Hi geeks. This may be a long one so please bear with me. Lol!
After a year of being in my salon on my own, I employed a girl who quickly went from part time to full time. She is a very good therapist, great with clients and good at selling. For 2 years, we got on great and she worked her butt off for me. However everyone thought she was the boss because she has a very domineering personality and likes to organise and be in charge. To be honest at the time, I was so grateful for the help, I really didn't mind. As long as the salon was doing well, clients were happy and she was doing her job, I could live with it.
2 years later, I took on another full time girl and we moved to bigger premises. Everything was great but a month later things started to change. Originally we had all got on great but my original girl started acting funny and being very quiet around us other 2. Some clients started to notice it so I pulled her and asked her what was wrong. All she kept saying was she was fine but I said clients are starting to notice so if there was anything she had to tell me, I would like to know. That evening I got a text from her saying that she had noticed me and the other girl had gotten very friendly and she thought 2 was company and 3 was a crowd and would I like her to leave!!!!!!!!!!! I told her I had no idea where this was coming from and why could we all not get on together. I said that yes, I'm ur friend but I'm also ur employer and I don't make differences between my staff - which I don't. So that was all ok but her moods have continued on and off for the past few months. One week she is funny with me and overly friendly to the other girl and then vice versatile the next week. She has been caught out in several lies and dine some really underhand things lately, but she is still doing her job and bringing the money in. But the whole thing is just so frustrating and it's really getting to me. I now realise that she is no sort of friend and all I want from her now is to do her job and keep clients happy.
I get messages from my other girl saying how she has been cheeky to her but this girl doesn't take it lying down and doesnt want me to speak to th unreasonable girl as we both know she will be thinking we have been talking behind her back and make life even more difficult.
I know I if try to talk to her, all I will get is 'I'm fine'. She seems to be able to communicate better over text!! She even pretended to be her husband one night, texting me and telling me that she had a lot going on in her life at the minute. !!!!!!!! In short, she is selfish, jealous, attention seeking and very self involved.
I just don't know what to do geeks. People are telling me to ignore her, people are telling me to pull her on it. I'm so confused cos at the same time I don't want to lose her as an employee. Can someone please give me some advice?? What would u geeks do? Sorry for ranting.

You have to pull her up , you are her employer and if it comes down to it if she dont like it im afraid she will have to lump it x

Sorry to hear this is happening, these situations are tricky.
Personally I would keep written records of all these issues, then do an appraisal. Ask HER how she thinks she is getting on, what further training assistance etc she needs, then steer the conversation to her moods, and ask her to identify what makes her feel threatened, moody etc.
No point losing a good employee due to imaginary paranoia in her head.

I agree with Persianista but I also have experience of being a boss and being "friends" with employees and it just doesn't work.
Being it was just the 2 of you to start with I know it's hard to keep things professional and at a purely employer/employee basis but it does cause such difficulty when things get like this.
It's a tricky situation now, I would use the advice persianista has given and definitely speak to her but you do need to have your boss head on now and maybe pull back on the friend thing a little IMO. Hope you get it all sorted

Oh dear I feel for you but you really need to sort it.

You have obviously spent a lot of time, money and brain-ache on your business and this lady so if your customers are commenting then that is telling you something.......never mind the silly' he said she said' between them it just isn't on. All the pussyfooting around her must be a nightmare for you.

I would ask her to a meeting after work when it can just be the two of you and tell her that even though she says things are fine the clearly arn't. Tell her you are running a business and ultimately if things can't return to how they were then you will be loosing potential business. Customers don't want to and should'nt have to witness such immature behaviour from someone that is supposed to make them feel good about themselves.
Maybe remind her that no-one is indispensable and you may have to take action and that would be a great shame.

You could ask her if she has anything to say or ask you but explain that after your meeting you really don't have time to be messing about........after all this is work and not school.

I hope this doesn't read too harsh but I am sure with a bit of tact but taking a more managerial role you can sort it out. It just sounds like she has got a bit too big for her boots and then thrown her toys out the pram.

I really hope that you can sort it out but if not then is she too hard to replace......I bet there are lots of ladies willing to work there socks offf.

xxx

I am struggling to recruit. Just thought I would let you know.....