I have a bit of a conundrum. I have had an employee for close to 2 and a half years. He had been what any boss could want in an employee. He has been on top of everything. He has done everything I ask him to and then some. This employee is also a schizophrenic and has a slew of other mental health problems. I knew this going in as we are also friends and he lives on my property,Friends until recently. I’m unsure what has happened but as of late his mental health has been rapidly declining. Such as he use to show up at the store early, clean without being asked, give me contact info for vendors. Now the only things I have him do are clean and file. All the thing he use to do before, he started not doing or doing a very poor job. He also has completely made it to where I had to redo inventory because it was so wrong. I have lost money sleep clients and sanity because of this drastic change. But one of the reasons that I hired him was because not alot of people would because of mental heath issues. I’m now at a point that I understand that people have challenges and I feel guilty at the thought of firing him because where else will he go. I’m the only job in the area that would hire him give him the breaks he needs and be as patience as I have been. And I know this for a fact I’m the only job he’s had that has accommodated him. I’m at a place where I have given him several chances to fix and adjust and he has not done so consistently. He does better for a few days or matey even a few days but always ends up back in the same place. So now I’m in this place where he’s unpleasant to be around and I don’t know if I would be doing the right thing by firing him. I don’t what to be unethical or a shitty person by firing him. Would I be the asshole if I fired him?
I’m sorry you’re struggling with this. One of my first employers taught me a very valuable lesson - don’t be friends with the people you work with.
It does mean that you have to respect the work relationship as a special type that is different from normal friendships and relationships of choice. This is a lesson you’d do well to learn because you have a problem.
You have a moral obligation to help your friend who’s suffering greatly from mental illness. This is in direct opposition to your obligation to maintain a healthy business for yourself, clients, family and other employees. It appears as though fulfilling one of these obligations may mean you fail in the other.
I cannot tell you what to do in this situation, but wish you well as you work to resolve it. I hope you respect and honor the work relationship in the future.
Ps. Some of my closest relationships are with those who work for me, but I never “hang” or engage in purely “social” engagement and none of us would ever confuse being friendly or close with being friends.