Had a good run yesterday, though I was thankful when it was over. There's always a point, usually near the beginning of one, when, from the knees down, my legs feel as if they're on fire. The sensation is fleeting, but when it occurs I half expect my legs to snap like kindling. Hasn't happened yet, but you never know.
Karen called me at work yesterday and gave me a hard sell about brining Gio back. For those of you who don't remember, or are new to this journal, Gio is a guy who used to work for us a driver and, because of his hot temper and poor coping skill, used to walk out frequently and with much fanfare. Karen kept bringing him back into the fold, despite my misgivings, and eventually Gio did me a favor and quit, this time appearing to actually mean it.
Some time went by and all of a sudden Gio's back, working on a tent job. Karen even went through the trouble of calling me the day before he came back to let me know it was a temporary thing and that she didn't want him back. I had my doubts, though. The whole thing smacked of a badly broken up couple that keeps getting back together while telling everyone around them, and even themselves, that they never would. I expected to see more of Gio, and I did.
Over the last couple of weeks, Gio's been working here sporadically. Karen's never said anything, but I've noticed that the one day he's been working steadily is on my day off. I began to realize that Karen was engineering Gio's comeback and there was nothing I could do. She's worked with Gio a lot longer than she's worked with me and I think her judgement concerning him is clouded. Now, I could never say that to her, at least not in that manner. No, I've tried the diplomatic approach and it's not gotten me far.
When Karen called me yesterday about Gio, I wasn't surprised, only disheartened. She expressed so much frustration with Al and Larry's poor work ethic that she felt the only solution to the problem was to fire them and bring Gio back. She told me Gio told her that Al has been using the company credit card to put gas in his truck. He also told her that the guys out back have been robbing her blind and laugh about how they have me fooled. As a result, Karen said she would rather take someone who walks out a lot, but is trustworthy, over someone, namely Al, who she's pretty sure is a rotten thief in addition to being a shitty worker.
I interjected that, in spite of the fact that I agreed with her that Al and Larry needed to go if , I didn't think re-hiring Gio was the solution. Furthermore, I let her know that I didn't have any reason to trust Gio. She seemed shocked and asked me why I don't trust him. I explained that Gio's broken my trust several times, simply by walking out on me. And whatever Al's faults may be, real or perceived, he's never walked out once. In fact, he was usually the guy to come in on his day off to fill in for Gio during one of his walkouts. And, I asked her, is it not conceivable that Gio might make up stories about Al's stealing in order to get his job back? Who would stand to gain from Al being fired? Gio, of course. Karen replied that Gio would never do that, that one thing had nothing to do with the other. That was when I knew for sure there was nothing I could do or say to change her mind. I tried, though.
She referred to Gio as "the only game in town", that there is no one else out there who's as capable. I disagreed with her and counseled that we should look beyond Gio and hire someone new. The job is not astro physics; most people with half a brain could handle it. All we needed to find was someone with a good work ethic. Karen seemed to think that was impossible.
In the end, I said, without really saying it, that it would probably come down to me a choice between me and Gio. And, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if she went with him. It would be a crazy move, but the way things have developed thus far, it wouldn't be a surprising one. We ended the conversation without resolving anything. I don't have anything against Gio as a person, and aside from his walkouts, he's an above average worker. My feeling is that if we hire him back, he'll walk out again and again and will suffer no repercussions. He will have immunity where everyone else, including me, won't. He will be able to do what he wants when he wants. That is not a good thing to have in the workplace.
She told me we'd discuss the matter further today. Gio, because Al and Ross have the day off, is supposed to come in. We've been open for an hour and he's nowhere to be seen. Fucking typical! Given the backwards way of handling personnel around here, we should probably give him a raise for this.
Post script:
Gio eventually came in and it wasn't his fault that he was late. Karen had told him we didn't need him. Ironically, I'm relieved that he came in, because if he didn't, I'd be the one driving through Boston making the rounds
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