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The Dog Ate My Homework ...
October 4, 2022
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Just when I thought I'd heard everything. We've all had our share of radio craziness, but I've never heard of anyone using their pet as part of an excuse to quit a job. I kept shaking my head the whole time I transcribed this conversation.
OM: Anyone ever quit on you less than a month into the job?
Coach: Yes, I once hired a PD in between programming jobs for a morning show producer job. He quit a six-figure salary in less than 4-weeks. His reason, “Based on my skills, I wasn’t allowed to contribute to the direction of the morning show.”
OM: Well, I've got one that might top that. I found just the right person to add to my 2-person show. I needed someone well versed in using social media. After a lot of interviews and background checks, I hired this guy. He was working in a medium sized market and he seemed excited about the chance to get back to a larger market. His story for returning to the smaller market was to take care of his mother after his father had died.
Coach: He sounds like a good guy.
OM: We thought so too. He was scheduled to drive in on an agreed upon date. Then he called the Monday on the week of that he was supposed to get here and asked if he could change the date because of some last-minute things to take care of.
Coach: Did his mother have a health set back?
OM: No, it had to do with finishing up some renovations on his mom’s house. So, we agreed to delay his arrival.
Coach: Sorry, but can you give this person a name, I understand why you are not using it, but call him something.
OM: Okay, no problem. I'll refer to him as Mr. J. He came to town and blended in beautifully with the morning show and everyone in the cluster was impressed with him.
Coach: You’re painting a picture of bliss so far.
OM: To cut to the chase, 3 weeks in, Mr. J asked if he could drive back home because his mom was having more problems. So, I told him sure. He left on a Wednesday. He sent a brief email of resignation at 2am that Friday morning after payday to the Market Manager. I wasn’t even copied. The Market Manager called and read it to me at 6:30 in the morning.
Coach: That’s insane. Wasn’t he under contract? What did his email say?
OM: We were in the process of redoing portions of his deal. His email just said that he regrettably had resigned and that he would be in touch.
Coach: Hmmm.
OM: We were paying Mr. J $120,000 plus bonuses. By the way, his mom had called me just a few days before all this happened to thank me for hiring her son.
Coach: Did he ever finally reach back out with an explanation?
OM: Yes, he did. I'm telling you, in all my years, I've never been so fooled by anyone before. After a month or so, Mr. J finally sent me an email. Here's a portion what he had to say.
“Hi ####,
I wanted to reach out and give you more of a detailed explanation as to why I left so suddenly. There were a variety of reasons. But first off, I wanted to thank you for allowing me the days to come home and see about my mom and my dog. Unfortunately, seeing my dog in such a degraded state did influence my decision, but it wasn't the only reason.
"It became jarringly obvious that paying both rent and my mom’s mortgage was going to be more of a challenge than I originally expected. My time spent living in xxxx was far from comfortable and I wasn't sure if that was going to improve. After moving from the Extended Stay that you guys paid for during my first two weeks there, I was limited by finances and credit troubles. I was turned down for two apartments and it made me reluctant to keep applying. So, for the past four weeks, I've been at the Budget Inn near the station. While it is a clean place, it’s a little sketchy in terms of other residents. Its proximity to work made it convenient, but given my money situation, affording a real apartment was not a possibility and I knew I would have to stay at the Budget Inn for at least another two months.
"I know there was a lot of urgency and anxiety with me joining the morning show, and you, L###, and others were trying to get the best out of me. But I draw the line when people start yelling, threatening disciplinary action, creating paper trails, and fostering a tense work environment. Those tactics made me want to go in the other direction. I've worked in hostile environments before, and it was detrimental to my well-being. If the pressures from back home weren't so pressing, I would have absolutely been willing to tough out the situation for much, much longer. Every manager (yourself included) all seem like great individuals. Yet, when I hear that I'm being called "hard-headed" and demonstrating "Male diva behavior" (during my third week), from those I have to answer to daily, it added much more stress to an already stress-heavy plate in front of me.
"In summary, I apologize to you and the company for leaving like this. I should have been more forthcoming about the reasons why I left. XXXX is a fantastic place to work, and you certainly don't have to worry about me badmouthing you or the company. I know the timing of how things played out looks awful, but in the end, I have to look out for the people at home first. As the number 2 on your morning show, I could have really made some noise; I believe that 100%. But leaving my mom and my girlfriend to take care of my responsibilities -- in addition to their own --it was selfish of me. Again, I am very sorry and wish you and your company much, much success.”
Coach: That's wild, especially the reference about his dog being in a degraded state. Were you aware of any tension on the morning show?
OM: Honestly, none of us could figure out what he was taking about. We had critique sessions and I never threatened anyone one with disciplinary action. I even asked the other members of the morning show if I had said anything that could have been misinterpreted and they said no. We were all so surprised with what he said. And he was so good on the air, and we thought he was a good fit. It just goes to show you, you just never know.
Coach: What's your next move?
OM: I'm sticking with morning show the way it is for now.
Coach: Look, don’t second guess yourself. It sounds like you and your company were thorough in your vetting process. If it helps, I would've been fooled too.
OM: I've had a few strange hiring's in the past, but I don't think anything will ever top this.
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