Man finally lands a job after nearly 10 months unemployed only to get fired 2.5 hours into his first day  

After nine and a half months without a job, one man finally landed a new position that paid more than his previous one. His return to the workforce lasted barely longer than a tedious business meeting. 

The man, who posts on Reddit as Havocko, said his unemployment benefits had already run out when he finally secured a People Operations position at a large tech company through a temp agency. He showered the night before, pulled out a brand-new polo shirt, and arrived seven hours later expecting the beginning of a promising new job.

Instead, approximately two and a half hours into his first day, his supervisor repeatedly encouraged him to take an early lunch. As he walked out of the building, his temp agency called with news that made the suspiciously generous lunch break reveal its true purpose: the company was letting him go over alleged “hygiene issues.” Exactly what those “hygiene issues” were remains a messy mystery that Reddit immediately tried to clean up.

His first day at work ended before lunch did

Nothing initially suggested Havocko’s employment was about to have the lifespan of an office meeting. He said his supervisor was friendly, showed him around the company’s new office, and explained the job before another employee took over his training around 10 a.m.

The trainer was later called into a meeting. When she returned, she reportedly told Havocko she had work to complete and instructed him to sit tight before the supervisor reappeared and suggested he take an early lunch. He obliged. Then the temp agency called while he was leaving the building and told him he had been let go.

The explanation left him inspecting practically every detail of his morning. Havocko said he had showered, groomed himself, and worn clean clothes, although he conceded that his pants “could’ve used a lint roller.” He even wondered whether scratching his nose could have looked like picking it or whether somebody heard him burp with his mouth closed. 

Neither the supervisor nor the company would elaborate on the alleged hygiene problem, according to Havocko. He also claimed the temp agency subsequently stopped responding to him and wouldn’t send him a termination letter or email. Technically speaking, does that mean he is still employed? 

Havocko isn’t the only worker whose new job barely survived orientation. One woman recently said she was fired within 48 hours of starting a new position. Even that sounds like job security compared to a Taco Bell worker who was reportedly fired barely an hour in on his first day.

Reddit turns into a forensic smell laboratory

Thousands of upvotes later, Redditors understandably had questions and theories. Havocko had so many answers that he eventually updated his post with what amounted to an eight-point defense of his personal hygiene.

He said two people confirmed he didn’t smell, with one friend getting close enough to detect only a little sweat. He also said a friend checked his breath and shirt, his home was clean despite having a cat and dog, he brushed and flossed daily, and his body spray wasn’t strong. He went into deeper detail, sharing that he didn’t smoke, and that his hair and beard looked the same as they had during his interview.

Then came perhaps the most definitive entry in his defense: “I thoroughly washed myself, yes, including my ass.”

Case closed? Reddit wasn’t quite prepared to stamp the file

Some commenters argued that if Havocko had never previously been told he had hygiene problems, the company might simply have needed an excuse to end the assignment. Others weren’t convinced, pointing out that people can become accustomed to their own odor and questioning why an employer would specifically cite hygiene if there were no issue.

Several temp workers also shared stories of assignments ending abruptly, while one commenter who said they managed a staffing company even offered to look at Havocko’s résumé and potentially connect him with another opportunity. Reddit never seems to disappoint. 

Havocko himself said he didn’t believe discrimination was involved and noted that the office was diverse. Nevertheless, without further explanation from the company or agency, the actual reason for his spectacularly brief employment remains impossible to verify.

After nine and a half months of job hunting, two and a half hours of employment, and one unexpectedly comprehensive Reddit investigation, Havocko still doesn’t have the closure he wanted. Whatever the alleged hygiene issue was, the company’s handling of his dismissal certainly wasn’t clean.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]