An employee who described himself as one of the top performers at his company was left stunned after being fired for allegedly lacking motivation.
His immediate boss had consistently praised his performance, and he was well-liked by colleagues, according to the employee. However, the employee said their boss’s senior apparently had a very different view of his work and ultimately disagreed with the assessment of his performance.
The post sparked a wider discussion about workplace dynamics and the uncomfortable reality that even strong performers can lose their jobs for reasons that may have little to do with their actual performance.
“Stated reason: ‘You’re not motivated enough. My whole team liked me and my boss praised my high performance; their boss disagreed, apparently,” the employee wrote. They pointed out that employees, including top performers, can be fired for a wide range of reasons and that speculating about the company’s internal decision-making would not necessarily help. You can get let go for that reason alone. Or, the wrong person can be jealous that you’re well liked. Things don’t always have to make sense unfortunately.”
Because it appeared to contradict the feedback he had received from their direct manager and teammates, the decision came as a shock. One user, who said they had 25 years of experience in human resources, advised the employee not to spend too much time trying to figure out why the decision was made.
Now looking for a new job, the employee said he was unsure how to explain the unexpected termination to future employers. Another user said, “High performers sometimes command high salary.
