In April I hired a young woman for the lab, to run the washing machines. She had interviewed well, having put on the best she had in the way of clothes and letting me know she needed a job without the usual begging. It took about 2 days to figure out she was capable of more than running washers and dryers, and through course of conversation I learned she had 1 year of the Microsoft curiculum at the local trade school. At this time I was also looking for a clerk to handle all the inventory and lotting requirements I've been handling, as well as be a part-time secretary. I decided to give her a try. To make a long story short, she did better than I expected, assimilated the job plus a lot more in a month and a half, and has been a real benefit.
Obviously, since her desk is in the ante-room coming into my office, we interact a lot. I like to get to know all the people who work for me (often considered a weakness by my superiors) but have learned a lot about this one in particular. She is 24 and a single mother (never married). The father of the baby is drug dealer and she has served 4 months herself for being a 'mule'. She talks extensively about wanting to seperate herself from her past as a drug addict. Her baby spent part of the time she was in jail with a foster family, part of it with her family. She does not qualify for State assistance with health care and child rearing because she refuses to officially name the baby's father as such. Georgia has a law requiring this in order for mothers to get assistance, the State then goes out and recovers expenses from the deadbeat dads. The problem? If she names him in order to get the assistance, he automaticaly gets visitation and partial custody, and she doesn't want the baby exposed to the drugs, etc, he is involved with. So she chooses to tough it out and go it alone.
She has been doing good with her efforts to start a new life, but 3 weeks ago she started dating one of the contractors working for me. Since that time, her performance has dropped off, she looks like she is not getting enough sleep, and there have been a couple of days I have suspected she has been on something other than caffeine. Her attendance has deteriorated, and by the book I should have fired her this past Thursday based on attendance during her 90 day probationary period. Instead I had a long heart to heart about lifestyle choices, and how close she was to losing the job.
So, there are 2 days left in her probationary period. She becomes eligible for our health insurance on Wednesday. If she signs on, then goes into rehab, it's a problem. We are a small self-insured company. The premiums we all pay are based on total expenditures. There are 112 employees on our insurance at the moment. If she becomes #113, then we spend $100,000 on rehab, everyone elses premium goes up by $892/year or $74/month. Do I have an obligation to all the rest of the employees to avoid this risk? Or does this girl deserve a chance to turn her life around? Despite anecdotal evidence she is still making bad choices?
Aiy aiy aiy. I have 48 hours to decide.
Ain't life as a rich white guy boss a piece of cake?
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7 comments:
I know it's unkind to her in the short term, but...could you make her a contract employee instead of permanent? Then you'd be able to wiggle out of the benefits issue.
If she can prove herself over the duration of the contract, then maybe she'd be a contender for a permanent position. Just a thought.
I don't envy you having to make this decision. Good luck.
The company has never done that- it has always been if you survive 90 days you get benefits.
Down to 24 hours and I still can't make a decision.....
I read this post - twice this morning - and again just now. And in between thought a lot about it. This is not a good place to be, Mr. White Guy Boss Man.
Without the benefit of knowing what she told you in your long heart-to-heart conversation recently, I'd have to suggest following the regulations the company has established regarding the 90-day probation period. The End.
However...and I say this because I know (in a way) how much you need the help and how much you want to help the people who work for you...can you extend the probation period by 60 days? Since she has not met the 90 day probation period requirements - but only in the last few weeks has her performance slipped - maybe a kick in the pants is all she needs?
I hate to say it, and I think you already know this, but you have to consider your entire flock...not just the lost sheep.
Additional info that has come to light:
She is required to take a drug test monthly as a condition of her probation. It is semi-random, in that they call her at any time during the month and she has 2 hours to report to the Sheriff's dept for the test. Since her employment status factors in to frequency of probation officer visits, they are willing to share with me the information that "since she ain't back in jail, she ain't failed none".
She says that she was buzzing on caffeine those days, and she does in fact keep a pot of coffee going almost all the time.
She has told her boyfriend that things have to slow down, something I have confirmed by listening at the job-site where he is working putting in the new range affectionatly called "The Beast". He will be dumping her, and as hard as this sounds she will probably be better off without him. I will not mention any of this to her, but I have told her in a fatherly/uncle-y conversation that she has made a baby and her first obligation is to him, and that she may just have to go without a man in her life for a little while as she gets on her feet.
Bottom line- she is keeping her job. I do still feel she has tremendous potential, and in less than 3 months has been a tremendous relief to my work load. My boss is now aware that I am using her full time as a clerk/assistant and no longer as a lab tech.
My gut tells me this is the right thing. It has rarely let me down in the past.
NG- thanks for the input.
This company has no real regulations. I have put into practice many of the 'sound business practices' I brought in from life in mega-corporation world, but we have nothing written down. That is the book I referenced in my original post. I am basicly free to do as I please, but she does get benefits on her 91st day. That's as close as we come to a formal rule. We are working on an employee handbook now, hopefully we will have something completed soon.
I hope your "gut" is right. I really do. What a horrible situation to be in, SD.
Life in a smallish, family owned business has it's advantages, but things like this have to really be looked at here. In the last company, with 7000+ employees at it's peak, it was a drop in the bucket.
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