Don't Point at the Moon by Brian Lancaster

Author:Brian Lancaster [Lancaster, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group
Published: 2024-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Pauline loaded paper files into her wheelie document case—she preferred to view and amend physical documents when flying rather than try to work from her laptop—and, citing her need to get home and pack for her evening flight to London, hurried out of the door, leaving Mitchell to clear up the mess and switch everything off.

Once she had gone, he took a moment to breathe and centre himself before switching his phone from silent mode and firing off a quick message to Zane. Another half an hour, and he should be ready to leave. Maybe his nephew had been right. His job did suck far too often of late. Having gone through spreadsheet after depressing spreadsheet containing the personnel history and financial remuneration of almost every staff member—people he had worked alongside for years and knew personally—coldly ensuring their redundancy figures added up, he felt emotionally drained.

Worst of all, Pauline would return to the office on Thursday morning and her number two, Helen Cheong, would be the first casualty. Pauline had reminded Mitchell that he would be sitting in the meeting as an observer, something he dreaded. Naturally, Pauline alone collated redundancy packages for the senior managers, the information sensitive and confidential, entailing more considerable sums she would need to negotiate and get approved by the directors in London. Not that anybody would challenge her. She had a reputation for being unerringly parsimonious in financial matters.

Somewhat out of character, she had talked him through Helen’s remuneration package and asked his opinion. Considering Helen’s long service for the bank’s operation back in Australia, he had suggested she push for the maximum. Pauline had agreed, and Helen’s payout would be fairly generous. Maybe the lump sum would not compensate for losing her livelihood, but would hopefully be enough to give her options. Mitchell wondered if his boss had agreed to the sum to ensure Helen left without creating too many waves.

During the afternoon, Pauline had installed him at the small table in the corner of her office, collating reports as she printed them off her computer. Unneeded pages lay scattered around the room, confidential data that he would need to shred. Before anything, he stood and stretched, then walked around the space, collecting papers from surfaces or the carpet and turning off devices like the standalone computer she had been provided to print confidential data, her desktop scanner, her aroma air purifier and the snazzy black and chrome coffee machine.

When he reached her desk, he realised she had left her desktop computer signed on. He plonked down in her leather seat and tapped a key to stop the screen from timing out. Then he grabbed the mouse, ready to shut everything down, when one of the folders on the bank’s customised desktop caught his eye.

HR Senior Mgt Decisions.

During the afternoon, she had asked him to update and print out details of staff members in all departments. Apart from Helen—and she had only read the proposed package to him—they had not looked at any of their own departmental staff.

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