I had to fire an employee today

Post Reply New Topic

I had to fire an employee today. It bothers me a lot though I know I had to. The problem is, while I was talking to her I noticed scars on her arm and at that moment I realized she was a cutter.
Now, I am really worried about her and hoping she doesn't do anything to herself. My head and everything I have learn in life tells me I am not responsible for how other people re-act, but my heart is breaking. She is only 20 and I know she has a rough road ahead and I can't help her.
I just feel like a horrible person.

Please do not tell me you fired her for simply being a cutter. That could lead to an EEOC/ADA suit against your company.

I previously did not know she was a cutter. I only saw the scars when I was talking to her today and realized what exactly they were.
She was not doing her job well - I could live with just that but we found she was not charging her friends for part of their meal (I own a restaurant). I am not a hard ass. but the bottom line is I must preserve my business and I must be able to trust my staff a hundred percent.

Well, you fired her because she refused to respect your business by handing out free meals. That is acceptable, and she should have seen it coming. Now what she does after the fact is entirely up to her. It's nice to see an employer show tangible concern for his/her employees, but you aren't responsible for things that happen off the clock, especially if the clock is no longer for your business.

I wish more companies had that philosophy

If they dont, they should. Companies should not pry into their employees' private lives. The only way they should be able to justify an invasion of privacy is if whatever is happening off the clock is affecting productivity on the clock.

That is both the strength and the weakness of the Aspie style. We can really reach out to others. In some ways, I think I'd be a hell of a doctor. I would really care, about each and every patient (so much so that I could not carry a heavy patient load, or even a normal patient load). And when a patient had a problem with hospital bureaucracy, yes, it's illogical anyway, I would want to change the hospital bureaucracy, even though that might not be the percentage move at all.

Okay, I like you saying that it's good to have three choices. It's not entirely off the table to re-hire her, provided you have some real hope of her working out. It almost concerns me more that you say she was not working out. Of course stealing's not good, not good at all, but there's some chance she'd feel bad about it and about getting caught, the social embarrassment aspect, and never ever do it again. But not being a good employee to begin with, it'd be a long shot at best.

I managed a university copy center about ten years ago or so. I had to fire people. I decided decent, brief, constructive. And probably the most important thing is brief. If I'm having to let someone go, they sure don't want to hear a bunch of talk from me.

Thank you all

The firing was brief. A re-hire would not work as I have a business partner who would not want her back and the rest of my staff had problems working with her.

I only have eight employees two are my daughters, one cook and partner is my son; so we are a family business and my staff becomes like family. I give them rides when their transport fails, wake them when their alarm clocks fail, babysit their children when the sitter fails, give them loans when their bank accounts fail, give them medicine and flu shots when their health fails, celebrate birthdays, have parties and close for a day to go to an amusement park. As employees I expect them to be honest with me, and do their jobs proper.

Maybe I am doing it wrong. Maybe I am too close and not get involved, but it is the only way I know how to be.

You are a person who is in there trying. And that is all we can ask, either of ourselves or others.

You handled the situation rationally and professionally. While it's good of you to feel sympathetic toward her, the truth is, she was stealing company property (i.e. restaurant food) by handing out free meals to her friends. It would be different if she came forward and asked you to deduct the cost from her paycheck, but she didn't. The fact that she's been cutting shouldn't make you second-guess your decision, and there's nothing you can do to prevent her from cutting after she gets home. You did what your conscience and business smarts were telling you to do. You're not obligated to give your employees anything other than basic respect and their paychecks. It sounds like you give them all that and more, but they're still your employees, and stealing is definitely not respectful.

Ok, I'm going to rephrase what I said earlier. Large, bureaucratic companies should not pry into their employees private lives, but from the sound of it your business is pretty close-knit, since half of you are related. I really don't see a problem with you as an employer helping them out here and there like with the flu shots, the rides, etc. Even throwing the birthday parties is a good way to keep up employee morale. People like to work when their job isnt boring. At any rate, you have been doing everything exactly right, your restaurant/store or whatever it is sounds like a place where I would enjoy working. This girl wasnt respecting your business, in spite of everything that you have done for your employees, so you fired her. That is a respectable decision. Now if she harms herself due to that, that is her problem and not yours.

What I'm trying to say is that its ok for employers to care; however they should not make decisions that relate to ones status in the company (promotion, payroll, termination, etc.) unless said decisions are based entirely on work related factors. And while I do think it is compassionate of you to be worried about this girl, she is no longer your employee and therefore you should not feel obligated to help her, and you shouldnt feel guilty about her termination; she had it coming, after all. Now if you WANT to help her, that is a different story; however judging by your description of her attitude she is probably harboring some ill will toward you now and would not appreciate interference.

Of course this is just baseless philosophy, seeing as I have yet to enter the work force, let alone hold a management position. Hopefully that will change in a week or so, depending on how things go with the newspaper staff at the university. At any rate, you don't have to listen to my advice, but feel free to believe or disbelieve what I say. I'm not anyones commander here.

Things are much better thanks to you all and time settling my mind. I have taken your thoughts to heart.

Funny what a few days can make.
News travels fast in old town . I heard her other part-time employer is suspecting the same thing, from someone else she has lost a few other jobs around here, and another old town business owner has her on tape shop-lifting.
I really feel for this girl. She is like chest high in the water, the river is rising. I know I can't undo whatever the bad things in her past were. I just hope she learns to swim soon.


Roxas_XIII --- Lotsa of luck getting that position

Domo arigato, mate. I'm keeping a commentary on my most recent thread in this forum, so drop by it if you want to see if I got it or not.