Useless

A few days ago a lady I work with shared some of her concerns with me.

She works in the same position I do for another group in the advertising department, and she started about a month before I did.

She asked me if there is a certain number of mistakes we're allowed before they'll get rid of us. She said she'd made several mistakes when she first started and she didn't think her team liked her very much. And she was afraid she might lose her job.

She said I was good at my job and everyone loved me and she asked if I could help her at all.

She is timid, kind, attractive, probably in her mid-forties, and because she grew up in Columbia she has an accent that is a real joy to listen to.

She said she loved the job and didn't want to lose it.

I told her I didn't know of any allotment of errors we were given. And that I thought she was unnecessarily worrying herself. I said that I didn't know what kind of mistakes she had made but if they were early on and she had shown any improvement then it would be silly for them to get rid of her.

I said that even if, for some reason that I can't possibly imagine, they did terminate her employment, then she could at least go to a place that did appreciate and respect her and everything she had to offer, and that would be so much better than being in a place that you didn't feel wanted and were worried about keeping your job. "But I really don't think that will happen. You are a benefit to this place. And they know that."

Especially if she loved the job.

I could understand if she didn't like the job... that would start to show up in her productivity and work ethic, and they would be doing her a favor to let her go... but that obviously wasn't the case. And they can't afford to get rid of people who love their job, because they improve the general productivity and morale of the entire work place.

She thanked me for my kind words and encouragement. We were instant friends.

They fired her today.