Please help, I think I've been wrongly terminated.

[Mauricio Wilson]

First some background: I've been working at the same company happily for 4 years. Then 2 months ago I log onto monster and start getting calls from recruiters. I go on a couple of interviews through a recruiter and he gets me a new job from a company that obviously wants me pretty badly.(companies often pay recruiters about 2 months of a new employees salary) I get a 20% raise to do the same job with a 15 mile (each way no traffic) commute so i decide to give it a shot. I've been working there about 5 weeks, and I had previously booked a trip to hawaii for this week before i started the new job, so I let my boss know and he's cool with it.

One thing, the week before I went on vacation, I was chatting on IM while at work and my boss walked by and let me know he didnt like it. I didnt think anyone would mind since I see other employees on IM all the time. I admit I generally have a tendency to slack off, but my new desk is right next to the entrance so people constantly walk by and see my screen, so I purposely dont slack here. I also made sure I didnt use IM for the rest of the week.

Today I'm in the airport awaiting my flight home and my boss calls me, asks how my vacation was, then proceeds to tell me that he is unhappy with my production not turning in assignments on time and my IMing and its just not working out. I should come in and sign some papers with HR and get my last check.

In my defense, Ive completed completed all tasks assigned in a timely fashion and I have no problem staying off IM, I just think I deserve some kind of warning before I get prematurely fired for something so minute.

My first instinct is to email my boss and ask to meet with him and see if I can explain my case and get him to change his mind. My first 90 days are a probation period, so he has every legal right to terminate me.

Sorry this is so long, I'm just in complete shock right now and I dont know what to do.

[Sober]

Play poker for a living, mang.

[Fast Food Knight]

I was also wrongfully (in my opinion) terminated. I appealed the decision through HR, who did an "investigation" (which conveniently did not involve them talking to anyone who knew jack about my work ethic, ie team members, etc) and, surprise! Their decision was that it was not wrongful. Basically I got screwed and there was nothing I could do about it.

Sounds like your boss already has his mind made up. Maybe there are some other factors that you don't know about. I would definitely talk to him and demand answers, otherwise you will always wonder. Good luck and let us know what he says.

[1000_words]

[ChipWrecked]

interviews through a recruiter and he gets me a new job from a company that obviously wants me pretty badly.

You got suckered, dude. They wanted some project done pretty badly, and you dumped your long term gig to bite on it.

Sack up and move on with life.

[hiho]

[ QUOTE ]
interviews through a recruiter and he gets me a new job from a company that obviously wants me pretty badly.

You got suckered, dude. They wanted some project done pretty badly, and you dumped your long term gig to bite on it.

Sack up and move on with life.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is exactly what I was thinking without knowing the details of the job, what he was doing, deadlines, etc.

[Hopey]

[ QUOTE ]
interviews through a recruiter and he gets me a new job from a company that obviously wants me pretty badly.

You got suckered, dude. They wanted some project done pretty badly, and you dumped your long term gig to bite on it.

Sack up and move on with life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo! Consider it a lesson learned. Since you were terminated during your probationary period, you're probably SOL.

[esad]

Almost all states are "Employment at Will" states. Which means that an employer can fire you at any time for any reason. Montana is the only state that does not allow this. So, unless you live in Montana that's just how life works. It's not very fair, but nobody said life would be fair.

Quote and more information:

[ QUOTE ]
Job applicants and new employees are often perplexed to read -- in a job application, employment contract, or employee handbook -- that they will be employed "at will." They are even more troubled when they find out exactly what this language means: An at-will employee can be fired at any time, for any reason (except for a few illegal purposes, spelled out below). If the employer decides to let you go, that's the end of your job -- and you have very limited legal rights to fight your termination.

[/ QUOTE ]

[neuroman]

[ QUOTE ]
interviews through a recruiter and he gets me a new job from a company that obviously wants me pretty badly.

You got suckered, dude. They wanted some project done pretty badly, and you dumped your long term gig to bite on it.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wrong. I doubt they went through the trouble and expense of hiring a new employee for a project that was 5 weeks or less in length. Something else soured them, I'm not sure what.

[ QUOTE ]
Sack up and move on with life.

[/ QUOTE ]
Right.

Here is a question for you, OP. Do you even know what you want here? A couple of possibilities:

-Regain your job. Work in a hostile environment every day for a company who doesn't want you there.
-Hire a lawyer, sue for wrongful termination and try and get some money. (Good luck with this one.)

Maybe you don't want something tangible. Maybe you just want a straight up answer to the question "Why did you fire me?"

You're not going to get an answer. You know where you went wrong--you slacked off.

Now, don't get me wrong. I slacked off for the better part of two years my last programming job. But for the first 6 or 9 months, I worked hard and diligently to cement my position with the company.

I recommend you get another job. Call your old company, see if they'll hire you back. If that doesn't work, start looking around.

[TDouble]

Legally you can't do ship unless you prove that they broke the law in letting you go. Unless you signed some sort of contract, you are fighting an uphill battle.