Dramatic exits

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Have you witnessed or been involved in a dramatic firing? Have you ever seen anyone escorted from your building by security? (I'm wondering how common a practice that is.)

-- Mo (moira@diarist.net), August 28, 1999

Answers

At the agency where I work, we went through a horrible horrible period where we could not find a suitable executive director. The agency had hired this man named Dan, who seemed ok at first.

It's hard to feel sorry for people who turn your democratic office into a dictatorship.

He would not listen to the staff whatsoever. In fact, he had even made comments (since he was one of three male staff in an agency of 25) about being in charge of "so many women" and would give pet projects only to the other two males in the office.

Once, in a staff meeting, he asked if any of the staff had anything to say. Well, not to be a wallflower, I decided to speak for the agency and let this jerk know what we had ALL been gossipping about for months. "you don't listen to us, you make comments about us being your women which is innappropriate, you don't have a clue about what we do out in the field, you're spending money on things that we don't need..." I poured it all out and finally, after tears welled up in my eyes, I said, "I've been working here happily for two years, and if things continue to progress the way they've been progressing, I think you are going to lose me as well as a lot of your staff members."

"That is fine, if you don't like working here, you are welcome to find another job."

The room was floored. Nobody could believe that this was his reaction to the staff coming to him and trying to tell him what a fuck up he was.

Needless to say, I went directly to the board of directors with all my complaints. I think they had an inkling as to what a jerk he was, but believe me, I felt like they were finding out for the first time when I told them how miserable I was and how I had found another job as a result.

Two days later, I was standing at the copy machine when I saw Mark and Gill from the board come into the office. They went directly into Dan's office, and the door was shut. Nobody knew what was going on.

The next thing I knew, Dan came out of his office with tears in his eyes. He looked directly at me. "Why?" he said, as he carried a box with his things in it out to his SUV.

"Because you're a fucking asshole," I Thought to myself.

But I did feel like it was my fault that he was fired. I know now that it was the best thing that ever happened to the agency, but I wonder what happened to him and if he still holds a grudge against me for going to the board with my concerns.

--stasi
http://www.sweetpeas.org

-- stasi (stasi@sweetpeas.org), August 28, 1999.


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