to lie, the manager found out because I told him exactly what happened. Guy was already giving off weird vibes before this and I don’t want to work with a psycho like that.’
–hhfugrr3

5.

‘Someone very senior’s niece got sacked for stealing loads of cereal and snacks and drinks when we were moving office, like crates of the stuff, all on CCTV…’
–Superb_Copy1644

6.

‘Texting a 16 year old girl who he had spoken to on the phone (telecoms job) because she “sounded fit”.’
–Various_Building_810

7.

‘Using their work laptop to watch porn. So unbelievably stupid.’
–CooperAXE

8.

‘I knew someone who was using their work laptop to translate gay porn literature from English to their native language as a side hustle during Covid. They got fired.’
–kasia_littlefrog

9.

‘I used to work with a guy who gave female colleagues underwear for Secret Santa. Still can’t believe he wasn’t immediately sacked. He eventually got made redundant, and now I see him in Tesco occasionally and always duck down an aisle to avoid him.’
–Classic-Wafer-7838

10.

‘Remember as a kid you would sit on a fence and put your legs on the pole underneath and lean back? Had a lad do that on scaffolding holding up a window frame, on a building site, 9 floors up.

He couldn’t understand why I sacked him because “he does it all the time and never falls”.’
–an-72

11.

‘There was an American guy worked in our office. When you’re working, someone will end up pissing you off. You have a grumble, joke about it, move on.

This guy says, “I could just kill her.”

Already a bit strong, but it didn’t help that he was holding a small knife at the time (ostensibly to peel fruit, cut apples etc) and made a stabbing motion with it.

He was cordially invited to leave employment with the company.’
–oh_f-f-s

12.

‘One paramedic was struck off for getting his shopping in, whilst his crewmate was dealing with a patient in public. On another occasion, he went off for a haircut, again, abandoning crewmate in public.’
–Geordie-1983