Bad week, continued

So it's Friday, I'm feeling like, Whew! Week's almost done! This weekend Husband and I are going to the mountains to the John Campbell Folk School arts and crafts weekend. We might rent a powerboat and go out on the lake up there.

Every week, at least once a week, I think about firing Complaining Employee. Monday was no different. But as the week went on, I thought, okay, we have a little crisis at work, but she's coming up with solutions, we can do this and get back on track. She has the skills and drive to get it done and it'll be okay.

I also resolved to hire a permanent bookkeeper. Enough with the temp agency.

This morning Complaining Employee asks if we can talk. I finish what I was doing and in my heart I was hoping she would resign. I went over to her office, she does a lot of complaining, all the while saying she loves the work but then it's not really her life passion, she's not looking for public recognition but feels let down that I didn't come by her workshop back in June, and so on. What the f?

She said she has a draft of her resignation letter (yay!) ready to send not just to me, but also the organization's board of directors, an outside assistance organization who came a few weeks ago, and our major funder. Can you believe that?!? What a passive-aggressive, manipulative, blackmailer!

Well, I thanked her for sharing all this, mea culpa for my part in the little crisis, yes I need to stop being reactive and be more proactive, apparently I haven't been as supportive as clearly she liked, and that I was confident that she had the skills to do this job (whining aside). I mean, she often brings up her past accomplishments which shows she can deal with the situation. Apparently however she was able to accomplish those things only with copious amounts of complaining along with it.

She also complained about my judgment to continue using temps from the temp placement agency that sent people with criminal backgrounds. But then felt that I didn't give the temp with the criminal background a chance to defend herself. Hello! You're the one freaked out by the possibility of identity fraud! She also threw in a couple of complaints against other staff and comments about me being young(er than she is).

That was in the morning. This afternoon, I get a call from a project partner saying they'd like to make Complaining Employee project director, not just coordinator. This, from the project director who in the begining didn't even like Complaining Employee. This is quite the turn around.

Next week all the project partners, including Complaining Employee and I, will sit down and talk about next steps, who does what, etc. There is a way to get back on track, and everything will work out one way or the other.

But for crying out loud, what to do about the passive-aggressive, manipulative, blackmailing?

As my mantra has become in the last year -- I'll think about it.