Termination of employment

Employees' departure from their jobs, as well as the end of their time with a company, are referred to as "termination of employment" or "separation of employment." Dismissal (firing) or layoff are common methods of terminating an employee's employment, whether it is done voluntarily by the individual or at the direction of the company. In contrast to dismissal or firing, which is often seen as the result of the employee's poor performance, a layoff is frequently carried out for business reasons (for example, a slowdown in company or an economic slump) that are unrelated to the employee's behaviour.

Getting fired has a negative connotation in many cultures, and it may make it difficult for a job seeker to get new work, especially if they were fired from a prior position. Unexplained pauses in employment, as well as a reluctance or unwillingness to contact past employers, are often seen as "red flags" by employers.

Employers may elect to ask an employee to resign for a variety of reasons, most of which are attributable to the employee himself or herself. Dismissal is often referred to as "being fired" or "getting canned" in the United States, although in the United Kingdom, words such as "getting the sack" or "getting sacked" are also used to describe being fired or canned.