I can’t believe it
I just got walked out of the building
I’ve been working out for the last 10
years
security guards escorted me out they
took my keys my badge my phone my
computer kicked me out of the company
email and server I never thought it
would happen to me I’m shocked I just
got fired that is the scene my clients
described to me over and over and over
again and they’re not alone about 21
million people a year are fired in
America that’s about the population of
the whole state of Florida fired every
year it actually works out to about
58,000 people a day
fired many of them walk out with a
banker’s box just like that carrying it
and scared and completely shocked and
doing what they feel is maybe the
bankers Box walk of shame but it doesn’t
have to be that way with the right
preparation fired employees can hold
that box up high and do what I like to
call the bankers box
strut 25 years as a labor and employment
lawyer representing employees has shown
me a simple truth and that is that all
employees always need to be prepared to
be fired and most aren’t prepared at all
they’re not prepared because they think
it’ll never happen to me I work hard I
know as much as anybody in this company
about this work I do a great job I’m
dedicated they won’t fire me but they’re
wrong no one is immune it happens to
doctors and lawyers and bankers and see
heõs and company founders who stayed on
to work for the company no matter how
high or how new or how well-educated
people get fired talented dedicated
great people they get fired for good
reasons bad reasons true reasons false
reasons sometimes illegal reasons I’ve
even seen people fired because they were
no one is immune so you can’t control
whether you’re fired but what you can do
and what I want to urge everyone to do
is to be prepared to be fired so that
when that day comes you can bounce back
quickly and in the process maybe even
get something better and the things you
do to prepare to be fired may even cause
you to have newer and better
opportunities and do a better job at
work so how do you prepare three things
I’d like you to concentrate on your data
your documents and your development so
let’s talk first about your data let’s
take a look in this box I’ll venture to
say that nariyal nearly all of you are
carrying a smartphone and that
smartphone has a whole lot of your
personal data on it it’s got personal
texts and emails it’s got your vacation
photos it’s got a lot of private stuff
but many of you probably also have your
employers data on that phone you got
work emails you got work texts you got
maybe the app that gets you into the
company server well you’re also probably
doing that with your company computer
laptop you’re sharing data you’re mixing
your personal data in with the employers
data putting it in their devices and
putting it in their in their system
that is not being prepared to be fired
why because when you get fired and they
walk you out with that box they cut you
off from that server and they take that
equipment and if you’ve been counting on
that personal data that you’ve been
storing there it’s gone a bunch of
people like to use the company Outlook
for almost all of their contacts and
they load all their personal contacts
and then they use it but when you get
cut off of that company email poof all
your contacts are gone and that can be
devastating when you’re looking for a
new job and besides you don’t want the
employer who just fired you having
access to all your personal stuff
so makes sense to keep your personal
data out of the employers devices and
systems so that’s data let’s now talk
about your documents and I’m going to
encourage you to go really low-tech on
this one way too many employers
and too many employees are having just
all of the employee documents that they
sign come to them electronically then
the employees often without reading the
documents and without really giving any
thought to how those documents are going
to impact them when they’re fired go
ahead and sign those documents and leave
them right at the office on the company
server on the company computer and they
don’t even have a copy well that’s kind
of a recipe for disaster because when
you’re fired now you don’t even have the
documents to read to figure out what
they said what you signed and how it’s
going to affect you when you’re fired
and if you do need to talk to the
employer about what they owe you or you
need to know what restrictions you have
for your new employer who’s gonna ask
you hey do you have anything we need to
know about confidentiality and on
compete restrictions you may not know I
talked to so many people who really
aren’t sure what they signed so I want
to encourage people when the employer
gives you documents read them figure out
what they mean really pay attention to
how they might affect you when you’re
fired and then print them out and have a
copy of them at home including that
employee handbook that you probably got
and left on the company server and you
haven’t read that either so low tech on
the documents when you see this notebook
at home it also reminds you hey prepare
so that’s data and documents let’s now
talk about development development is
the heart and soul of preparing to be
fired it is the investment you make in
yourself you are your best asset while
you’re doing a great job for your
employer and you’re giving them your all
you got to be doing great things for
yourself too because most people don’t
spend their whole lives with just one
employer and you can’t count on that
employer for your future but you can
count on you if you’re investing in you
you get complacent and think I’ve got
this I’ll just be in this job forever
because that’s when danger strikes so
let’s talk about development in two
categories the first category I want to
talk to you about is development of your
people network which is crucial and the
next we’ll talk about development of
your application for your next job but
let’s talk first about your people
network when you’ve been fired you kind
of have two strikes against you one
you’re looking for a job while you don’t
have a job so you’re at a disadvantage
to you’ve been fired so you’ve got
something to explain or justify or
overcome work around so what do you need
when you’re out there unemployed looking
for a job you need good friends you need
contacts you need folks who care about
you you need folks who are gonna call up
their friends and their contacts in the
industry and say hey this guy or this
gal this is somebody special you need to
talk to this person vote for you someone
that’ll say this is my friend put their
name on you make sure that you’ve got
that credibility that you might need
when you’ve been fired and where do you
get that well many of you are probably
using LinkedIn and social media and
you’re keeping all of your all of your
resume up to date on that and that’s
great using that is great and a lot of
people enjoy it but it really isn’t a
substitute for real life you
beings who know you who spend time with
you and that takes an effort because it
doesn’t because we’re busy and it’s hard
to get together with people but
nurturing that Network is super
important because the people who
casually know you on LinkedIn who may
like a story you post or say congrats
they’re not necessarily those people who
are gonna go and visit people they know
and make phone calls for you to help you
get that next job because they don’t
know you as well so I’m gonna suggest to
you that you want a visual
representation of your network something
like this old-fashioned rolodex this
sits in real life on your dresser at
home right there and every day when you
get up and you’re going to work you look
at it you say who didn’t I go to lunch
with lately
who haven’t I gone to dinner with who
haven’t I talked to in a while who do I
need to call and get together with for a
coffee pull a couple of the cards out
take them with you every day or every
week and make the effort get together
with people in real life not just
texting not just LinkedIn relationships
old-fashioned low-tech sitting there
over a coffee catching up because those
people will help you get a job and if
you’re looking at this rolodex and
you’re thinking I don’t know enough
people to fill up you know a tenth of
that get busy now let’s talk about the
other kind of development that’s also so
important developing your application
for your next job and you notice I
didn’t say developing your resume
because we think of a resume as kind of
a piece of paper to a static document
put some things on take some things off
but I’m talking about developing your
whole application your whole person for
that next job because the problem I see
is employees who get fired are so
shocked because they’ve been so
convinced they were gonna stay in their
job that they got complacent and their
standing as I say flat-footed they’re
not on their toes they’re not nimble and
ready to go they’ve been using the
skills they need for this job but not
necessarily the skills they need for the
next job they’re limiting themselves so
I suggest that you do this simple
exercise pretend your employer is right
now down the hall in a meeting preparing
to fire you go look at the job postings
that you would need for that next job
that you need to get right now where’s
the posting what jobs are they how are
you gonna make yourself the most
qualified applicant for that job do you
need another degree another certificate
do you need to get out into the
community and get some volunteer
experience to grow some other skills
with leadership do you need to be
volunteering for some committees at work
do you need some more technological
skills what do you need to be the most
attractive candidate for that job
posting and I encourage employees keep
looking at those job postings even
though you have no intention of applying
because pretend you’re going to apply
and get yourself qualified stay
qualified and stay on your toes when
you’re doing all of that development and
when you’re investing in yourself and
making sure that you’re always growing
and you’re always moving forward and
you’re nurturing that network you may
find you get promoted at work you’re
gonna be in meetings offering up new
ideas and new skills and new things they
never heard from you before you may be
bringing new people into the company
because you’re doing all of this
nurturing of your network you may shine
more you may open up new opportunities
decide to go out get another job fire
this employer before they fire you or
when the day comes that they show you
the door and they say guess what today’s
your last day you’re fired
instead of putting your head down with
that banker’s box walk of shame and
saying I don’t believe it you can lift
and do that banker’s box strut
[Applause] [Music]
I just got walked out of the building
I’ve been working out for the last 10
years
security guards escorted me out they
took my keys my badge my phone my
computer kicked me out of the company
email and server I never thought it
would happen to me I’m shocked I just
got fired that is the scene my clients
described to me over and over and over
again and they’re not alone about 21
million people a year are fired in
America that’s about the population of
the whole state of Florida fired every
year it actually works out to about
58,000 people a day
fired many of them walk out with a
banker’s box just like that carrying it
and scared and completely shocked and
doing what they feel is maybe the
bankers Box walk of shame but it doesn’t
have to be that way with the right
preparation fired employees can hold
that box up high and do what I like to
call the bankers box
strut 25 years as a labor and employment
lawyer representing employees has shown
me a simple truth and that is that all
employees always need to be prepared to
be fired and most aren’t prepared at all
they’re not prepared because they think
it’ll never happen to me I work hard I
know as much as anybody in this company
about this work I do a great job I’m
dedicated they won’t fire me but they’re
wrong no one is immune it happens to
doctors and lawyers and bankers and see
heõs and company founders who stayed on
to work for the company no matter how
high or how new or how well-educated
people get fired talented dedicated
great people they get fired for good
reasons bad reasons true reasons false
reasons sometimes illegal reasons I’ve
even seen people fired because they were
no one is immune so you can’t control
whether you’re fired but what you can do
and what I want to urge everyone to do
is to be prepared to be fired so that
when that day comes you can bounce back
quickly and in the process maybe even
get something better and the things you
do to prepare to be fired may even cause
you to have newer and better
opportunities and do a better job at
work so how do you prepare three things
I’d like you to concentrate on your data
your documents and your development so
let’s talk first about your data let’s
take a look in this box I’ll venture to
say that nariyal nearly all of you are
carrying a smartphone and that
smartphone has a whole lot of your
personal data on it it’s got personal
texts and emails it’s got your vacation
photos it’s got a lot of private stuff
but many of you probably also have your
employers data on that phone you got
work emails you got work texts you got
maybe the app that gets you into the
company server well you’re also probably
doing that with your company computer
laptop you’re sharing data you’re mixing
your personal data in with the employers
data putting it in their devices and
putting it in their in their system
that is not being prepared to be fired
why because when you get fired and they
walk you out with that box they cut you
off from that server and they take that
equipment and if you’ve been counting on
that personal data that you’ve been
storing there it’s gone a bunch of
people like to use the company Outlook
for almost all of their contacts and
they load all their personal contacts
and then they use it but when you get
cut off of that company email poof all
your contacts are gone and that can be
devastating when you’re looking for a
new job and besides you don’t want the
employer who just fired you having
access to all your personal stuff
so makes sense to keep your personal
data out of the employers devices and
systems so that’s data let’s now talk
about your documents and I’m going to
encourage you to go really low-tech on
this one way too many employers
and too many employees are having just
all of the employee documents that they
sign come to them electronically then
the employees often without reading the
documents and without really giving any
thought to how those documents are going
to impact them when they’re fired go
ahead and sign those documents and leave
them right at the office on the company
server on the company computer and they
don’t even have a copy well that’s kind
of a recipe for disaster because when
you’re fired now you don’t even have the
documents to read to figure out what
they said what you signed and how it’s
going to affect you when you’re fired
and if you do need to talk to the
employer about what they owe you or you
need to know what restrictions you have
for your new employer who’s gonna ask
you hey do you have anything we need to
know about confidentiality and on
compete restrictions you may not know I
talked to so many people who really
aren’t sure what they signed so I want
to encourage people when the employer
gives you documents read them figure out
what they mean really pay attention to
how they might affect you when you’re
fired and then print them out and have a
copy of them at home including that
employee handbook that you probably got
and left on the company server and you
haven’t read that either so low tech on
the documents when you see this notebook
at home it also reminds you hey prepare
so that’s data and documents let’s now
talk about development development is
the heart and soul of preparing to be
fired it is the investment you make in
yourself you are your best asset while
you’re doing a great job for your
employer and you’re giving them your all
you got to be doing great things for
yourself too because most people don’t
spend their whole lives with just one
employer and you can’t count on that
employer for your future but you can
count on you if you’re investing in you
you get complacent and think I’ve got
this I’ll just be in this job forever
because that’s when danger strikes so
let’s talk about development in two
categories the first category I want to
talk to you about is development of your
people network which is crucial and the
next we’ll talk about development of
your application for your next job but
let’s talk first about your people
network when you’ve been fired you kind
of have two strikes against you one
you’re looking for a job while you don’t
have a job so you’re at a disadvantage
to you’ve been fired so you’ve got
something to explain or justify or
overcome work around so what do you need
when you’re out there unemployed looking
for a job you need good friends you need
contacts you need folks who care about
you you need folks who are gonna call up
their friends and their contacts in the
industry and say hey this guy or this
gal this is somebody special you need to
talk to this person vote for you someone
that’ll say this is my friend put their
name on you make sure that you’ve got
that credibility that you might need
when you’ve been fired and where do you
get that well many of you are probably
using LinkedIn and social media and
you’re keeping all of your all of your
resume up to date on that and that’s
great using that is great and a lot of
people enjoy it but it really isn’t a
substitute for real life you
beings who know you who spend time with
you and that takes an effort because it
doesn’t because we’re busy and it’s hard
to get together with people but
nurturing that Network is super
important because the people who
casually know you on LinkedIn who may
like a story you post or say congrats
they’re not necessarily those people who
are gonna go and visit people they know
and make phone calls for you to help you
get that next job because they don’t
know you as well so I’m gonna suggest to
you that you want a visual
representation of your network something
like this old-fashioned rolodex this
sits in real life on your dresser at
home right there and every day when you
get up and you’re going to work you look
at it you say who didn’t I go to lunch
with lately
who haven’t I gone to dinner with who
haven’t I talked to in a while who do I
need to call and get together with for a
coffee pull a couple of the cards out
take them with you every day or every
week and make the effort get together
with people in real life not just
texting not just LinkedIn relationships
old-fashioned low-tech sitting there
over a coffee catching up because those
people will help you get a job and if
you’re looking at this rolodex and
you’re thinking I don’t know enough
people to fill up you know a tenth of
that get busy now let’s talk about the
other kind of development that’s also so
important developing your application
for your next job and you notice I
didn’t say developing your resume
because we think of a resume as kind of
a piece of paper to a static document
put some things on take some things off
but I’m talking about developing your
whole application your whole person for
that next job because the problem I see
is employees who get fired are so
shocked because they’ve been so
convinced they were gonna stay in their
job that they got complacent and their
standing as I say flat-footed they’re
not on their toes they’re not nimble and
ready to go they’ve been using the
skills they need for this job but not
necessarily the skills they need for the
next job they’re limiting themselves so
I suggest that you do this simple
exercise pretend your employer is right
now down the hall in a meeting preparing
to fire you go look at the job postings
that you would need for that next job
that you need to get right now where’s
the posting what jobs are they how are
you gonna make yourself the most
qualified applicant for that job do you
need another degree another certificate
do you need to get out into the
community and get some volunteer
experience to grow some other skills
with leadership do you need to be
volunteering for some committees at work
do you need some more technological
skills what do you need to be the most
attractive candidate for that job
posting and I encourage employees keep
looking at those job postings even
though you have no intention of applying
because pretend you’re going to apply
and get yourself qualified stay
qualified and stay on your toes when
you’re doing all of that development and
when you’re investing in yourself and
making sure that you’re always growing
and you’re always moving forward and
you’re nurturing that network you may
find you get promoted at work you’re
gonna be in meetings offering up new
ideas and new skills and new things they
never heard from you before you may be
bringing new people into the company
because you’re doing all of this
nurturing of your network you may shine
more you may open up new opportunities
decide to go out get another job fire
this employer before they fire you or
when the day comes that they show you
the door and they say guess what today’s
your last day you’re fired
instead of putting your head down with
that banker’s box walk of shame and
saying I don’t believe it you can lift
and do that banker’s box strut
[Applause] [Music]
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