“Don’t You Want to Know Why We’re Letting You Go?”

  Now Alan, with Dave our new branch manager, had to find a replacement for Gloria in the back room. Knowing Rachel was unhappy where she was as a teller at her branch, I suggested to her that she apply for the position. She was reluctant because Dave, our manager hits on her in a seedy sort of way.

  So instead, Alan and Dave hired an older woman that had interviewed from outside the company. When she showed up for work, she looked completely different from when she interviewed. She had worn a wig amongst other things and looked decades older than she had in the interview. I didn’t see her when she interviewed, so I couldn’t compare, but I do know that for her age, she wore skirts that were too short and she came off as very strange personality wise.

  Geraldine tried to be nice to her, but grew a disliking for her almost immediately. When this woman made a mistake she would curse like a sailor and then turn around and filed a formal complaint when our lovable old lady, Geri, cursed in her vicinity.

  The longer she worked there the worse things got. Geraldine had an M&M candy dish on her desk that she leaves for people to take M&M’s as they wish. One day this woman came in and filled it with chocolate covered pretzels because that is what she liked. Geraldine was done with her. I found the whole thing rather amusing . Around Christmas time, when we were getting Christmas cards, she would tape them up around her desk. When they included candy canes and chocolates, those too ended up taped to the side of her desk. Who tapes up pieces of chocolate to their desk? Anyone?

  At  one point she broke into a rather violent tirade after a phone conversation that made it quite clear this woman was not entirely stable. In the end, her goal was to make it past the 60 days until she got benefits and then go on disability. She did not hide this fact. She did not make it to 60 days. The day Alan and Dave let her go, I was out at lunch. There was a fear of a possible violent reaction, but what actually happened was more shocking. She burst out of the room in tears and ran to Geraldine of all people. Geraldine, generally come off as cold and heartless to most people and although it was clear to everyone that Geraldine did not like this woman, she was the person she ran to. They went to the rest room and talked. Geraldine calmed her down and got her of ‘the ledge’ so to speak. The woman was worried about what she was going to do, and about being able to find a job at her age (which is a true concern and possibly why she targeted Geraldine, whom was also around her age.) Geraldine truly felt bad for her, but not enough to feel like she wanted to continue working with her.

  After the woman had left, we asked Alan what happened and if it was hard to do (Alan is too nice) he said that he didn’t even tell her anything. He said "I called her into my office and she came in and yelled out "I’m fired!!!!" and as she started to leave I asked her ‘Don’t you want to know why we’re letting you go?’ and she said ‘No.’ " She knew it was coming…

  In the meantime, even though I found most of her antics and people’s reactions to her amusing , I had my own motives for wanting her gone that didn’t involve fear or annoyance at this woman. Rachel regretted not applying for the position. I had let Rachel know that things were not working out with this woman and even before Alan fired this woman, I let Alan know a quick replacement was possible if he did decide to pull the trigger.

The trigger was pulled and the stage was set…