Image by Sean MacEntee on Flickr.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Before he started running for president of the United States, the billionaire Donald Trump had a television show called The Apprentice. In this show different professionals competed to be hired by and work for Donald Trump. Most of the people weren’t hired; in fact on a weekly basis someone was fired, on national television. The term “You’re fired.” and the way Donald Trump said it became famous at that time. Donald Trump certainly wasn’t the first person to say, “You’re fired!“ though. This is actually a very common expression that is associated with an employer dismissing an employee from a job.
to be fired = to lose a job unexpectedly
When a person is fired from their job it also usually implies that the reason for the job loss is the employee’s fault, not the employer’s fault.
Here is a video where you can hear Donald Trump saying his famous “You’re fired.” line if you are interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75SEy1qu71I
‘You’re fired’ is only one expression among many that is used to indicate that someone has lost their job. Below is a list of English phrases used to talk about losing one’s job and the different connotations these expressions have. I hope you never hear or have to use these expressions, but they are good to know, especially if you are a manager of other people at your work place.
to be let go – This is a polite/neutral way to talk about someone losing their job.
Example: We have to let go 12 employees this month. or I was let go from my job last week.
downsized – This is another polite/neutral way to talk about losing a job; it implies that the company is getting smaller and that is the reason the person lost their job.
Example: The company lost 10 people when they downsized. or I was downsized out of my job.
made redundant (used primarily by British-English speakers) – This is a polite/neutral way to talk about losing a job, which implies that new technology or new people at a company were the reason a person lost their job.
Example: I started working on the farm when I was made redundant at the factory.
to be sacked/to get sacked – This is an informal way to talk about losing a job. People generally use this term among friends, not in a professional setting.
Example: Jamie was sacked from her job when they found her napping in the break room.
to be canned/to get canned – This is an informal way to talk about losing one’s job.
Example: Lilly got canned a month ago and is now looking for a new job.
to give the boot – This is another informal way to talk about losing a job, which is often used when people are abruptly dismissed from their employment.
Example: We were given the boot and asked to leave the building within an hour.
dismissed – This is a neutral way to say that a person was asked to leave their work.
Example: I’m sorry I have to dismiss you at this time, but you just are not working out in this position.
laid off – This is a term used to imply that a person lost their job through no fault of their own. It often implies the job was lost because of economic reasons in the company and usually indicates that the employee was compensated (or given some money) when their job ended.
Example: Ten out of twenty employees at our company had to be laid off when the economy collapsed.
