Is being slow a plausable cause to be fired?

[User 180565 is taking donation]

I'm sure it is. I'm always 2 or 3 hours behind everyone else. I do night stock, my manager keeps wanting to me to get faster but on the other hand my assistant manager tells me I'm one of the best facers she's  ever had. Facing is when you bring two items to the front of the isle and make it look pretty. One thing that's holding me back from being faster than everyone else is the anxiety issues I have. It causes me to be forgetful and causes my hands to shake sometimes knocking other items over or making them crooked.

But my manager is understanding of that he just keeps pushing me to get faster and I sometimes worry if I could get fired over being slower than everyone else. Though there hasn't been a day yet where I haven't gotten my pallet unloaded and stocked so I think I'm pretty safe as long as I can get the items on the shelf.

My doctors say that it's a mental condition so I'm not sure if the store I work at can fire me over that because the doctors acknowledged that it's a condition and I warned the HR manager about it before they hired me. And weird I just noticed how close the words hired and fired are.

[Caajscot (John)]

Sept 5, 2015 2:30:16 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

I'm sure it is. I'm always 2 or 3 hours behind everyone else. I do night stock, my manager keeps wanting to me to get faster but on the other hand my assistant manager tells me I'm one of the best facers she's  ever had. Facing is when you bring two items to the front of the isle and make it look pretty. One thing that's holding me back from being faster than everyone else is the anxiety issues I have. It causes me to be forgetful and causes my hands to shake sometimes knocking other items over or making them crooked.

But my manager is understanding of that he just keeps pushing me to get faster and I sometimes worry if I could get fired over being slower than everyone else. Though there hasn't been a day yet where I haven't gotten my pallet unloaded and stocked so I think I'm pretty safe as long as I can get the items on the shelf.

My doctors say that it's a mental condition so I'm not sure if the store I work at can fire me over that because the doctors acknowledged that it's a condition and I warned the HR manager about it before they hired me. And weird I just noticed how close the words hired and fired are.

Just relax and you will eventually pick up speed. And I don't believe they can sack you because of your medical condition and you told them before they gave you the Job.

Many years ago I got a job in a big tyre factory. They told me that there was only two medical conditions I must not have and that was color blindness or asthma and asked me if I had them and I said no and got the job. Eight months later I was signed off sick by my doctor when she found out I had asthma which I did not know I had. I was honest with the firm and told them the truth and they quoted the asthma bit and I was not sacked but they stopped my contract of employment and I left. So if they know you suffered from the medical condition before they employed you then they can't let you go. If they did let you go (and I hope not) then you will have grounds to go to an industrial tribunal and plead unfair dismissal and you should or would get compensation from the firm and they would have to re-employ you again also if you wished.

[Ameline]

I don't think being slow is cause for being fired.
If they have a worker they can rely on and a worker who does a good job, they don't really care too much about speed. If it's busy and you need help they can just get someone to help you. But finding somebody else as reliable and hard working is not an easy thing to do.

[Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti]

Sept 5, 2015 2:30:16 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

I'm sure it is. I'm always 2 or 3 hours behind everyone else. I do night stock, my manager keeps wanting to me to get faster but on the other hand my assistant manager tells me I'm one of the best facers she's  ever had. Facing is when you bring two items to the front of the isle and make it look pretty. One thing that's holding me back from being faster than everyone else is the anxiety issues I have. It causes me to be forgetful and causes my hands to shake sometimes knocking other items over or making them crooked.

But my manager is understanding of that he just keeps pushing me to get faster and I sometimes worry if I could get fired over being slower than everyone else. Though there hasn't been a day yet where I haven't gotten my pallet unloaded and stocked so I think I'm pretty safe as long as I can get the items on the shelf.

My doctors say that it's a mental condition so I'm not sure if the store I work at can fire me over that because the doctors acknowledged that it's a condition and I warned the HR manager about it before they hired me. And weird I just noticed how close the words hired and fired are.

 
I don't think it would be a reason for someone to get fired. As long as you get the job done. 
Did they mention it to you that you can get fired for being slow? 
That would be stupid if you were fired for being slow. 

[User 180565 is taking donation]

No but sometimes I do make mistakes, forgetting to put an item up or forgetting to face one. Maybe I'm over thinking it I got a great manager and great coworkers that are willing to help. They put me on 4 days straight for part time so that has to be a sign I'm doing somewhat good. This night I got my stock up by 2-30ish granted all of us finish unloading around 11 or midnight and my isle faced by 4 or so that means it takes me about 4-5 hours to complete the entire isle.

[Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti]

So that doesn't sound like you're slow at all. To me it sounds like an average person working time to finish something like that.
Besides I really wouldn't worry about if, it no one mentioned anything to you about someone getting fired or whatever. It seems like they like how you work and are going to keep you on.

[Sassy]

Where I work, you can't be slow. It's a very fast paced convenience store/gas bar/laundromat ... you have to be on your toes, constantly. No room for slow people, or for making a lot of errors.

[Graham]

Being slow can be cause in my role (evening job for a supermarket, doing similar) - we have a certain number of items that we are required to get out per hour and if we don't then it is investigated as to why...obviously you wouldn't get fired straight away, but if there wasn't any sign of progress.

The managers are always going to want people to be quicker, as it gives an opportunity for other things to be done if things are finished earlier - as long as there's no complaints and you're doing what is expected of you then i think you'll be fine.

[Robyn]

Sept 5, 2015 5:47:19 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

No but sometimes I do make mistakes, forgetting to put an item up or forgetting to face one. Maybe I'm over thinking it I got a great manager and great coworkers that are willing to help. They put me on 4 days straight for part time so that has to be a sign I'm doing somewhat good. This night I got my stock up by 2-30ish granted all of us finish unloading around 11 or midnight and my isle faced by 4 or so that means it takes me about 4-5 hours to complete the entire isle.

Part of my job as an assistant at my work place is to help with sales booking. I basically have to translate a bunch of words from paper that explain what items were ordered, how much they cost, and how they are to be delivered, into a simple set by step process consisting of multiple papers. At first, I got easily confused and forgot what to do depending on what the paper said. But overtime I have gotten better and memorized most of the steps. Now my problem is I actually go too fast and need to be slower. They said I can focus on it for an hour (vs 30 minutes which is what I normally do) if that helps me to get it right. And this job I help with is literately the way the company makes money. I help with the hardest job in the company, and I've only been hired as an intern since March.

So don't worry about it. Just keep up the good work, relax and remember that you and everyone else in the field are human and your manager and co-workers have made stupid mistakes in the past and have learned from them as you are now. It's part of life, but if you can take what you learn and improve, then you're good to go.

[Former Member]

time is money, they can fire u for being slow but a health problem means you're unfit for that type of work and i presume the authorities would surgest you go get a job whats more suitable.

they can sack you for not being able to do the job they wanted you to do when they hired u, but unfair dismisal is something you'de have to take up with the law.

Just get another job if you dont think your upto it .... theres no shame.

[Patrick [ASE]]

If you were on a production line of some sort, then being slow could affect productivity, so yes you could get fired in that situation.
But in your job you say you are reaching the targets, plus revealing you had a problem before you were employed would have meant you would probably not get the job in the first place if slowness would be a problem.
Sometimes speed can be an issue where they don't have time to do the job properly, and that leads to failures that the company would have to rectify at their own cost.
So rest assured that you can say "i may be slow, but at least i'm making sure i do the job properly"

[Former Member]

^^^ this

if your meeting targets then your boss should be happy

[wildmaven]

The problem is this, even if you are meeting your goals, if you were faster you could be put on more projects, thus increasing productivity. What do the other workers do after they have met their goals? With you being slow, you are making them work harder.

[daniel]

It depends, Ken. If your work generates or saves revenue then you're good unless they can easily replace you with someone else who will work for less or can make more for them. The keyword there being "easily." It's not always easy to find trustworthy and good employees.

That's it in a nutshell and it applies to most jobs in some form or another.

If you find yourself a little slower on some tasks then you have to try to improve that. Or, you have to focus on other areas that may be better strengths. Sometimes those stressful situations are *good* for you in that they help you improve yourself or they help you determine what paths to take in life. One thing that will help you out, regardless of your speed, is to be polite, professional, on-time, and willing to help out in whatever roles they need help in.

If you're a good worker to have around they may see your skills and potential, even before you do, and guide you towards better roles.

[anna12]

Sept 5, 2015 3:49:08 GMT -8 Caajscot (John) said:

Sept 5, 2015 2:30:16 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

I'm sure it is. I'm always 2 or 3 hours behind everyone else. I do night stock, my manager keeps wanting to me to get faster but on the other hand my assistant manager tells me I'm one of the best facers she's  ever had. Facing is when you bring two items to the front of the isle and make it look pretty. One thing that's holding me back from being faster than everyone else is the anxiety issues I have. It causes me to be forgetful and causes my hands to shake sometimes knocking other items over or making them crooked.

But my manager is understanding of that he just keeps pushing me to get faster and I sometimes worry if I could get fired over being slower than everyone else. Though there hasn't been a day yet where I haven't gotten my pallet unloaded and stocked so I think I'm pretty safe as long as I can get the items on the shelf.

My doctors say that it's a mental condition so I'm not sure if the store I work at can fire me over that because the doctors acknowledged that it's a condition and I warned the HR manager about it before they hired me. And weird I just noticed how close the words hired and fired are.

Just relax and you will eventually pick up speed. And I don't believe they can sack you because of your medical condition and you told them before they gave you the Job.

Many years ago I got a job in a big tyre factory. They told me that there was only two medical conditions I must not have and that was color blindness or asthma and asked me if I had them and I said no and got the job. Eight months later I was signed off sick by my doctor when she found out I had asthma which I did not know I had. I was honest with the firm and told them the truth and they quoted the asthma bit and I was not sacked but they stopped my contract of employment and I left. So if they know you suffered from the medical condition before they employed you then they can't let you go. If they did let you go (and I hope not) then you will have grounds to go to an industrial tribunal and plead unfair dismissal and you should or would get compensation from the firm and they would have to re-employ you again also if you wished.

There are a lot of reasons they could actually let a person go because of being slow even though they told them of their condition. If the other workers also meet their goals and due to being faster can do other things then that would come into consideration. The fact that the boss is asking them to speed up and if they do not can also come into consideration. Lastly not many companies that are wise at all would tell any worker that they were being terminated for any thing related to a spoken or unspoken health problem but would find another reason to let someone go so to say they "can't" let you go is just not so. It would be hard to plead a unfair dismissal on other grounds and what you can or cannot do about a dismissal is also based upon the labor laws in the state in which you work. Lot's of states have the Right to Work law which means unions have no power to speak of at all and companies can terminate you for basically anything they want to.

There are lots of jobs that being slow and not progressing to a acceptable standard of production will get you terminated. I can't see why a company would have to keep you employed if you can't meet the standard of production that they require even if you have an admitted health issue as long as they expect the same production out of every employee and base your employment on that criteria. If you were employed and given a chance to meet the standard of production they expect and you can't meet it then it is by no means their fault if you can't and they wouldn't be held accountable because you couldn't regardless of the reason. Being 2 to 3 hours behind the others is a viable reason to be terminated IMO if you can't speed up to the other workers level of production. If nothing else it sets a resentment among the other workers on the shift that a person who probably receives the same pay is doing less than them and sometimes co-workers can complain about a issue like that and employers like their employees to be happy and get along.