Photo: TikTok
It was her first time showing up late.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Feb 12, 2023
A woman was shocked and extremely upset after learning that she'd been fired from her new job for a rather unnecessary reason.
In a TikTok video, she explained that she had recently been hired at a new company and was really enjoying her position and looking forward to all of the opportunities she'd have in the future when she was abruptly let go.
She claims she was fired two days into her new job because she showed up two minutes late for her shift.
In the video, which has boasted over 190,000 views, the woman tearfully explains that she was just fired and doesn't quite understand why.
"So, I started a new job on Wednesday, it's Friday, and I really liked it. It was going really well," she said, adding that the job was only "20 minutes away" from where she lived and was easily accessible to get there.
Since being hired, she'd leave her house "really early" to make sure she'd have enough time to get there, especially since she had just been hired, and is normally "punctual" and always shows up on time.
While leaving her house on that Friday, she realized she'd forgotten her phone and was forced to turn around to retrieve it from her home.
The entire time, she was "freaking out" as she realized that she was supposed to be at work at 8:30 AM, but managed to arrive at work and was seated at her desk exactly two minutes past her scheduled time.
"It's an open floor and the boss looked at me and said, 'you can't be late in your first week, you're fired.'"
At first, she thought her boss was joking because she initially thought the work environment was "super chill" and "lax," but was quickly proven wrong.
"He wasn't joking, and they [just] fired me," she revealed. "I'm angry, shocked, and hurt. Especially because that's not who I am, and I'm really trying to not put it on me."
She acknowledged that she should've gotten to work exactly at 8:30, but is flabbergasted that she wasn't at least given a warning, and was instead fired on the spot.
"No one gave me a heads-up, like, 'hey, your first week is really strict.'"
She pointed out that if someone would've told her that, she would've made sure to be early during that first week.
"And I was already buggin' out that I was two minutes late," she stressed. "If anyone has any words of encouragement, I'm really struggling right now."
TikTok users slammed the woman's boss and agreed that she shouldn't have been fired.
"If that’s how they treated you right away, it’s an indication of management not understanding humans and you don’t want to work for them anyway," one user wrote.
Another user added, "No, you don’t want to work there. I was 2 hours late on my 2 days (accident). I was panicked, [but] my boss said not to worry. Been there now for 10 years."
"Sounds like a real toxic place to work at. Consider it a blessing. You’ll find something way better," a third user chimed in.
However, other users criticized her for not trying to be early during her first week at her new job.
"Life lesson. Be on time when you want a job...no matter how good you are, first impressions are everything!" a fourth user pointed out.
Another wrote, "Late is late. My employees have a lot of freedom once they're at work. But I don't tolerate being late."
"Your first week and you were late already?! You need to arrive early — especially at the beginning of a new job," a fifth user wrote.
Accidents happen, and mistakes are often learning experiences — being fired for something as trivial as two minutes rejects the idea that human beings are allowed to grow.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.