Sorry to see you go
As an employee and then an officer, I’ve served in The Salvation Army for more than 35 years, during which time I’ve worked with hundreds of people. For most of that time, I’ve worked in management or leadership positions, which means, inevitably, from time to time, I’ve had to terminate a staff member’s employment. It’s not a pleasant part of the job, but nevertheless, it’s unavoidably part of the job and occasionally has to be done.
Where possible, I’ve tried to do it as diplomatically as possible and offer some encouragement to the departing employee. Some – despite the manner of their departure – have asked me to provide a written reference, and I’m always happy to do so.
This can, at times, be tricky. How do you write a reference for someone who’s just been sacked? It seems harsh to only say: “John started here on 22 January 2022 and concluded work on 4 April 2024. We wish him all the best.” And it also seems a bit obvious if you try to highlight the one thing they actually did well: “We’re going to miss, Jane. She was the best we had at replacing the paper in the photocopier. No one stacked paper like Jane.”
I wonder how some biblical references would look. Imagine if Judas didn’t kill himself but felt – because of his betrayal – that he couldn’t rejoin Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection.
“Hey, Jesus. Um, well, first, sorry about that, chief. Any chance of a reference so I can go and find another Messiah to follow?”
“Hey, Jude. Sure. Here you go: ‘Judas Iscariot worked with me for three years and showed himself to be task-oriented, profit-focused and a real go-getter. Sure, the people he went and got weren’t that nice to me, but I called Judas friend right to the end.’”
What if Thomas’s doubting escalated to the point where he felt he could no longer follow Jesus and wanted to be someone else’s disciple? What would Jesus say?
“Really sad to see Tom go, and I’d be happy to work with him again. Tom is a great guy but lacks some self-confidence; he always second-guesses himself. I know you’ll enjoy leading him, but be ready for the questions. Oh, the questions. So many. The other boys used to refer to it as ‘Question time with Tommy’ whenever he came to me for a talk. Nevertheless, great guy.”
And what about poor Lazarus? He lost his job when he, well, died; so, what would Jesus say for him in a reference when he began looking for a new job?
“Larry’s a top bloke and well worth giving a go. Occasionally lays down on the job or goes missing for a few days, but apart from that, he’s a hard worker who always responded as soon as I called him. Just one hint if you take him on: tell him to go to bed earlier and get a good night’s sleep. He’d often arrive on the scene looking like death warmed up.”
– Major Mal Davies and his wife Major Tracey are the Corps Officers at Adelaide City Salvos
