I just got fired

[kernals12]

In the middle of my lunch break today I got a phone call from my temp agency saying their client was firing me. I am absolutely devastated and scared and I was hoping for some moral support.

[kphoger]

You were employed through a temp agency?  I know some people do that long-term.  How long were you with them?

[Rothman]

In the middle of my lunch break today I got a phone call from my temp agency saying their client was firing me. I am absolutely devastated and scared and I was hoping for some moral support.

Was your time up, did they just decided they didn't need you anymore, or was it a performance issue?

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

[kernals12]

You were employed through a temp agency?  I know some people do that long-term.  How long were you with them?

6 months
I'd like to think they're just looking for an excuse to cut excess capacity

In the middle of my lunch break today I got a phone call from my temp agency saying their client was firing me. I am absolutely devastated and scared and I was hoping for some moral support.

Was your time up, did they just decided they didn't need you anymore, or was it a performance issue?

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

My contract was an open ended one. They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

[Rothman]

You were employed through a temp agency?  I know some people do that long-term.  How long were you with them?

6 months
I'd like to think they're just looking for an excuse to cut excess capacity

In the middle of my lunch break today I got a phone call from my temp agency saying their client was firing me. I am absolutely devastated and scared and I was hoping for some moral support.

Was your time up, did they just decided they didn't need you anymore, or was it a performance issue?

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

My contract was an open ended one. They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Better talk to your temp agency and figure out what happened, especially if there was no indication of what you were doing wrong.

If they did try to correct your behavior, that may make things a smidge more complicated.

[kphoger]

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

I've only worked through a temp agency once, and I'm the one who terminated it.  I went in for a full-time job interview, drove to the next town over for a copy of my driving record, and stopped by the temp agency to quit on my way to work that afternoon.

They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Shall I assume that means they told you what specific conduct was unprofessional?

[kernals12]

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

I've only worked through a temp agency once, and I'm the one who terminated it.  I went in for a full-time job interview, drove to the next town over for a copy of my driving record, and stopped by the temp agency to quit on my way to work that afternoon.

They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Shall I assume that means they told you what specific conduct was unprofessional?

Not really

[kphoger]

I don't know how you should put that on a résumé.  When I quite from a temp agency, I felt that it wasn't a bad thing to put on a résumé because it was in order to secure a full-time job.  But being terminated, even if by a temp agency, might be different.

[SectorZ]

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

I've only worked through a temp agency once, and I'm the one who terminated it.  I went in for a full-time job interview, drove to the next town over for a copy of my driving record, and stopped by the temp agency to quit on my way to work that afternoon.

They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Shall I assume that means they told you what specific conduct was unprofessional?

Not really

Sounds like the same reason every federal employee on probation got fired for.

Sorry to hear Kernals. I worked a temp-to-hire job once and 3 months in got a "permanent" job just about when I knew they weren't going to need me anymore. 

I remember the old days when places would be afraid to say you did anything wrong and would just axe you in some half-assed "layoff", now they say you did something wrong but refuse to tell you what.

Also I didn't see it in the thread, did the temp agency also fire you or were they committed to placing you with another client?

[kernals12]

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

I've only worked through a temp agency once, and I'm the one who terminated it.  I went in for a full-time job interview, drove to the next town over for a copy of my driving record, and stopped by the temp agency to quit on my way to work that afternoon.

They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Shall I assume that means they told you what specific conduct was unprofessional?

Not really

Sounds like the same reason every federal employee on probation got fired for.

Sorry to hear Kernals. I worked a temp-to-hire job once and 3 months in got a "permanent" job just about when I knew they weren't going to need me anymore. 

I remember the old days when places would be afraid to say you did anything wrong and would just axe you in some half-assed "layoff", now they say you did something wrong but refuse to tell you what.

Also I didn't see it in the thread, did the temp agency also fire you or were they committed to placing you with another client?

The temp agency says I'm free to apply to other jobs they have.

[kernals12]

Just to add insult to injury, they suspended my access to their internal network immediately, not giving me a chance to say goodbye to my coworkers over Teams.

[Rothman]

I was let go from a temp job once years ago.  Even the temp agency wasn't sure what happened with it.  Found me another slot in very short order.

I've only worked through a temp agency once, and I'm the one who terminated it.  I went in for a full-time job interview, drove to the next town over for a copy of my driving record, and stopped by the temp agency to quit on my way to work that afternoon.

They said it was "unprofessional conduct". I'd like to think it's because they didn't need me anymore.

Shall I assume that means they told you what specific conduct was unprofessional?

Not really

Sounds like the same reason every federal employee on probation got fired for.

Sorry to hear Kernals. I worked a temp-to-hire job once and 3 months in got a "permanent" job just about when I knew they weren't going to need me anymore. 

I remember the old days when places would be afraid to say you did anything wrong and would just axe you in some half-assed "layoff", now they say you did something wrong but refuse to tell you what.

Also I didn't see it in the thread, did the temp agency also fire you or were they committed to placing you with another client?

The temp agency says I'm free to apply to other jobs they have.

Sounds like a good thing, then.  My temp agency already had my qualifications and just said, "Well, we have an opening at X, you want it?"  And away I went.

[Max Rockatansky]

Any idea what the referenced unprofessional conduct might be?

[kernals12]

Any idea what the referenced unprofessional conduct might be?

I may have raised my voice at a customer, something I only do if they are constantly interrupting me.

[kphoger]

The temp agency says I'm free to apply to other jobs they have.

So it doesn't sound like you're in a bad place, then.

Just to add insult to injury, they suspended my access to their internal network immediately, not giving me a chance to say goodbye to my coworkers over Teams.

That's normal.  It sucks to not be able to say good-bye, but it's normal.  Maybe it didn't use to be, I don't know.

I may have raised my voice at a customer, something I only do if they are constantly interrupting me.

If you know what it might have been, then that's probably what it was.

People who succeed in customer service have the ability to avoid raising their voice, no matter what.  Not everyone is cut out for it.  I know I'm not.

[kernals12]

So it doesn't sound like you're in a bad place, then.

Who's to say I'll get any of those jobs?

[kernals12]

People who succeed in customer service have the ability to avoid raising their voice, no matter what.

That's not possible.

[SEWIGuy]

People who succeed in customer service have the ability to avoid raising their voice, no matter what.

That's not possible.

In general? Of course it is.

[Max Rockatansky]

So it doesn't sound like you're in a bad place, then.

Who's to say I'll get any of those jobs?

If it was actually really bad that agency probably wouldn't let you apply for anything else.  There isn't too much career equity that comes out of temp jobs anyways.  Take what you can get now temporarily and apply for stuff that is more in line with your long term career goals.

[kernals12]

So it doesn't sound like you're in a bad place, then.

Who's to say I'll get any of those jobs?

If it was actually really bad that agency probably wouldn't let you apply for anything else.  There isn't too much career equity that comes out of temp jobs anyways.  Take what you can get now temporarily and apply for stuff that is more in line with your long term career goals.

Thank you

[Scott5114]

In a brick and mortar business, customers are shitty, stupid creatures that must be manipulated into doing what you need them to do to help them achieve whatever it is they're trying to achieve. This is a learnable skill. If you are trying to talk to them and they're interrupting, there a number of ways to get them to stop.

One is to just stand there and wait for them to burn themselves out saying whatever it is they want say that won't make a difference as to how the transaction is handled. (Yes, it's very interesting that your account supposedly has sixty trillion dollars in it, but your card declined, so it doesn't matter to me and you need to call your bank.) If you can look like you're listening, they appreciate this, but sometimes looking obviously bored and like you're not paying attention can hasten the end of the interaction. Either way, just don't say anything at all until they stop talking.

Another is to talk progressively quieter so that they can't hear you over their own voice. They want to keep ranting and raving, but they also deeply want to hear you agree with them. And they can't do that if they are talking over you. So they have to shut up for a bit to listen to you.

[kernals12]

One is to just stand there and wait for them to burn themselves out saying whatever it is they want say that won't make a difference as to how the transaction is handled.

I don't like that. It's not fair to all the people waiting on hold.

[kernals12]

I find it hard to believe they would go to the trouble of looking through resumes and then spending weeks training someone to replace me over one or even a few bad calls.

[kphoger]

Who's to say I'll get any of those jobs?

But the bridge not having been burnt is a better starting place than the temp agency not wanting anything more to do with you.

People who succeed in customer service have the ability to avoid raising their voice, no matter what.

That's not possible.

Yes, it is.  I've known people who have that ability.  They keep calm during the interaction, hang up the phone, and move on to the next call.  To someone like you and me, it's practically miraculous.  But it isn't impossible.

One is to just stand there and wait for them to burn themselves out saying whatever it is they want say that won't make a difference as to how the transaction is handled.

I don't like that. It's not fair to all the people waiting on hold.

It's quite possible that letting them do that will actually shorten the conversation overall.  Besides which, as I'm sure you've been told in training, your job is to take one customer at a time.  Be fair to the customer you're actually on the phone with at the time, before deciding what's fair for the next one.

I find it hard to believe they would go to the trouble of looking through resumes and then spending weeks training someone to replace me over one or even a few bad calls.

They might assume that a couple of bad calls, multiplied over time in the future, will end up being more than a couple of bad calls.  That is to say, they can do math.  Enough complaints on the same rep, and there's a discernable pattern.

And also, do your customers get automated follow-up surveys?  Those are really popular these days.  If so, then there are probably thresholds that are fairly rigid, or at least benchmarks that the company is expected to hit.

[Scott5114]

One is to just stand there and wait for them to burn themselves out saying whatever it is they want say that won't make a difference as to how the transaction is handled.

I don't like that. It's not fair to all the people waiting on hold.

Yeah, I didn't either, because I usually had a line. That's when the mumble-quietly approach can help.

Doing customer service over the phone is a special kind of hell, though—all the downsides of in-person interaction (can't consult with someone else between messages or revise your thoughts before sending them) with none of the upsides (can't see their face or use visual aids if necessary), plus you have to deal with interference from bad connections and people not being able to hear as well on the phone as they would in real life.