02/07/2024

My Employee Helped a Fired Colleague Get a New Job--and Lied About It

How the employer should respond and feel

A reader asks: I own a small business and a year ago hired an employee on a work visa, "Meg." While at my company, she met another employee, "Belinda," who I ended up firing a few months later due to numerous problems.

Knowing that they remained friends, I did not discuss with Meg my reasons for firing Belinda, and asked her to keep sensitive information about the company confidential. She agreed and said she would "remain professional."

A few months later, I had dinner with Meg and her fiancé, Dave, as friends. Dave manages a luxury retail store and gave me what I thought was good advice on employee management, asking me why I thought Belinda did not perform well and reassuring me that I did everything I could before firing her. I stayed as vague as possible, knowing that they were friends with her.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.