Reddit Users Share Wild First-Day Firing Stories - The Daily Dot

9:47 AM CDT on October 17, 2026

Reddit users shared stories about employees who allegedly lost their jobs within hours of starting work. (Photo Credit: Unsplash)

A Reddit thread has sparked discussion after users shared stories about employees who barely lasted a day before losing their jobs. The stories ranged from workplace misconduct to spectacularly bad decisions that immediately alarmed managers. The discussion appeared in r/AskReddit, where user u/cuddly_trex asked, “What’s the fastest you’ve seen someone go from first day to fired?”

The question attracted stories about bizarre workplace behavior, questionable judgment and managers who quickly lost patience. Some commenters described dismissals within hours, while others recalled employees who never made it through their first shift. One story even involved an employee who allegedly lost a job before their scheduled shift began.

One commenter described a forklift operator who ignored instructions before his shift even started. The employee grabbed a pallet jack and drove directly into a packaging machine. His manager had explicitly told him to wait for his trainer before touching anything. One user highlighted just how quickly things went wrong, writing, “I think being fired at negative fifteen minutes might be the record here.”

An IT worker also reportedly made a disastrous first impression by bypassing his company’s security protections. One Redditor recalled a new server manager who received an email attachment blocked by antivirus software. Instead of investigating the warning, the employee entered the server room and bypassed the protection. The commenter said the attachment contained a virus and the employee left within three hours. The story prompted questions about how companies handled administrator access for new hires.

Another user described an employee who spent an entire training video searching for dogfighting footage. The new hire reportedly showed the videos to nearby colleagues and enthusiastically discussed his interest in dogfighting. He also displayed pornographic pop-ups on his computer. The commenter explained their reaction bluntly: “Security was put in place that day so it couldn’t happen again.” They added that they felt furious about the dogfighting incident and ensured management fired the employee.

Other stories involved inappropriate comments that immediately alarmed managers. One Redditor recalled a new warehouse employee who told his boss, “I’m gonna show up in yoga pants tomorrow so these bitches know how hard it is not to look.” The employee reportedly made the remark on his first day. His manager walked him out immediately.

One more user recalled getting fired from a credit card company after an awkward conversation with a trainer. The trainer asked whether the employee thought she was hot. The commenter responded, “I guess? I didn’t really think about it, I have a girlfriend.” The company fired the employee an hour later, leaving them unsure about the appropriate response.

The Daily Dot could not independently verify the commenters’ experiences or the circumstances surrounding the reported dismissals. The stories represent individual accounts rather than independently verified incidents.

Vanshika is an entertainment and internet culture writer with over four years of experience covering Hollywood, and K-pop and internet trends. She enjoys unpacking the stories behind celebrity culture and reviewing the next screen obsession. Off the clock, she’s either buried in a book or convincing her dog they’re the main character.