I have not always been a full time performer. There was a time when I had what some might call 'a real job'. I'm not sure why it's called that. My job is just as real as the next persons. But perhaps because my job seems more glamorous or fun that is why people don't consider it a 'real job', or maybe because I LOVE my job, lol.
Anyway, I was thinking today of when, many years ago now, I was working as a supervisor and was having trouble with one particular employee. He was a bad seed, I did everything to treat him like everyone else. The only problem was he was always causing trouble and I had to call him on it, time and again. I did let him slide on more that one occasion, but even I have my breaking point.
So one day he gets out of line and I decide 'enoughs enough' let's take this to the managers office and have a little talk. The manager talked to him and I figured that this issue was over. As we walked from the office into another part of the building the troublemaker pulled a knife on me. In fact, he whipped it out so fast he dropped it. And he did this in front of about 8 other employees. I walked right up to him with the knife still in his hand and told him where he could 'put the knife' (you'll need to use your imagination on that part). As we stood there face to face, all the other employees were freaking out, the manager even came out. The trouble maker put the knife away and then proceeded to leave the building.
My eye witnesses were still freaked out over it. Being new to the supervisor position, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I wondered if I should file a complaint or something. Looking back it was clear that the police should have been called. However, do you know not ONE fellow employee would back me up and say that they saw him with a knife!!! They all stood there and watched it and not one would support me when I did file a complaint. Oh, for the record, I was very well liked, so it wasn't like they wouldn't support me because I was a jerk. They didn't support me because they feared the knife wielder!
I suppose he knew what his fate would be and he never returned and a couple days later he notified us that he quit. I'm not sure why, it was clear the upper management wasn't going to do anything, cowards! But he left on his own. HOWEVER, that isn't the end of the story. Fast forward a couple years and I find out that this very same guy was now in jail. Why?
Well it turns out, he left our company to go to work for the Postal Service and while there he pulled a knife on one of his supervisors!!!! They didn't hesitate to fire him and have the police deliver him off to jail! He could still be there for all I know, lol!
So there is a story from my days of having a so called 'real job'. And for the record, NO I do not miss those days, lol!!!!!
