I just got fired

[kernals12]

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.

I think it had more to do with the fact that call volumes plummeted after tax day (I worked in financial services)

[thspfc]

You'll bounce back. Nobody on here is in a position to tell you what happened. These replies are (predictably) just trying to sleuth out a situation they have next to zero info on.

It's up to you to reflect on what happened, why, and what you may need to do better moving forward. Learn from it and put it behind you. I believe in you man!

[Scott5114]

Learn from it and put it behind you.

Yep, this is the key. All of those things that your gut is telling you "it could have been because X"—well, now you know what to work on in your next job.

[1995hoo]

The key thing is that the agency is not cutting you loose. So your actual employer hasn't fired you and you can avoid saying you were fired when you're asked that in the future. (Something similar happened to me once. Hasn't caused any problems since then after they concluded there had been a big misunderstanding. Something similar happened to my brother once as well and the place he was working moved him to a different location as a solution.)

[kkt]

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 standard in a lot of workplaces.  Don't take it personally.  Maybe your former supervisor would be willing to forward a brief message from you with your contact information.

[Henry]

I've been fired from a couple of jobs before, and I've used them as a growing experience since then. In the age of social media, it's very tough just trying to hold on to a job, much less get one, because of the non-work related issues employers (current and prospective) have noticed on these platforms. So I hope you're extra careful not to let your dirty laundry get aired and further jeopardize your chances of finding employment. That aside, best of luck in your future endeavors.

[texaskdog]

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.

I got let go from my permanent job.  "Position eliminated"  Not only was I not allowed to say goodbye, no one was told why I was gone.  I got no severance, whereas I would have given two weeks notice myself.  COMPANIES HAVE NO LOYALTY TO YOU!

[ZLoth]

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.

Unfortunately, that is standard security policy when you are let go. They have to go with the "worst case scenario". I know that when I was managing a team, two people were "let go" with no explanation, and I immediately had to go through and remove access or put in those requests on a high-urgency basis.

Right now, I have a target on my back, and I have collected all of the email addresses of the key contacts of my company who will have no hesitation in proving a recommendation.

[Rothman]

In the age of social media, it's very tough just trying to hold on to a job, much less get one, because of the non-work related issues employers (current and prospective) have noticed on these platforms.

All of a sudden, Henry's online behavior got a lot more interesting.

[kphoger]

A few years ago, my boss was fired after two decades with the company.  Even though we're a small company where everyone knows each other, it was still a matter of him walking in, grabbing the most important stuff from his desk, and then walking out again without any conversation—and coming back for the rest after hours, when the rest of us weren't there.

Fortunately for me, his wife also works with me, so not only do I know what happened, but I still see him every so often if he drops by for a quick lunch with her, and at the annual plus-one Christmas party.

[1995hoo]

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.

Regarding this comment, as others have noted, that sort of thing is very common, and some companies will even escort the terminated employees from the premises. The reason is to prevent a disgruntled actor from deleting files, releasing a computer virus, etc. It's understandable from an IT security viewpoint.

[JayhawkCO]

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

That's not possible.

I've worked in customer service of some form for 25 years and have never raised my voice at a customer, despite having kicked several out of my restaurants. You need to remain calm or you have no authority.

[Max Rockatansky]

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.

Regarding this comment, as others have noted, that sort of thing is very common, and some companies will even escort the terminated employees from the premises. The reason is to prevent a disgruntled actor from deleting files, releasing a computer virus, etc. It's understandable from an IT security viewpoint.

My staff is usually is tasked with escorted terminated people out of the building and if applicable off the installation.  Part of the deal is seizure  of ID and access cards.  The severity of the termination doesn't really matter, it is just standard operating procedure.

[DTComposer]

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

That's not possible.

I've worked in customer service of some form for 25 years and have never raised my voice at a customer, despite having kicked several out of my restaurants. You need to remain calm or you have no authority.

My first job in my career field was the customer service end - in an area where our patron base was largely upper-class retirees, so super-prone to having a chip on their shoulder before you even answered the phone or greeted them in person.

My boss/mentor was something of a "bitchy patron whisperer" - she could tell you "no" in a way that made you feel like you still got what you wanted and leaving with everyone smiling. Taught me a lot about human behavior - and although I could never aspire to her level of genius, I have carried those skills throughout my career as well as in the rest of my life.

[JayhawkCO]

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

That's not possible.

I've worked in customer service of some form for 25 years and have never raised my voice at a customer, despite having kicked several out of my restaurants. You need to remain calm or you have no authority.

My first job in my career field was the customer service end - in an area where our patron base was largely upper-class retirees, so super-prone to having a chip on their shoulder before you even answered the phone or greeted them in person.

My boss/mentor was something of a "bitchy patron whisperer" - she could tell you "no" in a way that made you feel like you still got what you wanted and leaving with everyone smiling. Taught me a lot about human behavior - and although I could never aspire to her level of genius, I have carried those skills throughout my career as well as in the rest of my life.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I've long been told by colleagues that I could somehow say anything to anyone and not have them be mad at me. Definitely a soft skill that's been beneficial in my career.

[ZLoth]

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

That's not possible.

I've worked in customer service of some form for 25 years and have never raised my voice at a customer, despite having kicked several out of my restaurants. You need to remain calm or you have no authority.

My first job in my career field was the customer service end - in an area where our patron base was largely upper-class retirees, so super-prone to having a chip on their shoulder before you even answered the phone or greeted them in person.

My boss/mentor was something of a "bitchy patron whisperer" - she could tell you "no" in a way that made you feel like you still got what you wanted and leaving with everyone smiling. Taught me a lot about human behavior - and although I could never aspire to her level of genius, I have carried those skills throughout my career as well as in the rest of my life.

When I was managing the team, my policy was that it was better for one of my people to blow up at me rather at the customer. People call technical support because they have a problem, not that everything is working fine. In the business area that I'm in, if a system is down, that customer can be losing thousands of dollars per MINUTE in lost productivity, and has to report what has happened to their management.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Temp agencies are the worst. I worked in a laboratory on a 6-month contract with one, got very little in the way of training, and the lab ended up terminating the contract 4 months early after rushing the employee I was filling in for back from maternity leave. Never worked another temp job again after that, and I eventually stopped including it on my resume. I totally sympathize.

[bing101]

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.

End of Contract notice? sometimes I get these things due to whatever stuff I signed with the temp agency. Or in some cases the client company needed to reduce staff with the end of contract notice by notifying the temp agency.  Then the Temp agency will send me to somewhere else.

[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.

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.

They didn't. When I had my weekly meeting with my supervisor last thursday, he had nothing bad to say about my performance, except that I was spending a little bit too much time in between calls.

[kkt]

Being a temp cuts both ways, you can walk away whenever you want and so can they.

[Big John]

Being a temp cuts both ways, you can walk away whenever you want and so can they.

Also non-temp in "At-will employment" states, which is every state except Montana.

[Molandfreak]

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.

I think it had more to do with the fact that call volumes plummeted after tax day (I worked in financial services)

That being the case, what are your credentials for financial services? Do you think you could benefit from some additional education--possibly pulling you away from some of those direct interactions with customers you didn't like?

[kernals12]

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.

I think it had more to do with the fact that call volumes plummeted after tax day (I worked in financial services)

That being the case, what are your credentials for financial services? Do you think you could benefit from some additional education--possibly pulling you away from some of those direct interactions with customers you didn't like?

I am working toward an online certificate in accounting with the University of Arizona

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When you're a grunt, you can't pick fights with customers. Customers who are petty and vindictive enough to fight back because they felt dissed by you will win every time.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't know about that, outright customer abuse towards employees is a thing that occasionally happens.  A couple years back one customer called in because he was late on his storage facility payments.  During the call he made the comment to an employee along the lines of "I'll come down there and kill someone if my stuff gets touched."  I actually called the police and had him legally trespassed.