Potential New Job with Current Co-Worker Question

[Hobgoblin]

This past weekend I finished a two day seminar on selling life and health insurance. I was directed to the job by my current co-worker, who also plans to sell insurance. In fact, we are thinking of going into business together.

I have known for a while that she is a Republican that doesnt like President Obama, which I'm fine with. As the months have gone along, she has said more and more things that make me uncomfortable. She says the president is a Kenyan Muslim that is trying to destroy America. After Obamacare passed, she was sure that the military would take him out if he tries to force it on the public. She has also said that once we are in business, she wont hire any Mexicans or Muslims to work for us.

On one hand, I feel I owe her for sending me into potentially gainful employment but on the other, I may strangle her. So the question is, would you go into business with someone whose opinions you cant tolerate, even if you feel loyalty to them?

 

[SuperFerret]

It all depends on how serious they are about these opinions.

 

[Hobgoblin]

It all depends on how serious they are about these opinions.

Pretty serious, it seems.

 

[SuperFerret]

If that's the case, I probably wouldn't feel too much loyalty to them to begin with. If she's serious about this, and it will affect your business, I wouldn't do business with her.

 

[E-Man]

Man I used to work with some serious racists and sexists at my old job. I hated it, but then I realized that I could counter their racism and sexism by being fair as a manager to all of the people they didn't want to deal with. When I got my own office I did things my way and made sure that no one prejudged potential employees, so you could still work with an idiot like your friend and do some good.

Use yourself as a counter balance to her idiocy, and make sure that she doesn't do anything really crazy that could hurt business. If she brings her bigotry into business you are probably going to have to clean up after her and let her know that she's hurting your business.

 

[Addendum]

I would simply mention that what she is bringing up has nothing to do with our business, and if her distractions continue, then we should go our separate ways.