Today sucked!

Today I feel like I lost a small part of my soul.. Today I fired a friend.

He has been a loyal and reliable employee of the company for 10 years.. about a year ago I became his supervisor and have had any real problems with him.. other then him milking the clock a little for overtime.. I asked him to work 45 hours or less he worked 49.. I asked him twice not to do it again.. he did. (I can actually live with the 4-5 extra hours of overtime.. so I was not mad, just disappointed that he did not do as I had asked.)

Then last week, while my fried was on vacation, I was told that my department needed to be restructured. Part of that restructuring was to be, to fire my friend and replace him with someone at 40 hours or less, and at a little over half the pay scale. In return a few of the tasks currently shouldered by that position would be given to another department.

I guess I could have fought this decision, but my friend came from a place of higher responsibility, to this position and did not take a pay cut.. it really is a position that could be filled with someone of less experience and with the lack of direct responsibility, a person of lower wages.. but I fought to get my friend into that position.. and now I have taken it away from him.. I have fought this change ever since he was moved into my department.. and that move was only to make way for one of the owner’s sons.. who took my friends position.. thus making him available for me.
Should I feel guilty? I guess I do not.. I just feel as if, I had to do something bad to someone I like.. and that is a hard thing for me to do.

I have fired a few people in my life, but this is the first time I was not mad at the person when I did it.. it is easy when you are mad.. this was just a very sad day.

So what now.. well I will take applications, and résumés and hope to fill m friend’s spot quickly.. I will remember that to mix friendship with business, is never a good thing.. I will probably get a bigger bonus this year, as my department will show more profit.. but I am having a hard time feeling good about that..

Thank god it is Friday.. I need a drink.. or 12.