Firing Anna's Abuser on the Spot
No HR, no process, no lawyer on the phone — just a decision that couldn't wait.
#Pillar1-Mindset
When I started U-Flow I was involved in every hire. I didn't have the money for an HR person, or really the need for one. It was just me and the crew building roof drain seals.
Then, as U-Flow started to grow we were hiring more people. We still didn't have an HR department and that meant hiring was done by every department manager. I no longer was involved in each hire.
For example Gabe, our production foreman would hire who he liked to work with.
Our controller, David, had hired a bookkeeper. A nice, soft spoken middle aged man who was polite and got his work done. His name was Lorenzo.
Anna was our cracker jack sales and marketing person. A five foot nothing ball of energy. The customers loved her The staff loved her. Part of the reason they loved her was she drove a huge pickup truck. She really made a statement.
The problem was Lorenzo loved her too much.
One day Anna came to me, closed my office door, and almost in tears told me how she was working late the previous night and so was Lorenzo. Before leaving for home she used the ladies washroom. Lorenzo entered the washroom and threatened to molest her. Anna got out of the situation and was obviously scared and upset.
That's why she was in my office.
So the question is what should I do?
You're probably thinking what most owners are trained to think: call a lawyer, start a file, follow a process.
I can tell you what I did.
I asked Anna what she wanted to do.
She didn't want anyone to know, she just wanted me to talk to Lorenzo.
She left, I thought and then called Lorenzo into my office.
I fired him on the spot for sexual misconduct.
I followed him to his desk, out of the building and never heard from him again.
We had no HR, no process, so I did what I felt was right. I didn't care if there was a lawsuit, legal fees, or anything like that. I wanted this cancer removed quickly.
It had a huge boost of morale in the company, especially among the female employees who had also sensed Lorenzo's prying eyes. The firing showed courage and values alignment to our company culture which was "Do What You Think is Right".
So the lesson learned here is don't get bogged down in process, HR routines etc.. If something is bad fix it now.
As a mentor of mine, Mark, once told me, "Phil your first loss is your best loss". So even if Lorenzo sued us I would have had no problem paying the legal fees, standing up in court and telling a judge the reason for his firing. That felt OK to me and the rest of the employees.
Some losses you should be glad to take.
One next step: This week, name the one problem in your building you already know is bad — and fix it now, before the process catches up.
Further reading:
- Leaders Eat Last — Simon Sinek (Portfolio, 2014). The leader's first duty: safety of the people - fired on the spot honours it.
- Good to Great — Jim Collins (HarperBusiness, 2001). Rigorous people decisions taken without delay.
- The Culture Code — Daniel Coyle (Bantam, 2018). What immediate action broadcasts to everyone watching.