Dismissal (employment)

Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons,[1] ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in some cultures.

While the main formal term for ending someone's employment is "dismissal", there are a number of colloquial or euphemistic expressions for the same action.

"Firing" is a common colloquial term in the English language (particularly used in the U.S. and Canada), which may have originated in the 1910s at the National Cash Register Company.

[2] Other terms for dismissal are being "canned", "let go", "ran-off", "axed", being given walking papers, the pink slip or one's cards,[3] (or P45 in the UK), "boned", or "shown the door".

This may occur when the reason for the termination is a violation of criminal law, or if serious damages are caused to the employer as a result of the employee's actions.

Some examples are a caregiver who engages in abuse, a bank teller who has stolen money from the cash drawer, or a member of law enforcement who has committed police brutality.

They may include physical or mental disability, age, race, religion, gender, HIV status or sexual orientation.

In some cases, when an employee departed on good terms, they may be given special priority by the employer when seeking rehire.

Conversely, a person can be terminated with prejudice, meaning an employer will not rehire the former employee for the same job in the future.