What would you do? Bittersweet situation ...?
Bittersweet I need some advice. I work in an optometrist's office in Scottsdale. At my work, things have been pretty insane lately. Our manager left back home to Denmark over a month ago, and we just hired someone new to take her place, as well as getting a new tech in the last month. The only other girl there has been there almost a year, and her and I are great friends. Our Direrector of Operations has been helping out, and everything has been kind of stressful in our little office. That's not the problem. Every month, everyone in the office has to fill out their upcoming goals for the next month in order to get our incentives. One of my goals was to learn some opticianing duties. (An optician works with the patients after the doctor sees them, helps them select eyewear/contacts, and interprets the prescriptions. Basically, it's a pharmacist in the optical world. It's a great job.) Shortly after I gave the paperwork to our Director, she calls me back and asks if this is something I am really interested in, and of course, I say yes! I was so excited! The NEXT day, our new manager asks to see me in his office. He asks if the director has talked to me. I say no. He tells me that I am going to start training to become an optician. Awesome right? Well, he says I am going to train to become an optician in our office ... to replace my own friend's job. As in, they plan on firing her as soon as I am trained. Oh, then the sinking feeling in my stomach comes. This SUCKS! On one hand, this girl is my FRIEND! I mean, I have babysat her kid, we've gotten drunk together, shopped together and got our nails done, we carpool every day! I know her fiance, her brother, she lives a mile from me and I've been there for her when her grandma died. On the other hand, this is an opportunity like none other for me. Going from a receptionist to an optician in 6 months is unheard of in ther industry. My title is something I would ber proud of, it would be nearly $3 more an hour, not counting any of the commision I get from sales. (Nearly $500 a paycheck.) I would get a huge corner of this beatiful office to myself, be second only to the manager, and get business cards! AGH, but it's my FRIEND. And do I even want to work for a company that wants to fire a girl I consider great at her job for no apparent reason? And, that makes me hold the burden of knowing she is about to be fired while I shoot the breeze driving her to work everyday?
Careers & Employment - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
A tough call - no doubt...but, Its not personal - its just business. There maybe issues that your not aware of that are forcing the company to let your friend go...or perhaps they just feel you would make a better optician than her. Either way, at the end of the day you have to do what is best for you and your family, not what is best for hers...and if the company has already made its mind up - their going to replace her with someone...might as well be you...
2 :
Honestly, if I was in your friends position, I would want to know. She might feel betrayed if you take her position, but it takes a big person to tell her what is going on, I know if a friend of mine knew that kind of information I would want to know about it so I could start to prepare for the future. I would just be honest about what is going on and see how she feels about things, that way you guys can try to help eachother out.
3 :
Well, first off, are you sure by "replacing" her that they are firing her? It is unprofessional for a business to tell an employee if they are planning on firing someone, if not against policy to do so. Maybe she is getting another offer and you are merely taking her place? I would first confirm exactly what they are telling you. If it is infact a situation where they are letting her go, do in your heart what you feel is the best thing to do. It can only be up to you and you only. Personally, if the business is telling you that they are letting your friend go, they are not a professional business in the first place, and maybe its not worth your friend.
4 :
Ahhh, this is a sticky situation. If I were you, I'd turn down the offer, even though this is your dream job. Your friendship with the girl is more important. There's bound to be more opportunities out there waiting for you. Don't do anything that you'll regret later!
5 :
Something doesn't seem right about the situation. Why do they want to replace her? You might go back and ask your manager why they want to replace her. If you get an evasive answer, I would be concerned. Are they letting her go to replace her at a lower salary? Is there some other bias involved (race, religion, etc.)? All things being equal on the other hand, you have ethical and friendship considerations. If you value her friendship over your job, you might want to explain this to her and start looking for a better opportunity. If you decide otherwise, and value her job over your friendship, you might not be the best person for one to become friends with. A sticky situation. Only you can make the decision.
6 :
Look at it this way - you get free training - so take it. At the end, if they fire her and hire you, and you feel real bad, you can go work someplace else, but no one can take the training from you - and if the company is dishonest, then all the better. I have friends at work that are not good employees - and you don't know what is really going on - but I would NOT tell your friend about this. 1) Because you shared something that was told to you in confidence, you can get fired immediately. 2) If you misheard something, it can cause pain. 3) Your friend may turn on you and think that this is something that you instigaged (trust me, this has happened, hence the phrase don't shoot the messenger). Take what it offered - it is a great opportunity. BTW, it is not your fault that she may or may not be fired, unless you go out drinking together during lunch (LOL).
7 :
Did they tell you they are firing her or are you just assuming that you are replacing her? They might be planning to move her up or over to another store, you don't know for sure. If you want to proceed with a clear conscience, then tell her you are training for the new duties and let her interpret that information on her own. She can ask them what their plans are, you are not responsible for her job and you are not taking anything away from her since it sounds like they had those plans whether or not you were going to go for training. This happens in the business world and in the future it might be better not to be so chummy with work mates. I worked with someone who was fired, it's not pleasant and yes you feel strange about it but it isn't your fault.
8 :
This is a really difficult situation for you, and I feel for you. If the situation were reversed - if your friend got her dream job and you had to find another - would you be happy for her? I think eventually you would be, even if it was tough at first. The fact that you're agonizing over this tells me that you really are a good friend to this woman. There are a lot of reasons why this situation could have come into being. Perhaps your friend is good at her job, but the office doesn't need (or can't afford) someone with her skills AND someone with yours. Perhaps you've shown more potential/initiative. Perhaps she's not doing the great job you think she is because you don't see everything that she's doing. The bottom line is, you are not her boss, and you are not responsible for the hiring, promoting, and firing decisions that are being made. The most difficult thing for you will be to pretend that everything is fine until she's made aware that it isn't. What you might want to do in the meantime is keep an ear out for opportunities for your friend, and be ready with some suggestions/networking to help her find a new job when the axe does fall. If you know anyone who's hiring, you may even want to put in a word with them now so they will recruit her and she can leave on her own terms, never the wiser that she was on thin ice. If she does end up getting fired, she may resent you at first, but if you have an honest heart-to-heart with her to tell her how badly you feel for her situation, she'll come around eventually. I've had to lay off many people that I considered close friend....the ones that really are your friends get over the fact that you are just doing a job. The ones that aren't....well, you find that out, too. Good luck, and take care.
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