Crossing the Line

Today, I’d have a sales staff go home mid-day because she didn’t feel like going to work. She has a headache, and decided to just go home despite the store having no reliever for the day.

The action was intentional and malicious. She knew she was the only one manning the store and still, she did this with utter disregard of the consequences. Before she left, she said, “It’s up to you to decide what to do with what I did.”

As a result, the store today is closed.

Ever since I’ve started managing a business, closed stores are a rare occurrence. So far, this is the second time in three years this has happened.

Now to give more background about this sales staff, she is one of our best selling sales staff in the company. Over the last few months, she’s hit her quota consistently. And because my company pays a large commission for every sales a staff makes, this has resulted to a bigger salary.

Unfortunately, this has also resulted to a bigger ego.

With this sales staff, this is already the second time in 1.5 weeks that she didn’t come to work simply because she didn’t feel like it. Last week, she was also absent just because she didn’t like to be in the store assigned. And when she does show up, her sales are intentionally down.

Now, I know that big talents need to be cultivated, and their ego massaged. To be honest, I have her to thank for increasing the sales of one of our largest stores.

But there comes a time when I have to think about the good of the company, vs. the good of one self-centered, undependable sales staff.

At work, we value competence, good work ethics and reliability. What use is a talented sales staff if she doesn’t show up to work when she doesn’t feel like it? And if we keep it on, what damage can this do to the morale of the other remaining sales staff who follow the rules and don’t have such big an ego?

Business is all about making hard decisions. Sometimes, we have to make a hard decision for the good of the company even though short-term, it would hit my sales big time.

Given her departure, I’m sure my sales will dip. But if we keep her, my sales would dip some more, because of the damage caused to the morale of my other sales staff.

It’s a Catch-22. But the decision have to be made.

I would have to get rid of her.

May this be a lesson to everyone, no matter how good you are, there comes a time when enough is enough. If you’re really smart, you must not push your company to a breaking point that will make them decide to cut ties with you. Even though you’re not happy, leave in your terms and not in a way that would put you and the company in a difficult position.

If she didn’t walk out, maybe the business would still be tolerable. But she did, so we have no choice but to let her go.

Don’t make the same mistake, my friends.

Have a good week ahead!