I need some serious help here...
I run a small business, my staff at the moment has 32 people, there is one employee causing some serious problems, but in an odd way...
I'm going to call her "M" for now, "M" likes to date people who she meets through work (My employees) And then once she gets bored with them she breaks up with them in the worst possible ways, she pretty much just drops them completely and ignores them on all levels and acts like they just don't exist, when she does this the employee she was dating ends up quitting 99.9% of the time, they tell me "it's too painful seeing her where I work" and then quit, I'm losing both time and money from this happening, my staff used to be 35 people including myself, it is now 32 thanks to her.
Here's the next problem, I can't fire her, she does amazing work and honestly without her this business would be in a lot of trouble, she's one of my best employees and losing her would be a huge hit to us, I've spoken to her several times about this and told her that this needs to stop if we want to stay in business, and even gave a few fake threats that she would be fired, yet she still continues to do this, and today I just found out she's dating a manager I hired not too long ago, if things turn sour between them and the manager quits, I am in deep deep trouble
Advice?
>>16618379
Shit. There's not much you can't do.
I thought it was an unspoken rule not to date coworkers.
>>16618379
its your business you need to have a no dating policy. straight up.
it seems to me you are losing money either way. everyone else is replaceable but shes not? theres plenty of talented people roaming the streets looking for a job.
>>16618398
I've put ads out online looking for someone to fill her position, but I can't find anyone qualified enough, if I lose her I'm going to be in big trouble, she's been with us for a long time now and hasn't started this whole dating thing until about last year.
>>16618379
You CAN fire her for creating a hostile environment that's causing other employees to get muscled out.
It's better to cut her loose and cut your losses to end not only the stress but your employee turnover problem.
Tell that dude what you told us.
>>16618408
seriously, make a no office romance policy. call them in and say they have to either break up or one of them has to quit. you arel osing money either way, this is the one thats making it ongoing.
what job is it?
>>16618409
>>16618414
She handles financial management for the business as well as most of the secretarial work, looking into it I see that most small and even major businesses have a no romance policy
I'm going to have to bite the bullet and cut her loose and hope there's someone who can take over her duties until I find someone fit for the job, I really didn't want it to come to this but I have no choice, I'm going to bring both of them into my office in the morning and let them know of my new policy and that if they don't break it off now I'm going to have to let them both go.
Thanks for the advice, and wish me luck that my business doesn't crash and burn from this, but honestly I have no other choice, she's going to just keep whoring herself out to people until I have no other employees left, she already drove off one of my best employees who was with us for a long time.
>>16618443
cut her loose, and if you can try to get some mof those imployees back, see what happens. yeah im surprised you didnt know this but most businesses have a no romance policy, or at the very least require that they are reported through paperwork so you cant personally be held responsible if something goes wrong.
mostly becuase of reasons like this and absue of power of course.
just hire women
>honestly without her this business would be in a lot of trouble
You have a business of 32 employees and you can't even run it effectively without one particular person? That's doubly embarrassing for you, both because you suck at running your own company and because you suck at hiring a fully competent and effective team.
>>16618577
Do you even know how a business works?
So fire her or get ready for everyone to start quitting...plain and simple.
>>16618517
This problem is being caused by a woman.
No. More. Women.
>>16618379
how about enforce a no dating coworkers rule?? i dont know, maybe start training someone to take over her position and kick her out? This behavior is unacceptable, I wouldn't care how valuable an employee is, if they keep causing this much dissatisfaction I would immediately work on finding a replacement. It's embarrassing you've been letting this happen for so long. If you keep sparing other peoples feelings in business you will be going down so quickly.
>>16618379
Let's say firing her causes you BIG trouble.
And letting all the others go is a SMALL trouble for each of them.
But if you add each person you let go + the drama + the time it takes you to manage this, pretty sure it adds up.
OP, do you have a crush on her by any chance?
>>16618379
there is literally nothing you can do. this is part of life and you're just gunna have to deal with it
A long time ago in China the emperor called the famed general Sun Tzu into his court, asking him his trick of disciplining armies. Sun Tzu smiled and asked the emperor to gather 100 of his finest concubines and have them fall in outside in the courtyard. They fell in and Sun Tzu had the emperor's 2 favorites stand in front of the division. He commanded the 2 women to tell the group to turn to the left. They did so, and we're greeted with giggles and laughs. So Sun Tzu unheated his bad and decapitated the two in front, and called for the next two to fall out in front. He commanded the same thing of them, and on the concubines commands the entire division snapped to the left without a smile.
If you made a threat of firing and don't follow through it makes you look weak as a leader and respect for you will drop.
