5 ms·

I used to work for a high level executive that would throw around the words "you're fired" as a joke sometimes during all hands meetings. The fact is, using tho

by mcot2 13y ago

I used to work for a high level executive that would throw around the words "you're fired" as a joke sometimes during all hands meetings. The fact is, using those words on someone in public (joke or not) is embarrsing and cringeworthy for all. I've also had the "get on board or leave" speech thrown at me. More times then not, those words are a sign to run away as fast as possible. This guy is a joke and his product is a joke.

kyllo 13y ago
Never been a fan of power trip humor. If you actually have the authority to fire someone, you should never ever say "you're fired" to them, even as a joke, unless you are actually firing them, and that should be done in private.
- mcot2 13y ago
  Well this guy was in a league of his own. He openly made jokes about a fellow employees lazy eye in public and once made a semi-racist off color joke to begin another all-hands. I'm pretty sure he was left off of the investor quarterly calls for being such a loose cannon. Amazingly enough he left on his own and didn't have any openly public HR complaints or lawsuits against him.
  - jpalioto 13y ago
    Last season of the Office was awesome, wasn't it?
- haberman 13y ago
  Yeah I think this is covered in the very first episode of The Office: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSibGV5Y_WA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSibGV5Y_WA
- jfoster 13y ago
  And even in private there are Mich better ways of saying it. "You're fired" is unnecessarily hostile.
- jamesaguilar 13y ago
  Sometimes my former boss would tell me I was fired if I made a bad joke when we were out drinking . . . but in general, I agree that it should not be done if there is any ambiguity at all in the situation.
bane 13y ago
> I've also had the "get on board or leave" speech thrown at me. Yes the old "we only want true believers here", people you can abuse endlessly and treat like animals.
troymc 13y ago
This reminds me of a character… "The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking round." - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865
jasey 13y ago
Ok so a guy named "lenz" got fired for taking a "photo" from a product team at AOL that nobody had herd of and now theres free bad/good? publicity all over the media. If this does turn out to be a joke its one of the best publicity stunts in history. Of-course if it is not a joke/stunt. All the best to Lenz
goingtogetit 13y ago
> I've also had the "get on board or leave" speech thrown at me. I'm going to get this speech in about 48 hours (flying to HQ at the moment). What's your advice?
- nick2021 13y ago
  I don't see your boss saying this to you unless you are valued as a dime-a-dozen pizza maker. If you love your job and/or are making what your worth then stay, otherwise it sounds like you could do better.
- dredmorbius 13y ago
  Leave.
- jamesaguilar 13y ago
  Work on your resume on the flight? It's not an actionable speech, it just gives you insight into the current state of the company. When leadership feels this needs to be said, there aren't many good things it can be a sign of.
- hef19898 13y ago
  As hard as it is, leaving in the mid-term may be the best option. i can only talk for myself, but when my supperior doesn't think I'm on board I can't go "on board" or fake it realistacally. Well, I can long enough to find something better. For the meeting itself, not so easy. Part one: Come up with a plan for the meeting. Best if you know what "on board" means and come up with some believable actions or things you can do in the future showing you ARE. Find some explanations why you were not in the past, even if it means to only find expalnations why your boss thinks you're not "on board". Maybe you even know what kind of agenda your boss has for himself, this adds a lot of usefull context to the points mentioned above. Part two: Use the time you bought yourself to find something better elsewhere. There are people that can addopt enough and get "on board" (whatever that really means), but I'm none of those. In cases like this, it's all about how a situation is percieved and not how it really is. Hope it helped a little bit. And even if it's not easy, don't worry or even panic, stay calm and polite. Be prepared, but don't argue any points before they are brought up by someone else. Disclaimer: Had one meeting like that myself, came up with a defense a couple of weeks later, left 4 months later. Teached me to be prepared for meetings like this.
qwerta 13y ago
>"you're fired" as a joke sometimes There was case like that in Germany. But the guy accepted and company had to pay him three month salary for compensation. He was 'hired' back after couple of days of holiday.

by mcot2 13y ago

kyllo 13y ago

Never been a fan of power trip humor. If you actually have the authority to fire someone, you should never ever say "you're fired" to them, even as a joke, unless you are actually firing them, and that should be done in private.

mcot2 13y ago
Well this guy was in a league of his own. He openly made jokes about a fellow employees lazy eye in public and once made a semi-racist off color joke to begin another all-hands. I'm pretty sure he was left off of the investor quarterly calls for being such a loose cannon. Amazingly enough he left on his own and didn't have any openly public HR complaints or lawsuits against him.
- jpalioto 13y ago
  Last season of the Office was awesome, wasn't it?
haberman 13y ago
Yeah I think this is covered in the very first episode of The Office: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSibGV5Y_WA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSibGV5Y_WA
jfoster 13y ago
And even in private there are Mich better ways of saying it. "You're fired" is unnecessarily hostile.
jamesaguilar 13y ago
Sometimes my former boss would tell me I was fired if I made a bad joke when we were out drinking . . . but in general, I agree that it should not be done if there is any ambiguity at all in the situation.

bane 13y ago

> I've also had the "get on board or leave" speech thrown at me. Yes the old "we only want true believers here", people you can abuse endlessly and treat like animals.

troymc 13y ago

This reminds me of a character… "The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking round." - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865

jasey 13y ago

Ok so a guy named "lenz" got fired for taking a "photo" from a product team at AOL that nobody had herd of and now theres free bad/good? publicity all over the media. If this does turn out to be a joke its one of the best publicity stunts in history. Of-course if it is not a joke/stunt. All the best to Lenz

goingtogetit 13y ago

> I've also had the "get on board or leave" speech thrown at me. I'm going to get this speech in about 48 hours (flying to HQ at the moment). What's your advice?

nick2021 13y ago
I don't see your boss saying this to you unless you are valued as a dime-a-dozen pizza maker. If you love your job and/or are making what your worth then stay, otherwise it sounds like you could do better.
dredmorbius 13y ago
Leave.
jamesaguilar 13y ago
Work on your resume on the flight? It's not an actionable speech, it just gives you insight into the current state of the company. When leadership feels this needs to be said, there aren't many good things it can be a sign of.
hef19898 13y ago
As hard as it is, leaving in the mid-term may be the best option. i can only talk for myself, but when my supperior doesn't think I'm on board I can't go "on board" or fake it realistacally. Well, I can long enough to find something better. For the meeting itself, not so easy. Part one: Come up with a plan for the meeting. Best if you know what "on board" means and come up with some believable actions or things you can do in the future showing you ARE. Find some explanations why you were not in the past, even if it means to only find expalnations why your boss thinks you're not "on board". Maybe you even know what kind of agenda your boss has for himself, this adds a lot of usefull context to the points mentioned above. Part two: Use the time you bought yourself to find something better elsewhere. There are people that can addopt enough and get "on board" (whatever that really means), but I'm none of those. In cases like this, it's all about how a situation is percieved and not how it really is. Hope it helped a little bit. And even if it's not easy, don't worry or even panic, stay calm and polite. Be prepared, but don't argue any points before they are brought up by someone else. Disclaimer: Had one meeting like that myself, came up with a defense a couple of weeks later, left 4 months later. Teached me to be prepared for meetings like this.

qwerta 13y ago

>"you're fired" as a joke sometimes There was case like that in Germany. But the guy accepted and company had to pay him three month salary for compensation. He was 'hired' back after couple of days of holiday.