15+ Employees who were fired for odd reasons: 'He stole a sandwich from the director of safety'

People get hired and fired every day, but sometimes their reasons for being fired make you scratch your head. 

There's really no telling how or when you'll get fired from any given job. For example, you could, in theory, make a very large mistake that would cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. Your boss might be furious, and you might get a little bit of punishment, like losing out on a bonus, or not getting the promotion you wanted. But in the corporate world, if the bigwigs find you likable, you can get away with almost anything and still bring in a great salary. Just think about it — don't we all know a higher-up who leaves at 2 PM every day and never meets their goals, and yet still gets yearly promotions because they talk about their big plans for the future? That person keeps their job because the higher-ups look the other way at every turn. 

However, for most of us, the consequences aren't so light. For another example, one person in this collection of firing stories got canned for stealing a sandwich. Imagine the fate of your career being tarnished by a pilfered PB&J! It's mind-boggling to think about the hypocrisy. Then again, I suppose if you work hard and rise through the ranks, eventually you can be that former person, the worker who does slack off and do nothing. Eventually, you might know the CEO or CFO well enough to have lunches with them and dilly-dally all day while doing nothing. That's the American dream, baby. I can't wait til it's my turn! 

In the meantime, check out these wild stories of people who got fired for things big and small. Some are justified, and other times you can tell that a boss just needed a scapegoat so that they didn't get fired. And, there are a few cautionary tales, too. Some people stood up to their bosses over what they thought were little, inconsequential remarks, only to be fired a little while later. I mean, one person just asked their boss for a letter of recommendation, and that was enough to send that employee packing. 

There's really no rhyme or reason to the hiring and firing game, at least that I can see. I think the best thing you can do is be useful, make your bosses look good, and be a pleasant person to be around. Check out this bunch of stories about some people who got fired for interesting reasons, and see what you think about their boss's reasoning for sending them out the door.