I hate to think the worst, but an AHI employee is lying dead in a ditch somewhere. I don’t know how else to explain the fact that my now former colleague abandoned his job after working at AHI for a year. (I’ve been with AHI for almost 15 years, so I can’t understand why anyone would want to quit…let alone abandon the job.)
It all started one Thursday in June. The employee who shall remain nameless (TEWSRN) told his manager he had a doctor’s appointment that morning. Fine, no problem, as long as he came to work afterwards. Well, he never showed or called.
His manager left a message on his cell phone, and called his home multiple times until she was finally able to leave a message on the answering machine. He didn’t live alone, so she wasn’t concerned that something had happened to him and no one knew about it. She was more concerned that perhaps he had gotten bad news from his doctor.
Come Monday, with still no word from TEWSRN, she decided to call his emergency contact number: his father’s office. After she explained who she was and why she was calling to the woman who had answered the phone, she was asked whether there was something wrong. “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” the manager replied. No word from dad either.
By Wednesday, the manager had posted a job ad to find his replacement, and COBRA information was sent. TEWSRN no longer had the benefit of the doubt; if there was a medical emergency, surely we would have heard by now. Any sympathy we thought he might need turned to anger.
I know for a fact that TEWSRN was treated well at AHI. (Why do you think I’ve been here so long?) He and his manager had a good relationship. She was truly concerned for him, going above and beyond trying to contact him. So what a slap in the face it was to her and the company that the common courtesy of a resignation letter or phone call was thrown out the window. If he didn’t want to talk to his manager or have to explain himself, at the very least, he could’ve sent an e-mail or left a voice-mail message at 3 a.m. letting her know he wasn’t coming back.
Okay, I admit I am taking this too personally. Chances are TEWSRN’s actions have nothing to do with how he felt about working at AHI, and there is something going on in his personal life that we just don’t know about. But objectively speaking, I can’t help but be angry at the disruption he created.
His manager made multiple attempts to contact him and had to adjust to unexpectedly being down a person in her department.
The co-worker who was suddenly saddled with his work — and who thought they were friends — just wanted a simple phone call letting her know where he was at on certain tasks and what she needed to do to finish up.
Little does he know, or likely care, that the whole office couldn’t help but worry — and wonder, Where’s Waldo? All the gossiping and speculation was just as disruptive as the workload he left behind.
Oh, and did I mention he pulled his disappearing act right before his manager — plus, the big boss — were going on vacation? So not only did he quit in bad form, but it was also bad timing. Thanks, TEWSRN!
I truly hope that something bad has not befallen this individual, but I don’t know what else to think.
Gloria Ju
Editor in Chief
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