Quite the weekend.
Not sure where this is going. I had quite a work week (end). Aside from the usual nonsense, I had the unenviable task of firing two people and cutting the schedule for another. I had two of my other girls be hospitalized, one from an allergic infection and one from AIDS complications. Everyone is on the road to recovery, but it meant making phone calls and contingency plans and re-arranging schedules for people. When you're unsure of just how ill someone is or how long you have to arrange coverage it's a daily chore of putting people in place for a theoretical absence and then "pulling the trigger" on it when the absence is confirmed. On top of that I got me some new girls that we finally managed to make permanent schedules for. So I'm dealing with a whole slew (OK 3) of gay men from many lands. And finally, I was informed recently that I'm making my new room mate "uncomfortable and unwelcome". Add a layer of allegations that I'm "gunning for" HIV positive employees and my head feels like my brain may liquify and leak out my ears.
First, the firings. I had to let go one of our performers and I'm not sure why exactly. I freely admit, when he started I thought he had the personality of lettuce. I still don't think you would ever associate him with the phrase "rollicking good time" but there's no getting around that he's a talented musician and capable performer. It seems he's being used as proof that the bar is being managed. Something is being done. Heads have rolled. Changes have been made. All a part of an ongoing desire to react to a slight dip in revenue and to preserve the status quo. Or rather avenues to a paycheck and alcohol. The second firing was just a case of someone wanting me to take action, even if he may not have understood that's what he wanted. He had repeatedly just not shown up for scheduled shifts. There was always a reason that had to do with either his HIV medication or his medication for a bi-polar disorder or a lost weekend due to his crystal meth addiction. Seeing a pattern? As did I. And while I'm able to try to allow people to see that their addiction/drug use/dependancy has gotten out of hand and let them keep their job while they try to get themselves under control, there is only so far I'm willing to go. He clearly crossed the line and I finally felt that my sense of self respect would take a huge hit if I didn't act. And as much as I'm willing to take a chance I can't let other employees think that that kind of behavior is acceptable. If you don't show up for work and nothing bad happens to you than you have to show up for work when you don't feel like it why, exactly? You see my point? It wasn't HIV. It wasn't bi-polar. It was you have to show up for work when expected to or at least let me know when you can't so I can fix it.
Case in point. My employee who had to be hospitalized. He got word to us that he wouldn't be available for a few days and assured us that he would let us know when he was returning. A little up in the air but you're dealing with health/medicine and it's inherently inexact. That's OK. I can cover his shifts until he's better. That's what I do. But you have to arm me with information before I can ride into battle for you. Everyone (HIV+ or not) is allowed to get sick. But they have to remember I'm running a business around all this chaos. Hopefully, message received.
And besides, it makes The Hellcat's misadventure with his infected bug bite (seriously!) seem positively benign. I'm off to visit him in St. Vinnie's and smuggle in some cheeseburgers. The food there is the horrible stuff of legend. Ta-ra!
