Recently, an employee of ours was issued a back pack blower to do a job with. A full week later hes still making up excuses why he cant return it. (This is a new $450 blower) Additionally, hes skipped out of work, consistently late, smokes on the job, etc, and wont return any phone calls. I finally gave up and turned it all over to the local Police. I feel really bad about it all, but finally got the blower back.Was I too rash to rush to do this? We desperately needed the blower on another job....
      Answer1:You did what you had to do,if you didnt you probably wouldnt have you blower now.
      Answer2:Unfortunately, in small business you are forced to wear many hats, and being the bad guy is a big one. You did the right thing, though. When push comes to shove, its always better to bring in the proper authorities to handle the situation.
      Answer3:Deffinently not! As a new buisness owner myself, i deffinently could not afford this kind of behaviour from my employees as it is risking my lively hood. Employees are crutial to a businesss structure, but in this case he was a weak link that can EASILY be replaced by someone who is going to be an asset to your company and who want to be part of a thriving company. I have seen many companies suffering because they hold on to employees that drag them down.
      Answer4:Thats what the police are for.You had a "bad" employee and you did what you had to do, both for getting rid of him, and, for getting back the equipment you needed to run your business.For a situation like yours, one excuse for not returning the blower might be acceptable. One request to return it should have been enough. Whatever action you had to take, after that, is more than you should have to do. You are back in business and, hopefully, learned a lesson in employee/employer relationship.Sometimes the "boss/friend" hat doesnt fit.