“C- needs to see you in her office,” my co-worker said.
“Well,” I thought, “this is it.”
I wondered if I needed to pack up all my stuff before I went in there, or if firing-etiquette dictated that I wait until after The Official Conversation to put the three things I had at my workstation in my lunch bag, because I didn’t have box.
It was a long walk across a small office, with people staring at me while pretending not to stare at me. No one shouted, “Dead man walkin’!” as I neared C-‘s office, but if they had, it’s not like I could argue. All I could think about on that seemingly interminable walk was how stupid I’d been. There was seemingly a new story every week about someone getting fired for posting something negative about a co-worker or supervisor on some social media site, and I had done it anyway (I won’t say which site, but it rhymes with “spacenook”).
“Have a seat,” she said, closing the door. I immediately noticed one of the company V.P.’s sitting in the office as well, which has GOT to be a good sign, right?
“You know why you’re in here,” C- began. “I did everything I could. But it literally has come down to my job or yours. And Chuck, it should tell you something about the job you’ve done here that I actually thought about it. But at the end of the day, I can’t lose my job. I know you can’t either, but if it’s down to you or me, I have to pick me.”
It’s not like I didn’t understand. I may be an idiot, but I’m not a moron. I’d run my mouth, and my own mouth bit me. It had happened all of my life.
I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said. “I assume we’ve got some forms for me to sign.” I was already headed towards that weird, giddy-but-terrified feeling you get after a firing or a divorce, where you think both, “DEAR GOD, WHAT I AM I GOING TO DO???” and “I’M FREEEEE!!!!”
“Yes,” she said, “We’ve got some things here to go over, but I want to talk to you about something first.”
This is the part I wasn’t expecting, and the part that has stayed with me ever since.
“I want you to know that I care about you and what happens to you. You do…did…an excellent job here, and we’re going to miss you. And I also want you to do something for me. From now on, no matter how angry you get at someone, whether it’s in your professional or personal life, I want you to think before you speak. Take some time to really step back and think about what you’re about to say, and if it’s really how you want to proceed.”
A lot of people wouldn’t have gone that extra mile. Maybe it’s the difference between a small company and a large company, but I think it’s more the kind of person she is.
And after some hugs and some V.P.-supervised crying, I left. And I miss that particular job, even though I’m now working again in the same field. I’m also thinking before I speak now, thanks to C-.