
Employee Termination Idioms Survey Reveals Common Expressions
Here are the results of our poll concerning common idioms used to express employee termination.
A week ago, I launched a poll on LinkedIn asking: How does your workplace typically express the act of termination to an employee? As a copy editor, I was especially curious about how different employers use various idioms to communicate this action.
I also noted some of the more common employee termination idioms used by employers. These included: axed, canned, sacked, booted, pink-slipped, separated, and released.
Overall, the poll has attracted 128 participants. Although it’s a small sample, here are the results:
- Fired – 12%
- Terminated (or “termed”) – 40%
- Let go – 37%
- Dismissed – 11%
Admittedly, I was a bit surprised that “Let go” did not receive the most votes. However, I was even more astonished that “fired” polled at a distant third place.
I also received comments and messages suggesting the following employee termination idioms I had not considered:
- Cut
- Departing
- Discharged
- It just didn’t work out
- Made Redundant
- Out the window
- Outplaced
- Parting ways
- Pursuing other interests
- Relieved of duty
- Removed
- Rightsized
- Separated
- Tarred and feathered
- Transitioned
- Unconditionally released
- Waived
If you would like to participate in polls like the one above, we will occasionally run others from my LinkedIn page. I invite you to follow or connect with me by clicking here.