One of the hardest things to do
It has been several weeks since I had to perform my least favorite action since beginning my work with my current company. I work in a group of people that do the IT for an engineering firm, as you can imagine the economy is currently not in a high growth spurt and my firm decided it needed to trim wherever it could. So for the first time since I joined them 7 years ago I was asked to review my staff and let someone go.
Initially I was sure I couldn't afford it, we're all busy, there must be some way for me to get out of not only ruining someones career here, but going through the pain it would cause. I was told several months in advance that if things didn't improve it might occur, well the day came and they told me I had 2 weeks to come to a decision.
In IT you have a wide variety of personalities and ages, and we are no different. Within my team was a couple of possible candidates, none of whom though deserved to be released because of their performance. In my mind it would be far easier to do, if there were a slacker, someone that obviously should have been helped out the door long ago. There was one fellow though that was a hard worker, had been with us a good length of time, but just never quite seemed to figure out how to mesh with the other members of the team. He had both supporter and detractors, and as it happens was a believer and a very honorable individual.
The decision was forced upon me, I could not make someone else decide, it was my department and I was asked to make a choice. It was a hard one, but one thing kept reoccurring in my thoughts. If it were me, God would provide. The situation the person was in here was a tough one, past managers and his performance working within the team had left him with a poorer reputation than probably was currently deserved. But that's the tough thing about reputations, get a bad one and it takes a long time to change the memories of those around you. That is ultimately what made my decision, there was one other who was on the bubble, but I don't think he would have faired as well as the one I had to let go.
I know that God will provide for him, (right now he is still looking and it i a tough time so please pray for John's former worker) and without the tarnish he had to carry to every project from prior perceptions I fell like he will be vastly more successful. So even though I know it is horribly hard on him and his family I pray that God will reward him with a position that he can not only make a difference in the company but an eternal one on the coworkers.
It wasn't me. It could have been. It could have been you. I prayed and continue to pray for him, I hope that when called I will treat life's challenges as opportunities to glorify our father in heaven. How we show our faith in moments of tragedy and triumph speaks volumes of our relationship with God. May I strive to prove worthy of his Love, not that I could ever do so, yet we have to try don't we? I may not be calling it the right word but I am just so grateful of the Love Jesus had for me, that I want to try. My former work friend acquitted himself well when he left. He was all smiles and statements of thanks for the opportunities he was given here, and today I received an email where he told me that even though he hadn't found work yet he knew God would provide.
I hope that I do not ever need to do this again, but sadly, a brother and his faith made my grief easier.
