When You’re Gone, You’re Gone!
Should you be able to quit your fire department job and then expect to be rehired when a position is available? This is a common dilemma within the fire service. This article from the Wilmington, NC Star-News is one recently publicized example:
Will Tyler left the department Wilmington last year to follow his fiancee to Atlanta, where he pursued a carer in law enforcement. When the relationship didn’t work out, Tyler came back in March, turning in an application to rejoin the city.
But Tyler said he got a “thanks, but no thanks” letter saying he didn’t have the qualifications for the job. He blames the denial on an unwritten fire department policy of not allowing firefighters who leave to come back.
Speaking from my fire department perspective only, I’ve seen many individuals come and go for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons were valid, such as marriage-related relocation, a better job or lateral transfer into another department. The majority, however, were not as reasonable. In fact, most of those individuals that quit abruptly were perceived as marginal employees to begin with. They usually had a very visible chip on their shoulder about something: they didn’t like the management, training, tactics, etc., and they ALWAYS had a better way of doing things.
However, their undesirable attributes would eventually catch up with them. At my fire department, the decision to ultimately leave … the “straw that broke the camels back” was usually being passed over for promotion. Of the many that “left in a huff” separations, at least fifty percent of them would ease back into the picture at some point clamoring for their job back. Many of them were successful, totally depending on their political liaisons within the city political system.
What’s my point here? Should there be a blanket “we won’t rehire you if you quit” policy? No, I don’t think so. But like an elephant, and most fire chiefs, I have a very long memory. The best defense in this situation is a good offense. As a fire chief, whenever a firefighter tenders a resignation, I would request an exit interview with the firefighter and carefully document the exchange. If they refuse, I would simply document that as well. I would also require each officer that had contact with the employee to write a termination evaluation of this person (please check with your city attorney for EEOC compliance beforehand) and place it in their permanent file. When they come back knocking on the door, simply check their file. If the evaluations were properly and professionally submitted, there is your answer and justification for your decision!
Tags: Employment, termination