I had been working for a company in various roles for about 8 years. I asked to move into a new role doing what I really wanted to do and the request was granted but they kept me at the higher pay level of my previous roles. The new role was a junior level position and the starting pay was much less than the level I was kept at.
Six months into my new role the company was having financial troubles and I was still learning my new job. I realized I was likely making 50 percent more than others in that role. I set up a meeting with my direct manager and his boss and told them that I felt my pay wasn't justified for what I was doing. Crazy as it sounds I asked for a pay cut to bring it more in line. I was told I was doing great and they were happy to keep me where I was.
Fast forward two months and the company is still having money problems. One fine morning an unexpected meeting is called for my department. They invited five of us out of that meeting in front of everybody to come to a different room. As we are walking down the hall to the other room a coworker jokingly leans over to me and says "We're getting fired". We all settle into the room and a member of management says "This is your last day working here. You are all being fired for one of these three reasons". He preceded to give our choose your own adventure reasons for being terminated along with instructions as to what was going to happen next.
Naturally there was some angry responses from several of those being "fired". All of us had been there for some time. Some of us(including myself) had never been reprimanded or otherwise told we were not performing as required. I personally had been awarded the employee of the year in my department just the year before. I had been given that distinction one other time a few years before that.
It was my first time being let go from a job. I wasn't surprised or even angry but more disappointed that management had labeled what happened to us as being fired.
A bit later when I was interviewing for a new job I had to contact my previous manager to find out which of the three reasons I had been fired for as it wasn't exactly clear at the time I was let go.