Our Dilemma winner wants to cut ties

In our November/December issue Dilemma, Jeffrey Black had an employee relationship go south after work dried up, and the employee turned vindictive, going as far as hiring a lawyer to address his situation.

Dwayne Butler of Markham, Ont.-based Master Edge Homes is this month’s winner for going through all five options and assessing the effectiveness of each approach.

1. Ignore the letter: This should never happen and as a business owner you should always deal with the issues at hand regardless of the severity so no.

2. Ask him to retract: Mellon will not retract the letter because he is upset and you cannot change that so no.

3. Talk with clients: This is a must! Black must meet with the clients and discuss the situation in person. Black was the reason why they hired his company so there is already a trust factor there that will be comforting to the clients, so yes.

4. Engage his own lawyer: Black should contact his lawyer to get some direction but I don’t think it is necessary to sue Mellon unless he continues to be a problem for Black and his company. So this is a partial yes.

5. Something else: Black needs to lay Mellon off and move on.

Well delivered, Dwayne. You’ll be receiving your 20V MAX* Compact Circular Saw with 5.0 ah battery and a 20V MAX* Compact Reciprocating Saw shortly.