The dilemma that is Kate and Alice. Help.

[Gnisy]

You can guess that this is going to be a long one.

Kate has handed in her resignation letter ( one month's notice ) and will be leaving end of this month for a better job prospect. She and Alice make up a subdivision of the place I work in. I am from another subdivision but currently helping them out with the workload. Alice is on her maternity leave and will only return by the middle of next month.

Kate has not told Alice that she has resigned because she didn't want Alice to worry about how to cope with the workload when Alice returns.

Alright, the problem now is...

I found out that the confidence our head of dept has in Alice's work performance has diminished greatly since she oversaw one of Alice's supposedly completed work during her maternity absence. It wasn't up to standards, let's keep it at that.

Hence, Alice will be in the list of people management needs to relieve the company of by this year (yes, 2007). With Kate gone, they won't even mind closing down the subdivision. Alice is not needed anymore. Kate doesn't know this.

Now, I can't tell Alice that Kate is leaving because I am in no position to do so. And though I've told Kate over and over again to inform Alice about her resignation as soon as possible, Kate refused to do so because she does not want Alice to worry, at least until after her maternity leave which I think will be a bit too late. Sigh, and I can't tell Kate about Alice's 'future' in this company as well. But, this is her second child. She can't afford to be unemployed.

Alice and Kate are great people. It's just that the company faced a tough year and had to make cuts (don't they all?) So, please, somebody tell me what I should do or should not do. I am all ears. Positive answers, negative answers, neutral answers, someone please just spit me some words of wisdom.

Oooo... the headache. Thanks in advance.

[MrBen5]

Hmmm, i would personally just keep quiet. Whatever you do, dont tell her yourself. its not your place to do so. I would encourage her mate to tell her though. If she is a mate, she would tell her. Its only fair that a good close mate should let the other know about summat that could be life changing...

[noxlumos]

Personally, although it leaves you wide open , I'd do the decent thing and explain what you've just said above to both of them. That way it gives the most people the most chances to sort themselevs out before the axe falls.

[minimonkey]

I would keep completely out of it!

[sense4all]

I would be the type of person who could call themselves Switzerland, and then remain completely neutral about the whole thing ..... but it's sooooo tough.

If the guilts were really getting the better of you I might say I had been looking on a ficticious but similar site to this (where the question is refined and the user name cannot obviously traced back to a nick name etc) , some one had posed this question, ask what they would do in similar circs. and hope the penny dropped! For heavens sake do not use a works computer as a tool to illustrate or she won't be alone in her search for work.

Or you could repeat the mantra that" bad things happen to good people" to help you through the dark moments. Meanwhile , on Fantasy Island Kate might do outstandingly well in new job and be CEO within a week, employ Alice as her trusted second in command in week two, they take the new company public within a year and both retire on their pre awarded shares within twenty four months.

These are my probable, possible and postive answers. I hope they help you resolve your conundrum!

[Gnisy]

Right, three keep outs and one talk to them. Thank god I live in a world where majority rules.

sense4all, I'm sure you're trying to tell me something but I just can't quite get it.. but never mind, i better just keep out of it and let nature run its course. Thanks to all.

[sense4all]

Hi there, I really feel for your situation hun. I just think that while we would all like to avert an oncoming disaster, really this situation is not something that you are responsible for creating. Kate should be honest, Alice will know whether or not her work was up to par, the person who told you might be testing you to see if you can be trusted with confidential information. ( Or they might expect that you will give Alice a heads up so that they can feel less crappy about telling her, cos she already knows with out them being the real bearer of bad news!!!! )
The last bit is that you don't really know what will happen to them from the new circumstances that they find themselves in ... sometimes life just takes a turn for the unexpected and it is not always bad! When my husband was made redundant a few years ago we were thrilled - he wanted to leave that company anyway - it was time for a natural break, sods law of course dictated that he was one of the last to be let go( Two years after we danced with glee.) They paid us a kings ransom as "Golden Handcuffs". Gave him a better job title - great for seeking that new job he wanted anyway ... and one of his contacts from that company was the person who Head- hunted him into the City. So in the "big picture" things are not always as bleak as they appear. Good luck, head down and buy decent tea bags,choccy biccys and kleenex in anticipation of "D-day."

[Gnisy]

Ah, now you're making sense.

The last bit about confidential information complicated things a little bit more but there seems to be more pros than cons of not telling on anyone to anybody, figure it's better to just leave it as it is and pretend nothing ever happened. Would really like for everything to turn out fine for everyone but that would just be wishful thinking.

Thanks to all. Again.

[Gevs1966]

Stay out of it all together. If you get involved you may find yourself in trouble, especially if the company finds out you have disclosed information about upcoming redundancies etc.