A Parting Of Ways

I found it necessary to fire an employee that has been with me for ten years. I was her mentor and she was my protege for a very long time.

The necessity to part ways was her fault and although I did everything I could to make it easy on her...

a big severance package, no controverting of unemployment claim, health insurance coverage for six months, etc etc etc...

I still feel like shit.

There is only so much you can do for a person that doesn't want to help themselves. I offered to keep her insurance active thinking she might want to take advantage of seeing someone...

And by someone I meant a fucking shrink because she has lost a freakin' mind.

She informed me that she is just fine.

Personally, I don't define fine as coming into work an hour late each day, leaving an hour early and passing all your responsibilities onto someone else.

Wait...that is not only fine..it is smart. Well, until about the time she lost her job..but until then, brilliant.

I let this go on a year because she had a life changing event. After ten years of service, I am more than willing for an employee to have an emotional breakdown. As a matter of fact, if you work in my place for ten years, I encourage it.

However, she began to take advantage of my leniency and patience, which started other employees to talk of preferential treatment, which caused morale to go down the fucking toilet.

Fun fun fun.

As a friend said to me...It had to be done.

Yeah..it did. But that doesn't mean I can't feel like shit about it.