Define "fired"?

Most states in the US are "at-risk" employment, meaning they don't need to provide any reason at all to terminate you. If they are terminating you and you specifically for whatever reason, that's "firing" (as opposed to lay offs).

You can be fired "for cause" which means you done fucked up and there is no compensation typically given for that. It's more of a "don't let the door hit you on the way out" type scenario.

You can also be fired "without cause", that doesn't mean you necessarily did anything wrong, they just don't want you to work for them anymore. There is typically some sort of severance given for many reasons, depending on how cynical you are.

1. Companies may be heartless but managers not necessarily so. Getting fired sucks and their at least making an effort to keep you on feet and minimize the impact to your life.

2. Sometimes there are actual laws stipulating severance for termination with-out cause. Similarly there are laws stipulating unemployment benefits for termination as well, in many areas you cannot file for unemployement benefits if you've been terminated with cause.

3. Companies understand that people who get fired are likely to sue their employers. Often these payout packages come with legal agreements that the person cannot sue their employer if they accept the money. Do the math and it's cheaper to pay many people a little bit of money to not sue, than it is to pay for all the lawsuits.