12 People Whose Jobs Ended in the Biggest Disasters

We all aim to build thriving careers and work in environments that are both healthy and rewarding. However, reality doesn’t always align with our aspirations. In this collection, we share captivating stories of people who faced an unexpected end to their jobs. Whether the outcome was a result of their own actions or sheer coincidence, these true stories are sure to intrigue and surprise you.

I was on a Zoom call for work when my wife quickly slipped into the room, grabbed her phone, and left. The next day, my boss wanted a one-on-one meeting. He said, “We’re letting you go!” I was shocked. When I asked why, he simply replied, “Ask your wife.”
Horrified, I discovered that my boss knew my wife—they were family at one point. Turns out her first husband was my boss’s younger brother. I knew my wife had ended her first marriage badly, and the reason was because she had been having an affair… with me.
Her first husband had never recovered from the split. He spiraled into a deep depression and even disappeared for a while. According to my wife, the divorce had devastated him emotionally and financially. Still, I never imagined that her first husband was my boss’s brother.
She was equally unaware because she never knew who my boss was—only that I worked at a large company with many branches. This hidden connection might have stayed buried forever if she hadn’t appeared behind me on that Zoom call, even for just a split second. In the end, I lost a job I loved and relied on.

Don’t think this is real. This is unlawful dismissal and a huge law suit. Even in the UK where we hardly sue anybody.

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I sent a scathing email about my boss directly to my boss. It wasn’t meant for him.
To this day, I still have no idea what possessed me to put his name in the address bar. I noticed his name at the exact moment I hit send. You have never felt that much panic. © Happy1327 / Reddit

I was opening my packages in the mailroom, using a pocket knife to slice open the tape. The secretary came in and started chatting. We’re both Italian, so we gesture a lot while talking.
Sometime after the conversation, the Ops manager came down from his office and escorted me out of the building. I had forgotten the knife was still in my hand while talking with the secretary, and she accused me of threatening her with it during our conversation. I was fired three days later. I had worked with this woman for almost a decade and even helped her children with their homework.
Years later, I learned corporate wanted to take down my boss and started the process by targeting his biggest supporters. I was the third domino to fall. After I was railroaded, nearly 40% of the branch’s staff left the company. I guess the secretary was in on it and leapt at any excuse to take me out.
It’s a shame. I really loved that job and was fired when my first child was due in only four weeks. © Bokuden101 / Reddit

I work with medical data. One day, we were all called into a meeting to discuss why a coworker had been fired. She had uploaded the wrong client’s data to the wrong folder and given one practice another’s patients’ data. Thousands of names, social security numbers, and medical histories were compromised just like that. © Mister-builder / Reddit

I remember a coworker of mine getting fired because he put laxatives in his own lunch bag. Some idiot kept stealing parts of our lunches. Turned out it was our supervisor. © DeicideandDivide / Reddit

I fell asleep during a big executive meeting with about 30 people. When they called my name, I looked up to see everyone staring straight at me.
I lost an $80k/year job and ended up getting fired about a week later. © OwnedByMarriage / Reddit

I made the mistake of trusting my boss to be a good person (and not a corporate slave worried about his own standing in the company) and telling him about an opportunity that came my way, genuinely asking for his advice.
I told him I could stay on for up to 2–3 months if needed to help ease any new team members into the role. Two days later, I was called in by HR and told that my last working day would be 2 weeks from that meeting.
I also lost the other opportunity (I don’t know if my boss had anything to do with it or not). I had to move out of the country because I was on a visa that didn’t allow me to stay. This essentially ended what was possibly a very promising career. © mentlu_manja / Reddit

I was denied a raise by HR after consistently working 60–70 hours a week. My VP, who had supported and requested the raise for me, told me to stop putting in the extra time, work my 40 hours, and spend the extra time applying for new jobs. Within a month, a meeting was called to “mutually part ways” because my work wasn’t getting done.
I was gratified to learn that they had to hire two people to do my job after I left. © scoyne15 / Reddit

I went on a first date with a girl who turned out to be a horrible person 20 minutes in. I did what I could to get out of it because she was telling stories about crazy things she’d done and was proud of. I didn’t pull anything to get out of it, just dodged landmines and asked a ton of questions about her so I could get out of it sooner. Then I said I wasn’t feeling the connection and wanted to be honest so we didn’t waste each other’s time.
I found out a week later that she contacted my previous employers because she found my LinkedIn, told them stories about how I talked a ton of bad things about them all. And now I can’t get a reference from my previous three jobs… even from people I was on good terms with.
All because I went on a date with a psychopath. © FirstFlight / Reddit

A nurse once took a photo of her entire emergency department track board with all the patients’ names, birthdays, and complaints and accidentally posted it on her public Snapchat story. It was meant for her friend, but everyone saw it, and someone notified the hospital. © eatandgreetme / Reddit