Today has been a day like none
other I have ever experienced in my brief 30yr existence. I had to terminate an
employee today. Nothing leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth quite like
ending someone’s livelihood – even if it was the right thing to do.
2012 has been a baptism of fire
on the work front. As a young manager I have been confronted with every
imaginable management crisis that is common in all business. Just when I
thought, “Phew, 3 months to go then 2012 is closed, I’ve seen and done it all” I
was hammered with a new kind of crisis. I was away on leave for 3 glorious
weeks. No cell phone, no laptop, no communication whatsoever with anything work
related. It was bliss! As of today I have been back in the office for 10days,
and it’s been a helluva 10 days at that.
I have a philosophy that I try to
live by, something my dear granny always says; “azvigonera azviitira; asi
azvitadzira azviitira futi”. Loosely translated “he who does well, has done it
for himself; but he who has done badly has also done it for himself”. I
manage a staff compliment of 33 people. We’re small enough for us to interact
more like a family rather than an institution. 2012 has been a year of
reckoning, and it’s not been an easy road. My personal mandate,(in as much as
it is up to me) has always been to safeguard the welfare of my staff to the
best of my ability.
Now anyone who is in management or runs a
business will know that the toughest thing out there is dealing with people. It’s
a daily training ground (or battlefield), one which I believe is a life-long experience
in that, it will never end. Anyway, upon
my return from leave I was informed by a member of my management team that
there was scheduled Disciplinary Enquiry into misconduct by an employee. In my
(almost) 2 years in charge we’ve only had to pursue this course of action once (the
guy got off with a Final Written Warning), so I knew it was serious. Once I was
up to speed with the details I knew that should the employee be found guilty it
would mean termination. It’s been a long 7 days awaiting the outcome and
recommendations from the chairperson. During that time I replayed all possible
outcomes and scenarios in my mind. What would I do? Was I capable of carrying
out the sanction? A couple of nights I couldn’t sleep, wrestling with the
decision I would probably be called to make.
Throughout the week, my biggest
frustration has been being put into this position in the first place. I kept
thinking “Don’t people grasp that we’re in a recession, people are being
retrenched, etc. this is hardly a time to make mistakes, especially those that
may result in unemployment”. I hated that
I would have to make a decision that will so drastically alter someone’s life.
I hated that in not making that decision it would also drastically alter the
culture and character of our company (for the worse - Anarchy would prevail). Is this what “management” was all about?
Being the “boss-lady”, “queen-bee”? Yah...I had come face to face with a real
ugly reality about being “in-charge”; a lonely reality at that.
My day today was pretty much
messed up from about 10.30am after I carried out the sanction. In my heart I
have peace, complete and utter peace that I did the right thing, however it’s a
hollow victory. Enforcing discipline although not always pleasant; is
absolutely necessary. I’ve learnt today that being the boss means that you must
take the good with the bad. That you need to act decisively, because whether I
acknowledge it or not – ALL eyes are on me. Of course there will be some
fall-out in the next few days, weeks, (strained staff relations etc) but what I
can say is that as horrible as this experience was for me, I know that I am all
the better and stronger for it.
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