What He Needed to Know by Rosalind Minett

Author:Rosalind Minett [Minett, Rosalind]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Uptake Publications

16

Terry pushed Ling’s revolving doors, leaving his sweaty palm prints on the glass. Over an hour late for work, he made straight for the seventh floor to report to the iconic Absent/Late process desk. There he proffered his excuse: yesterday’s supposed sick stomach, not quite recovered today. The HR minion who compiled sickness and lateness data recorded it, her heavily mascara’d eyes blank of sympathy. ‘Oh, there’s an internal message for you.’ She passed it over. It was a written one, and in an envelope. Written communication rather than an email signalled danger, and a glint in the girl’s eyes revealed her awareness of this. He slit it the envelope open, turning away from her overly-interested expression, and escaped to the anonymity of the lift.

Shit! Douglas had assigned him a Performance Review. That sounded really serious—and it was only four days away. His own fault, because he hadn’t turned in his project report last Friday as Douglas had asked. How much could he add to it in four days? And what performance highlights could he point to? None. And it didn’t seem that long since his Middle East assignment had signalled the possibility of career progression here.

Terry dragged his feet to his workspace and slumped before the computer. His career situation was pretty dire. The review would feature the once encouraging Douglas unsmiling and pugilistic. There’d be some senior HR bod too, and no further opportunity for manufactured excuses like communication problems with Asian colleagues. With growing panic, he attended to his backlog of work. Could he actually lose his position here? Domestic finances were already totally stretched after Gudrun’s vast income reduction.

The rest of the uncomfortable day, he spent double checking the quality of everything he did. He comforted himself at least he had a meet-up with Gerry after work. Perhaps he could pick up some useful suggestions.

But when a buoyant Gerry bounced into the Criterion and slapped him over-hard on the back, the meeting promised only to highlight Terry’s deficits. ‘You’re looking chipper.’

Gerry nodded at the barman for their beers. ‘Yes. Can’t avoid swanking. I’m going to be promoted.’

Terry took a breath, almost winded. ‘Thought you already had been.’

‘I know; fourth time in twenty months. Dibrier’s is that kind of company if you stretch yourself.’ He propelled Terry toward the restaurant, carrying their beers. ‘I might be in Zurich three days every month. If I am, and it goes well there, I’ll be the liaison between three offices.’

‘—Fantastic. Good on you.’

‘Yay! I love Zurich.’ He punched the air. ‘Let’s celebrate. I’ll order the wine.’ He called the waiter over and selected something with a name Terry wouldn’t have known how to pronounce. ‘I just phoned Fiona with the good news. She’s on her way.’

‘She is? That’s excellent.’ Terry’s spirits soared at the thought of seeing her, then plummeted again as Gerry rattled on about his rise; how he’d borne with difficult seniors, lazy colleagues and strange assignments on his ladder to success. It formed a depressing contrast with Terry’s forthcoming trial by fire.

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