I am taking a good man's job. I feel full of sin and guilt.

A colleague on one of our European offices failed to cooperate with our manager on a task. He disagreed with the approach she chose to take her department. He was very vocal and refused to implement the changes. A major project was scheduled and he was told, on this day it would get done. Period. He never came to work, he was 'sick'. In an emergency, I was pulled in, had to learn this complex environment he build over four years and quickly complete the migration. I didnt have many good things to say about him after that. We had never met but this was enough.

Fast forward a year and I was ultimately offered this job. Mine was going away and both my manager and the manager I helped on this project wanted me in that group to retain me. I started helping with US based projects and ultimately my colleague in Europe was let go.

I flew here on Monday to formally take over his job. Part of.his termination was to transfer his role to me this week. We spent a lot of time together. Hes a good man. He went through a terrible trauma last year losing his wife and having his family separated, he had some major medical issues and decided work wasn't t worth sacraficing your life for. German law protects him from more than 10hrs a day of work, termination and after hours expectations....all of which this US company demanded without regard for local laws.

Ultimately, they negotiated a package and he agreed to leave.

This is a good guy...51 with a 4yr old son he loves to death, a wife who left him and is scared he wont find employment again for a long time.

I feel terrible I didnt know him better, that I didn't advocate for him instead of against him. Now I'm taking his job and I feel like a terrible sinner. How can I live with myself? This man has bills, feelings and a family too.

What do I do?