steps
for my guys to follow.’ Boris insisted. ‘I used to be a programmer, remember? So
I know how to relate to them.’
‘I used to sit over there when I had your job,’ Felix said, ‘we
were much smaller then. We weren’t even sure if London R&D would make it. You
know I used to be a trader?’
‘Yes, you’ve mentioned it.’
‘It was a different job then. Back when you didn’t have to pussy-foot
around all this political correctness. We’d call a spade a spade.’
‘And a skirt a skirt.’ Boris joined
in.
‘Right,’ Felix said with a rumbling chuckle. ‘And you did what
you had to do for the company. Nothing was handed to me on a plate. I didn't go
around quoting the terms of my contract.’
‘It's all What can the company do
for me? these days,’ Boris said.
A moaning, whining sound invaded the floor. The vacuuming had
started. Thankfully I couldn’t hear them anymore. I looked at my screen. It still
had the last email I sent to Boris. What was the point in sending it? Boris didn’t
know how to stand up for us. He only knew how to say what people wanted to hear.
I looked around my desk for my handbag. It was sitting on the floor. I delicately
picked it up and lifted my ID badge off the desk. I would never get the support
I needed from Boris, I realised. I was going to have to look for it elsewhere.
Crouching down I sneaked to the end of the floor. ‘Evening,’
I whispered to the cleaner who looked at me like I was an old pair of shoes blocking
the way. I straightened up once I turned the corner and hurried to the exit.
The HR department was six floors up. I was only there once before,
for my interview and hadn’t been back since joining the company. When the lifts
opened a man was walking up to meet them with a tilted head.
‘Good morning. Are you Orla ?’ he asked.
Bright blue rimmed glasses sat across his nose and he was wearing a buttoned up
cardigan over his shirt.
‘Yes, Ellis?’
‘Yes, hi. Thought I'd come round to
get you. You'd never find the room by yourself,’ he said with the lilt of a Scottish
accent.
We began walking down a corridor with meeting rooms on either
side. Like our floor, the walls and doors were glass. But inside, theirs were furnished
with couches and coffee tables and flowers. Some of the rooms had frosted glass.
‘It’s an absolute maze here. For my first few months I got lost
every day,’ he continued. ‘But I drank a lot of water though cause I kept stopping by the water coolers. I'd take a wee sip and look around.’
I laughed as he directed us around a corner.
‘Are you finding it cold? There's a draft here somewhere. I don't
know what to wear on the way out the door these days,’ he said.
‘Yeah, I've got into my summer skirts but it may have been a
bit soon.’
‘Oh, you are brave.’
‘Well, I’m still wearing tights.’
‘Good thinking.’ We turned another corner. ‘Right, here we are.’
He pushed open a door. ‘Take a seat please.’
‘Thanks.’ We settled down over a low, wide coffee table. My knees
peaked over the edge of the table and I pressed my hands on them. Business magazines
including the CouperDaye journal were spread evenly between
us. ‘ Em ... Ellis is quite an unusual name,’ I ventured.
‘Yes. My mum was an Elvis fan. So, my parents compromised on
Ellis. Lucky me. Would you like some water or anything?’
‘No. I’m fine thank you.’
‘Right. So, how is everything going
in R&D then?’
‘Well, I have some concerns that I would like to talk about,
which is why I asked for this meeting.’
‘I’m glad you made the appointment then.’ He opened a folder
on his lap and began writing.
‘Things are chaotic right now for our team. The merge between
developers and business analysts isn't working and management seem to be turning
a blind eye.’
‘Oh right. Well, in what way is it not working, Orla ?’
‘Felix Stern sent around an email last month saying we had to
be expert in each
for my guys to follow.’ Boris insisted. ‘I used to be a programmer, remember? So
I know how to relate to them.’
‘I used to sit over there when I had your job,’ Felix said, ‘we
were much smaller then. We weren’t even sure if London R&D would make it. You
know I used to be a trader?’
‘Yes, you’ve mentioned it.’
‘It was a different job then. Back when you didn’t have to pussy-foot
around all this political correctness. We’d call a spade a spade.’
‘And a skirt a skirt.’ Boris joined
in.
‘Right,’ Felix said with a rumbling chuckle. ‘And you did what
you had to do for the company. Nothing was handed to me on a plate. I didn't go
around quoting the terms of my contract.’
‘It's all What can the company do
for me? these days,’ Boris said.
A moaning, whining sound invaded the floor. The vacuuming had
started. Thankfully I couldn’t hear them anymore. I looked at my screen. It still
had the last email I sent to Boris. What was the point in sending it? Boris didn’t
know how to stand up for us. He only knew how to say what people wanted to hear.
I looked around my desk for my handbag. It was sitting on the floor. I delicately
picked it up and lifted my ID badge off the desk. I would never get the support
I needed from Boris, I realised. I was going to have to look for it elsewhere.
Crouching down I sneaked to the end of the floor. ‘Evening,’
I whispered to the cleaner who looked at me like I was an old pair of shoes blocking
the way. I straightened up once I turned the corner and hurried to the exit.
The HR department was six floors up. I was only there once before,
for my interview and hadn’t been back since joining the company. When the lifts
opened a man was walking up to meet them with a tilted head.
‘Good morning. Are you Orla ?’ he asked.
Bright blue rimmed glasses sat across his nose and he was wearing a buttoned up
cardigan over his shirt.
‘Yes, Ellis?’
‘Yes, hi. Thought I'd come round to
get you. You'd never find the room by yourself,’ he said with the lilt of a Scottish
accent.
We began walking down a corridor with meeting rooms on either
side. Like our floor, the walls and doors were glass. But inside, theirs were furnished
with couches and coffee tables and flowers. Some of the rooms had frosted glass.
‘It’s an absolute maze here. For my first few months I got lost
every day,’ he continued. ‘But I drank a lot of water though cause I kept stopping by the water coolers. I'd take a wee sip and look around.’
I laughed as he directed us around a corner.
‘Are you finding it cold? There's a draft here somewhere. I don't
know what to wear on the way out the door these days,’ he said.
‘Yeah, I've got into my summer skirts but it may have been a
bit soon.’
‘Oh, you are brave.’
‘Well, I’m still wearing tights.’
‘Good thinking.’ We turned another corner. ‘Right, here we are.’
He pushed open a door. ‘Take a seat please.’
‘Thanks.’ We settled down over a low, wide coffee table. My knees
peaked over the edge of the table and I pressed my hands on them. Business magazines
including the CouperDaye journal were spread evenly between
us. ‘ Em ... Ellis is quite an unusual name,’ I ventured.
‘Yes. My mum was an Elvis fan. So, my parents compromised on
Ellis. Lucky me. Would you like some water or anything?’
‘No. I’m fine thank you.’
‘Right. So, how is everything going
in R&D then?’
‘Well, I have some concerns that I would like to talk about,
which is why I asked for this meeting.’
‘I’m glad you made the appointment then.’ He opened a folder
on his lap and began writing.
‘Things are chaotic right now for our team. The merge between
developers and business analysts isn't working and management seem to be turning
a blind eye.’
‘Oh right. Well, in what way is it not working, Orla ?’
‘Felix Stern sent around an email last month saying we had to
be expert in each
Similar Books
