Real-Life Decision Making
If you manage a grocery store, you have a big responsibility on your hands. You may be faced with many weighty decisions in this job.
If you stay in this business for any length of time, sooner or later you will be faced with the predicament of firing an employee. "One of the biggest dilemmas is firing a key person in a store," says grocer E.J. Geyer.
You have a produce manager who is well liked by all the other employees. Since he has been with you for five years, he has seniority, and he has always been friendly and helpful to everyone on your team.
The problem is that for the past four weeks he has been coming to work late. Not just a few minutes, but a whole hour or two! When you ask about his tardiness, he gives you a different excuse every time. He has also been taking extra long breaks.
The worst part is that your produce department, which you have always taken great pride in, is not being cared for properly. It is not as clean and tidy as it should be, and several customers have brought mushy, moldy produce to your attention.
But two days ago, an event happened that was the final straw. Instead of putting the produce away immediately, your employee took a break and left a roller cart of grapes and apples in the aisle. It leaked and a customer slipped.
He claims that someone must have spilled something in the aisle after he left for a break. The other employees agree with him.
When you helped the angry, injured customer, you investigated the source. The fruit cart was definitely leaking! If he had put the fruit away and cleaned the area, this would not have happened.
What do you do?