10 Reasons How You May Be Fired (And How to Avoid Them)

You might wonder, “Why do I keep getting fired?” in a competitive workplace. Employers may let go of their employees for a variety of reasons, including lack of specific technical skills, missing out on deadlines or being more suitable for another type of work environment. You can be within a job that fits your requirements, preferences, and abilities, only if you know what/where/how to work based on your performance and expertise.

In this blog, we’ll go over 10 frequent factors why employers lay off workers and suggestions to enhance productivity to resist termination.?

10 typical reasons for being escalated:

1. Poor quality work?–?impressing your managers or seniors by submitting work on or before deadlines, ensures that the task is of a high standard. This demonstrates your concern for the work being produced based on the projects within the organization. A report by PwC (2023) found that 50% of respondents experienced massive losses due to poor quality work while a survey by the European Society of Quality (2022) states that costs of ￡400bn have been incurred for delivering an inadequate amount of work with non-relevant research and statistics. However, representing, high-quality work, makes it easier for the organization to be productive in analysing, evaluating and critically reviewing business performances. Therefore, assessing your work thoroughly for any clerical, grammatical or data based before submitting is a huge benefit (The Telegraph, 2023).
2. Insufficiency of technical skills?– several businesses utilize specific software systems to carry out their daily operations. Learning these software can help you stay focused, and be effective and productive by streamlining the workflow to save time. This allows employees to take additional responsibilities for the company’s success. If the operation of a system is challenging, think about honing your technical skills (Zippia, 2023). You might enrol in continuing educational seminars, attend online training, or get certified in programs conducted by companies within your sector. According to Association for Talent Development (2023), companies that offer comprehensive training earn 218% higher per employee than those that don’t.?
3. Missing out on due dates?– sometimes it’s difficult to meet deadlines due to complicated or time-consuming tasks, which can impair the performance and reputation of the business. Not only it can impact the entire team, but also the company’s bottom line. It leads to an increase in stress and anxiety among employees which results in their mental health and well-being (Indeed, 2023). Therefore, arranging your tasks and prioritizing them will keep you informed and conscious of the impending deadlines. Hence, it is always a clever idea to notify your supervisor if you believe you could be running late with your work so they can offer you extra assistance, and support, or give you more time to finish it (Glassdoor, 2023).?
4. Having trouble interacting with your colleagues?– 62% of employees believe it is more productive to work on a group task while 31% vote for individual work (The Telegraph, 2023). It is based on your relationship with your co-workers that is challenging to build, vibe and network. According to Indeed (2023), dealing with your colleagues with diverse personalities can be upbeat by sacrificing and compromising. By doing this, you get an opportunity to establish your professional skills, be committed to fostering positive work relationships and find solutions.?
5. Not transforming with the company’s culture?– many entities want their team members to have complementary characteristics. Employees that don’t fit in the company’s culture, negatively impact the team’s morale, build conflicts and lead to a decrease in job satisfaction. According to a study by Glassdoor (2023), 56% of employees believe that a company’s culture is more important than wages in terms of job satisfaction. Therefore, the best way to demonstrate to your colleagues and manager that you are a good match for the organization is by forging long-lasting relationships and remaining engaged, inclusive, and courteous always (LinkedIn, 2023). This way, you can showcase your enthusiasm for teamwork and your capacity for generosity.?
6. Having trouble following instructions?– you can avoid having to start over your tasks by adhering to your manager's instructions. This will ensure that you do them the right way to avoid repetition. If you are not able to follow instructions effectively, it can result in poor communication with your co-workers, lead to misunderstanding and potentially damage relationships. This way, you would always wish your manager to provide you with tasks with confidence, knowing that you can accomplish them accurately in the first shot (Forbes, 2023).?

While initiating a task, it is wise to read instructions, get clarification if necessary and skim through it to be sure you comprehend the project. Therefore, a report by Harvard Business Review (2022) found that employees that consistently fail to follow instructions increase the potential to damage team morale and decrease the overall productivity within the team.?

7.????Not being punctual at meetings or shifts?– 45% of employers value those employees who are on time at work (Indeed, 2023). This shows professionalism and creates a feeling of duty. Therefore, being late to a meeting or a shift disrupts the schedule of others and causes a delay in the work. Hence, it creates chaos in the workplace where teamwork and coordination play a key role (PwC, 2019).?

It also gives an impression of the individual not being reliable or committed to the task. This leads to a loss of trust from colleagues, and superiors and harms career aspects (Harvard Business Review, 2022). Moreover, chronic tardiness results in disciplinary actions from employers such as verbal or written warnings, suspension or even termination. Hence, the best practice is to be 10 minutes before any meeting, brainstorming session, or shift. To be reminded of forthcoming activities, 77% of employees set reminders by using calendars and syncing data with their devices (LinkedIn, 2023).

8.????Take tasks beyond your skill level?– the higher authority within the organization can assign you challenging tasks based on an individual or group level. This can be complex or technical and would create an urge to learn, explore and grow. So, show them how excited you are to take on the challenge. Here, you also get an opportunity to ask for guidance or any extra training (Glassdoor, 2018). With this, you get trained and develop yourself for a higher-level position.?

However, if you are not able to complete the task it can create negative consequences at your workplace. This can lead to a delay in the completion of the work, incur additional costs and develop a loss of confidence in one’s abilities. This negatively impacts the morale of the team as other team members are prone to picking up the slack or feeling frustrated for taking more than they can handle. According to a report by Mckinsey Global Institute (2022) found that training and upskilling opportunities in employees lead to higher productivity, and wages and can address the gaps in skills.?

9.????A negative overview?can have a significant impact on the workplace which affects an employee’s morale by creating a sense of uncertainty and pessimism among individuals. This results in a lack of motivation, a decrease in productivity and builds a high rate of absenteeism (Sprinklr, 2023). Therefore, having a positive attitude while confronting challenging situations or completing tasks, makes you perform better.

By this, you complete certain simple tasks and enable your colleagues to feel passionate and upbeat ways to conquer obstacles. This leads to striving to always have a positive mindset and seeking opportunities cheers up your co-workers by spreading motivation or paying attention when they need a sympatric ear. For a better understanding, World Health Organisation (2023) found that work-related stress cost the global economy by a decrease in productivity by ￡1 trillion.

10.?Prone to limited skills?– 94% of start-up firms demand that employees should have abilities outside of their formal education and professional work history (Forbes, 2021). This could involve office, clerical activities, or responsibilities that various departments typically do.?

43% of organizations invest nearly ￡1bn in training and development programmes to address the gaps of their employees. This increases in cost financially and leads to consuming time. For example, you might have a data entry job yet be required to present weekly reports, which demands good communication and public speaking skills. Therefore, looking for ways to enhance abilities requires tasks such as asking a boss for his/her advice, enrolling in online courses, and reading relevant news articles, journals, books, or magazines.?

So, let me know if this was helpful in the comments section below!!