What to Do If You’re Fired From Your Remote Job | No BS Job Search Advice
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
From the minute we begin looking for jobs until our last day on the job, our work consumes a significant percentage of our energy. We schedule our family lives, interests, and responsibilities around our work hours to guarantee we can attend to work-related concerns. For financial stability, we rely on our jobs and our employers. Even when working remotely, jobs can provide a sense of community by providing opportunities to engage with others via video or audio, chat, or the rare in-person meeting or conference.
It’s no surprise that the prospect of getting fired as a remote worker can be so distressing. How could you possibly be expected to manage something as serious as being fired or laid off when so much depends on your job?
There’s no getting around it: being dismissed from a remote job is difficult. It is, however, tolerable. There are things you can do (and things you shouldn’t do) to set yourself up for future success if you’re let go from a remote job, just as there are proper and incorrect ways to part ways with a remote worker. If you find yourself in that awful scenario, remember to take a deep breath, remind yourself that you are not your job, and follow these strategies to manage the issue with calm and purpose.
What to Avoid:
You may be unaware of the nature of your forthcoming talk based on the nature of your connection with your employer and the circumstances behind your termination. As a result, genuinely preparing for being dismissed from a remote job—and even more difficult to restrain any emotions that may come during the conversation—can be challenging. If you do find yourself having an unpleasant conversation with your boss, stay away from:
You’re losing your cool!
Being laid off, whether due to layoffs or poor performance, is an unpleasant experience. Screaming, swearing, or pleading are not appropriate at this time. Feel free to ask for a moment to collect your emotions if your brain starts swimming during the chat. Then turn off your phone or computer (or leave the room if you’re in person), take a deep breath, grab a drink of water, and give yourself a minute to process. Whatever you do, don’t let your feelings spark a squabble with your boss.
Becoming defensive. It’s only natural that you’ll want to defend yourself when your boss explains why this choice was made. Take good notes instead of using this as an occasion to argue. It will be necessary to ask your manager and human resources representative questions, but you’ll want to do so after the first shock has worn off.
Don’t sign anything yet!
In an interview I did with Ellis Chase for Job Search Radio, Chase warned against signing anything while you are in a state of shock (you will be in a state of shock and may even be unaware that you are). Let your manager know you’ll go through everything they’ve given you. Let hers/he know you’ll get back to her/him with any questions or clarifications. on’t sign anything until all the specifics are worked out. Most employers require you to sign a general release stating that you will not sue them. Your final rewards are subject to your signature on the documents. This is the best moment to have an attorney review the document before you sign it!
What to Do: Given all of this, how do you approach being fired from a remote job in a dignified manner? While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and much will depend on your employer’s etiquette and the specifics of your circumstance, these pointers will help.
Pose forward-thinking queries. Now is the moment to begin protecting yourself. To help you prepare for the future, ask questions. For instance:
During reference checks, what information will your organization provide to possible future employers?
What, if any, resources are available to aid you in obtaining new work? (This could be handy if your position has been affected by layoffs at your organization.)
When is your health insurance going to expire?
What about severance pay is available to you and can you ask them to do a touch better?
Take careful notes. Make sure you leave the conversation feeling certain that you understaood what your manager said. After you’ve talked about the matter with all of your advisers, you might want to schedule a meeting with your HR representative. Regardless, you’ll need this knowledge as you go over the paperwork the corporation wants you to sign.
Make contact with any coworkers, vendors, or other important contacts you want to keep. Now is an excellent time to begin leaving on a positive note. Make sure you have mobile numbers and email addresses! Tell these folks how much you enjoyed working with them and how they helped you advance, and provide them the best information for staying in touch with you. Building a strong network will help you in the future as you plan your next professional move—and it will most likely benefit your former coworkers as well
Being fired from a remote job—or, for that matter, any job—is shocking and traumatic, and it happens more frequently than we realize. Though it’s easy to forget, how we build on these events is what matters most. You’ll be sure to set yourself up for an even more successful future with your next remote work if you stay cool in the moment, are diligent and resourceful, and preserve the strong connections you’ve created over your time at a company.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2022
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2300 episodes.
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