It is 7:15 on a Tuesday morning. I’ve been in the office for all of 25 minutes. I’m only halfway through my first cup of coffee, and I get a call from HR that I’m needed. Never good.
In HR is a 10 year employee who has decided he is quitting. No notice, just I quit. When I ask why it is because he hasn’t received a pay raise since January. He has asked his supervisors and they have all said no - we only evaluate and issue pay raises once a year, in January. I make sure he knows that is my rule, and he tells me that is not the way it was done before me and he doesn’t like it. If I don’t give him a raise he is quitting.
I then remind him that he was hit while crossing the street a few years ago and ended up in the hospital for 4 months. The company protected his job and paid his medical insurance in full for that entire time, including his recovery. We had no obligation to do that. I stepped outside the company’s policies and the state and federal laws to take care of him and his family. I was disappointed.
He told me that was all well and good but if he didn’t get a raise he was quitting.
I told HR to process him out and disable his badge and walked back to my office. Now HR is telling me it was a bluff and he wants his job. I told them I don’t play games. He quit. Send him on his way.
Ti’s the f*&$(*G season in the business world. Ho, Ho, Ho!
I told HR to process him out and disable his badge and walked back to my office. Now HR is telling me it was a bluff and he wants his job. I told them I don’t play games. He quit. Send him on his way.
Good for you. Even if you did give him his job back - he will be looking for a new one (or he already is) and will not be with you for much longer. Better to find a replacement now.
Offer him his job back for a little less than what he was making.
Honestly, if he was a net asset to the company yesterday and would be a net asset to the company going forward, I would let him come back.
If only management decisions were that easy.
Why isn’t it? The guy has obviously been in the company a while, is he a bad employee? He said he was bluffing, why can’t you just leave it at that? Sorry but I think you’re way way out of line.
I’m a small business owner, and I sympathize with your position as a manager.
I’m also a lawyer who deals with corporate America daily, representing it and fighting against it, depending on who hired me. It’s inexorable and ruthless. I don’t laud or blame your former employee for shooting his shot. I don’t laud or blame you for calling his bluff.
It’s just business, and humans are grist for the mill. I’d like to think that in this country, which believes itself to be special and innovative, we could have found a better way to do this by now. But maybe this is as good as it gets.
Offer him his job back for a little less than what he was making.
Honestly, if he was a net asset to the company yesterday and would be a net asset to the company going forward, I would let him come back.
If only management decisions were that easy.
Why isn’t it? The guy has obviously been in the company a while, is he a bad employee? He said he was bluffing, why can’t you just leave it at that? Sorry but I think you’re way way out of line.
People keep asking the “bad employee” question. Does a good employee decide he is done working unless he is paid more? Does a good employee take a look at the employee handbook and decide he is an exception and management needs to bend to his request?
In my book, someone that does that is no longer trustworthy. What will stop him from doing it again when he is working on something that is critical? If I change the rules for one I open a flood gate of everyone else thinking they can do the same thing.
He is one of several 100 that depend on me to feed, keep shelter over their heads, and provide a future for them and their families.
Offer him his job back for a little less than what he was making.
Honestly, if he was a net asset to the company yesterday and would be a net asset to the company going forward, I would let him come back.
If only management decisions were that easy.
Why isn’t it? The guy has obviously been in the company a while, is he a bad employee? He said he was bluffing, why can’t you just leave it at that? Sorry but I think you’re way way out of line.
People keep asking the “bad employee” question. Does a good employee decide he is done working unless he is paid more? Does a good employee take a look at the employee handbook and decide he is an exception and management needs to bend to his request?
In my book, someone that does that is no longer trustworthy. What will stop him from doing it again when he is working on something that is critical? If I change the rules for one I open a flood gate of everyone else thinking they can do the same thing.
He is one of several 100 that depend on me to feed, keep shelter over their heads, and provide a future for them and their families.
Again, how long was he in the company, what is his history, is this the first time he’s pulled a stunt like this? Good people make mistakes, if this is his only blemish then you’re a total dick who massively overreacted, if not and he’s done things in the past then I apologize…
I sympathize with your situation and I don’t like it when an employee thinks they can hold the company hostage by making demands that are specific to just them. However, based solely on your first post I suspect the employee is going to portray this as he was fired and not that he quit, and if he wants to pursue it he’ll find an attorney willing to argue that point. He may even find a sympathetic judge or jury to agree with him. It’s a shitty situation but giving him the opportunity to stay may have averted some future trouble.
Here, at least - quitting needs to be done in writing. Also, just a point - January is all of 33 days away, so apparently you don’t actually value the employee so no loss.
Well done! Do you plan to canvass the work force and find where their sympathies sit? I would think they will inform you best whether you made the right call.
I’m with you on this one. He can no longer be trusted. He thought that he could play you during the holiday season and put you on the spot.
He gambled and lost. It is no different than someone playing poker going all in and when the other play reveals 4 aces he says “I was bluffing. I didn’t really intend to go all in, I actually folded.”
As you said, there are company rules and if you break them for him, there will be more wanting the same special treatment.
Based on this stunt, someone like him would start looking for another job and would likely quit without giving any notice at all. You protected the company.
People keep asking the “bad employee” question. Does a good employee decide he is done working unless he is paid more? Does a good employee take a look at the employee handbook and decide he is an exception and management needs to bend to his request?
In my book, someone that does that is no longer trustworthy. What will stop him from doing it again when he is working on something that is critical? If I change the rules for one I open a flood gate of everyone else thinking they can do the same thing.
He is one of several 100 that depend on me to feed, keep shelter over their heads, and provide a future for them and their families.
The three bolded portions above are three issues that need to be addressed.
There are unanswered questions about the guy. Why did he act this way? A responsible manager needs to ask questions to get answers, rather than act on partial information.
Has the employee been untrustworthy for a long time or has become untrustworthy recently? If the answer is that he became untrustworthy recently— did the guy have a head injury four months ago or is he experiencing a crisis at home? What else could cause this abrupt change?
Regarding your question about what is to stop this guy or others from making a habit of asking for raises in late November, the answer is YOU. Why wouldn’t you be able to assess a request like this on a case-by-case basis? Do you lack authority to do so?
With regard to your assertion that this guy is one of 100 employees who rely on you, it is good to keep in mind that you are one of 101 employees who depend on someone else to be fed and sheltered. You are a cog in the wheel, too. You depend the kindness of others, too!
Particularly in the holiday season when people become stressed, it’s good to look out for each other and gain human-to-human understanding. It’s good to demonstrate compassion. Asking questions is generally a good idea.
Scrooge, when you bonk your head or have a crisis and feel compelled to make a demand for money, I hope someone will take the time to ask you questions to get to the bottom of your concerns.
It is 7:15 on a Tuesday morning. I’ve been in the office for all of 25 minutes. I’m only halfway through my first cup of coffee, and I get a call from HR that I’m needed. Never good.
In HR is a 10 year employee who has decided he is quitting. No notice, just I quit. When I ask why it is because he hasn’t received a pay raise since January. He has asked his supervisors and they have all said no - we only evaluate and issue pay raises once a year, in January. I make sure he knows that is my rule, and he tells me that is not the way it was done before me and he doesn’t like it. If I don’t give him a raise he is quitting.
I then remind him that he was hit while crossing the street a few years ago and ended up in the hospital for 4 months. The company protected his job and paid his medical insurance in full for that entire time, including his recovery. We had no obligation to do that. I stepped outside the company’s policies and the state and federal laws to take care of him and his family. I was disappointed.
He told me that was all well and good but if he didn’t get a raise he was quitting.
I told HR to process him out and disable his badge and walked back to my office. Now HR is telling me it was a bluff and he wants his job. I told them I don’t play games. He quit. Send him on his way.
Ti’s the f*&$(*G season in the business world. Ho, Ho, Ho!
Good for you, I am tired of people thinking they are irreplaceable. I’m all for loyalty, but it is a two way street.
All good points, but none are actually on point. Have you ever been responsible for 300 people, share holders, customers, etc. in a big publicly traded company? The rules and concerns are different. You’re a lawyer. You have to understand what happens when the rules apply one group and not the other and the chaos that occurs.
As far as do I have the authority, I’m the GM. I report directly to the Board. They are not involved in anything like this. It is entirely my show, and I act in accordance with the law, the company’s policies, and what my lawyer recommends. To terminate anyone requires HR’s review and the lawyer’s approval. That was not required here because he quit - turned in his badge and walked away. Verbal in front of multipole witnesses.
I am first and foremost a business person. I do what makes the most sense for the company. To whoever called me a “dick” I wear that with pride when it is necessary. You don’t get in the corner office any other way, regardless of what you read or see on the internet.