You Fired. I Quit.

“You are fired.”

Movies and TV dramas are fiction, but they tend to infiltrate real life to the extent that we believe they are policy or rules. Example. “You’re fired.” It doesn’t exist in real life because there are rules and regulations about how employers let go of workers they no longer need. Such procedures also apply to part-time jobs or seasonal work. A boss thinks twice about firing workers he doesn’t like.

Unfortunately, workers are sometimes let go because the boss doesn’t like them. The boss might feel threatened by workers that have college education if she doesn’t have it. To put it succinctly: it is personal. The firing has nothing to do with job. One boss told the CEO that she couldn’t stand me anymore.

“You are fired.”

It happens in movies. It is not that instant or dramatic in real life because of the notice, even in low paying jobs. Some notice is required: one week or two weeks. Workers paid by the hour are not ‘fired’ for obvious reasons. They ‘get hours’, which means they are called if there is a need. NBA coaches live in the line of fire, literally. I always think of the movies when I see headlines about a fired coach. Apparently, basketball clubs let them go if they don’t make it to playoffs. But there are NBA coaches that seldom do, but don’t get fired.

Talking about movies, they have another line: “I quit.” 

Nonqaba waka Msimang

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