Page 18 of Grump and Grumpier

“Best not to poke the bears.” When I give her a questioning look, she adds,“Idon’t mind them, but their moods can be unpredictable.” The emphasis in her words implies that most everyone else does mind them, and I can’t say that I’m surprised.

The office staff is smaller than I expected, a little over twenty people, and several of them seem frazzled from too much work, reluctant to spend much time talking. Jackie explains that there are several open positions, which I was expecting, but the situation is worse than I’d hoped.

The two people in accounting are in dire need ofhelp after two others in their department quit in the last month. There are also openings in customer service, customer relations, and IT. Some of the vacancies are due to turnover, and others are because of the demands of rapid growth.

Too many of the existing staff are relatively new, which doesn’t help productivity. Overall, the employees seem pleasant, especially compared to their CEOs, but I don’t get a sense of “we’re in this together” type energy, which will be important to cultivate.

When I’m back in my office and alone for the first time all morning, I skim through the files and desk drawers, and unpack the few personal items I brought with me: a water bottle, a sweater, hand lotion, and two dolphin figurines for good luck.

From the large collection of dolphin figures I have at home, I chose to bring in one made of clear glass, and another bright blue in a glittery snowglobe. As I’m unwrapping them, there’s a knock on my door, and a handsome man with sandy brown hair, who appears to be in his early thirties, is standing there.

“Are you Ana?” he asks.

When I answer in the affirmative, he steps in, extending his hand. “Owen Reed. I heard you came around earlier. I was in an outside meeting.”

“Ana Flores. It’s nice to meet you.”

His handshake is warm, and his smile is friendly. “Very nice to meet you. I’m the marketing director. I just wanted to say hello.”

“Do you have time to talk? I’d love to learn more about your department.”

“Sure.” He pulls back one of the two chairs in front of my desk and settles himself into it.

I set my snowglobe on a shelf behind my chair and swivel to face Owen. “I’m curious how long you’ve been with the company.”

“A little over a year and a half.” That makes him a veteran here compared to many other employees. I’m inclined to ask what keeps him around when so many others have left, but I can’t think of a tactful way to ask.

“I met your digital marketing specialist earlier. Kenzie? Do I have that right?”

“You do. I’m impressed.”

“It will take me a day or two to get everyone’s name right, but to be honest, the staff isn’t as big as I was expecting.”

He cocks his head, his brows lifting. “No?”

“How’s your department doing? Any particular needs right now?”

“We work with a couple of outside agencies for a lot of our projects, so we’ve been able to keep up as the company’s been growing.”

“Good to know.”

Owen and I talk for a while about his responsibilities and background. He seems content in his position, and I get the impression that he’s someone who looks on the bright side of things. He’s easy to talk to, and smiles easily and often.

Just as he’s leaving, a knock on my open door alerts me to someone else’s arrival. It’s the IT guy, Charles, and I definitely remember his name because I knew I’d be seeing him today to get my equipment set up.

“Is this a good time, Miss Flores?”

“Of course. C’mon in, Charles, and please call me Ana.”

Lanky and blond haired, he’s not more than a couple of years older than me, and I’m not his superior, so him addressing me by my last name seems oddly formal.

“I have your computer login, and I’ll show you how to get onto the server.” He pulls out the chair that Owen had just been in, moves it around to my side of the desk, and perches at the edge of the seat as his fingers dance around the keyboard.

Once he’s shown me around the system, he turns his attention to my phone. He walks me through the login, then presses the options to get to the part where I can add my outgoing message.

Rather than leaving me alone to complete thesetup, Charles slides back in the chair and watches me while I record my greeting. I focus my attention on the surface of the desk while I speak, but I can feel his eyes on me the entire time.

“I like your voice,” he says as I select the option to approve my message.

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