The Exit Interview

I posted earlier this week that an agent in my company had elected to leave for another firm. The day after he resigned, prior to our meeting and settling our affairs, he sent an email expressing irritation at me for not releasing him on the Department of State website right away. That only served to attract the ire of the company admin, namely my wife, who sent him an answer that he probably had coming for over 6 months.  That did not set the stage for a comfortable meeting when he came to my office Thursday. 

I wasn’t appreciative of the drama; I told him that all we needed to do was meet and go over files and he’d be released. He was the one that waited 2 days to come in. He arrived late, and was clearly tense. He had a box of folder, some of which were files I’d have to take over and the rest I figured was marketing material. We went over what I thought were the necessary issues to reconcile, pending deals, signs I loaned him, and  the like. Truth be told, I can count on one hand the number of agents who have left my company since 2005, and the guy was pacing my office floor like an expectant father as I fumbled my way through the state website to confirm his release. Ann had to talk me through it on the phone. 

When I was done, I gave him his release confirmation slip and offered my hand. He grimaced and got the box of folders. He began to explain to me things about the 3 remaining listings he had, and when I told him I wasn’t interested, he said they had to stay with the company. He was right, of course, technically they are mine, but I had no intention of keeping them. Law or no law, they were more his than mine, and I told him that we’d release them so he could take them with him. I was only concerned about pending transactions. He could have his listings. I took out the memorandum of agreement I wrote after I hired him, and reminded him that a condition of his hire was that I would allow him to take his active listings with him if things didn’t work out. I was just keeping my word. 

He was a different guy after that. Floored, really. He said that he thought that I was going to bust his chops because I didn’t terminate him right away; I reminded him that he made me wait. I would have complied if he came in 2 days prior. I was’t holding things up. He was. And I would keep my word. The whole room shifted. He couldn’t believe is ears. I pointed to the memo. I wasn’t going back on anything we agreed to 6 months ago. He thanked me and left, shocked look and all.  

I don’t care one way or the other, but 5 bucks says he’ll come back sometime. If he does, he’ll view me through different shaded glasses.