Maybe this should be a post for r/relationship_advice, but it feels more appropriate for this sub. Maybe you’ll all learn from my stupid mistake of hiring a friend (though probably any idiot knows mixing business and friendship is a recipe for disaster…)

I hired a friend to work for me several years ago. At first, they were great. But in the last year of their employment their work performance nosedived, they were constantly sick, because we were friends they’d tell me they’d spent their weekend tripping on acid, many times they showed up to work looking like death – and I just silently stood by because I didn’t even know how to broach what I was seeing. I didn’t even bring it up to others in our friend group because I was afraid it was a breach of the employer/employee relationship.

Other infractions happened but I finally had enough and terminated them. Again, I didn’t share my side with our friends because I wanted her to preserve her dignity. I didn’t think it was right to tell them all what went down.

But the consequence of not sharing my side is that I look like the bad guy.

It sucks that these friendships of 20+ years have ended and here I am, finally coming to terms with it. Had I known the grief this would bring me, I would have done things differently.

This was just a vent, but it makes me feel better (and less self-absorbed) to also think that maybe someone will learn from my mistake. Don’t hire your friends.