(Quoted from Marshall Atkinson at atkinsontshirt.com. Full article here.)
Regardless of the size of your shop, your employees are the lifeblood of the company.  Without them, you would cease to perform or exist.
So what happens when you find yourself in an organizational crisis where one employee is holding your company “hostage”?
This can be in several forms.  
They have a skill you need (press or embroidery operator, digitizer, artist, accountant, salesperson, manager, etc.) without anyone poised on the bench to back them up.  By lack of training or hiring someone else to support their role, you’ve given them leverage over your shop.  “You can’t run this place without me!” is what they say.
Have you ever heard that?
Maybe they have been with you since “day one” and feel that they have an overwhelming sense of entitlement, even if they are just an hourly employee.  You don’t dare get rid of them, because it would feel like cutting off a toe or losing a friend.  The problem is, they know that.  That’s why they sometimes strut around like a barnyard rooster.  “Hey, I’m untouchable!”
You may not even recognize what’s going on, but your other employees do.  They resent the fact that this person gets special perks or their bizarre behavior gets overlooked.  Do people on your shop floor complain or make snarky remarks about them?  Do you shrug your shoulders and try to laugh it off?  “Hey, that’s just Fred…whattagoingtodo?”  Maybe you’ve even voiced your opinion out loud yourself a few times, but nothing ever happens.
You know better.
Click here to read the full article from Marshall Atkinson