Man Lands Job After Nearly Ten Months Only To Be Fired Two Hours Into First Day Over 'Hygiene Issues'

A Reddit user says he was fired two and a half hours into his first day at a new job after about nine and a half months of unemployment, allegedly over unspecified 'hygiene issues'.

The user, posting as Havocko, said he had been placed at a large tech company through a temp agency after his unemployment benefits had run out.

Havocko said he had spent roughly nine and a half months looking for work before landing a People Operations role that paid more than his previous job. He prepared the night before, showered and picked out a new polo shirt for what he expected to be a fresh start.

In his account, he described the start of the morning as uneventful before the situation changed.

The Job That Lasted One Morning

According to Havocko's post, his supervisor greeted him warmly, showed him around the office and briefed him on the role before handing him over to another employee for training at about 10am.

The trainer was later called into a meeting. When she returned, she told him to wait while she finished some work. Shortly afterwards, the supervisor suggested he take an early lunch.

As he was leaving the building, the temp agency called and told him he had been let go over alleged hygiene concerns.

Havocko said neither the supervisor nor the company gave him further details about the alleged issue. He also said the agency stopped responding to his messages and did not send him a termination letter or email, leaving him without written confirmation of the end of the assignment.

Havocko said he retraced every detail of that morning while looking for an explanation. He said he had showered, groomed himself and worn clean clothes, although he admitted his trousers 'could've used a lint roller'.

He also wondered whether scratching his nose might have looked like something else or whether someone had heard him burp with his mouth closed. The experience left him questioning whether anything about his appearance or behaviour that morning could have prompted the decision.

Reddit Users Question Hygiene Claim

The post attracted thousands of upvotes, with commenters asking Havocko for more details. He later added a more detailed account in response to questions from users.

Havocko said people close to him had told him they did not notice any significant odour. He said one person noticed only a slight smell of sweat and that another had checked his breath and shirt.

He also said his home was clean and that he had a cat and a dog. He added that he brushed and flossed daily, used only mild body spray, did not smoke and looked no different from the day of his interview.

Havocko said he had thoroughly washed himself before starting work.

Some commenters remained sceptical of his account. Some speculated that the stated reason might have been a pretext for ending the assignment, while others argued that people can become accustomed to their own odour without realising it.

One commenter who said they managed a staffing company offered to review Havocko's résumé.

Havocko said he did not believe discrimination was involved and described the office as diverse.

The incident follows other reports of workers saying they were dismissed shortly after starting new jobs, including a woman who said she was fired within 48 hours and a Taco Bell worker who said he was dismissed about an hour into his first shift.

The employer and temp agency have not been identified publicly in the accounts reviewed by IBTimes UK, and the available reports contain no public response from either.