For background, I own a vc back tech startup and raised more than 5M in funding. I (M34) am married, important for later.
I hired a good friend (F27) as a first employee, who i have worked with in the past but also I trust.
The problems started shortly after she joined. She started treating the company as if she owns it, under the excuse of “I would do anything for you”. That particular argument, was taken even farther in terms of offering massages late in the evening, which I found weird.
In addition to all that, she started treating other people in the company like shit. I mean, asking me in front of them to fire them because they don’t stay up late to “prove their commitment to our vision”.
The final straw was when she f*vked one of my investors. Specifically, some investors invited me to a fancy dinner and took her with me. She proceeded to flirt with him and after dinner they went for drinks on their own. As soon as they left she started texting me that “she’s doing it for the company” to which I didn’t reply. Shortly after she started sending me photos of herself in underwear at his place saying stuff like “he’s in the bathroom, do you think he’s going to like me?”.
This all happened last night, and considering of firing her on Monday. Do you think it’s the right move, or am I thinking this incorrectly?
Temp account for obvious reason.
Comments
This isn’t just a red flag it’s a wildfire. Fire her immediately before she burns down your company your credibility and your marriage in one messy blaze.
Nope, at a minimum it’s u professional. But I suspect if you let this carry on, you’re going to have a lot of HR issues.
You need to already start documenting everything and be prepared she’s going to be one of those that will bring the house down if she goes down.
Make sure you have a word with the affected investor, make sure that it’s very clear there is a line.
Make sure your employee contract ESOP and related documents are in order; make sure that you’ve got someone from a hr/ legal you can reach out to.
When you terminate, make sure she signs an acknowledgment, that she’s accepting the termination, you don’t need to explain the reasons; depending on the details you could consider a golden-goodbye with gardening leave so they go quietly.
You’re not overthinking it. Fire her. Protect your company, your team, and your integrity.
Acted like she owned the place is all I needed to see. Those are the worst type of people in a work place in general let alone a core member of a startup. She would also be a huge detriment as you try to establish a culture and core values. People who are really talented at their job, ESPECIALLY tech will put up with none of that since they can go and find another job easily. She’s a walking HR violation.
I have founded and sold 2 companies. They weren’t the biggest at most I had 100 employees across the two. Feel free to dm me with any questions
Also HUGE congrats on snagging 5m in funding that’s a big deal!!! Was it seed? Or Round 1?
Totally inappropriate behaviour. I would worry about the damage she would cause to the reputation of the business. Oh and tell your wife everything and show her the photos. Two reasons, 1. You have to be honest in your marriage. 2. Your wife will pick up on other stuff in the photos. … I’m already suspicious if he was actually there in the bathroom or was this all for you.