Abrupt, insensitive dismissal of 23-year employee put Gretsas' poor leadership skills on display very early

In 2004, newly hired George Gretsas showed Fort Lauderdale why he got such an appallingly low score on his pre-employment leadership test: He fired 23-year city employee John Panoch in a shamefully callous way.

Panoch, the city’s Personnel Director, was fired while Gretsas was still in New York. Gretsas didn't even have the decency to talk to him on the phone.

According to press reports:

1. Panoch learned of his firing from a subordinate.

2. He received a curt, three-sentence dismissal letter from interim City Manager Alan Silva:

“This is to inform you that the position of personnel director has been abolished. Accordingly, you will be laid off. I wish you well in your future endeavors.”

3. He was ordered to clean out his desk by the end of the day.

4. He was told not to come back.

5. He was given no severance pay.

The dismissal's abruptness and complete lack of sensitivity stunned City Hall.

"I was surprised he made that change," said one city employee. "I mean, Panoch's been with us for how many years, and to just throw him out in the street like that was really surprising,"

"Employees who have faced criminal charges have received better treatment," Panoch told the Sun-Sentinel. Panoch thought his treatment might have been retailiation "because of the embarrassing hiring process and leadership tests," the Sentinel reported. Gretsas scored a low 33% on those tests and came in dead last.

"It was one of the worst performances I've ever seen. This could be retribution for that," Panoch told the Sentinel. Gretsas denied it.

Panoch filed a complaint for wrongful termination. In April 2005 the city agreed to give him $82,000 in severance pay.

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Cal Deal
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