Wednesday 5 December 2012

Chicken Karma

A senior officer from another department invites me out for lunch.

For a moment I ponder whether the Lord is sending me some nice invitations to make up for the fact that I am unable to attend our office Christmas "Not Lunch", but am forced to conclude that said senior officer is in pursuit of the thing most male middle-aged employees of Anonymous Council are after.

Yes, you've got it !
Gossip.

We ensconce ourselves at a corner table, conveniently located directly below a speaker which is discreetly vibrating the restaurant with mellow North African rhythms. I say convenient - because in the opposite corner is sitting one of the Council's most loquaciously indiscreet individuals, and I would much prefer him not to hear what we are saying...

Unlike my previous lunch date described under blog post "The Cat and the Canary" (to view click here), Senior Officer From Other Department - henceforth described as SOFOD - wastes no time in getting right down to the nitty gritty.

I make some innocuous comment about my department, and he says meaningfully "ah, well I sympathise with you, having to work in that office. Particularly now things have changed".

Me: "Can you possibly be referring to the arrival of our new Head of Department?"
SOFOD: "Yup. I absolutely cannot stand the man".

Golly !
I am unaccustomed to explicitness of this nature.

The norm at Anonymous Council is either to fish using vaguely expressed negatives, hoping to feel a gentle nibbling on the end of one's line; or to make extravagantly complimentary statements in the hope that the other communicant will feel compelled to say something contradictory.

But here is SOFOD boldly thrashing the water with his fishing rod, creating veritable tsunamis of interest and speculation in my brain.

"Oh," I say carefully.
I then add the Standard Emergency Response: "Mmmmmmm".

Emboldened by the fact that I have not instantly leapt to New Boss's defence, SOFOD then gives vent to the full measure of his spleen, while to Mr Loquacious in the corner we hopefully give the impression of people who are simply enjoying a chicken tagine ...

In SOFOD's considered opinion, New Boss is (and I here list only his top 6 adjectives...):

- arrogant
- ignorant
- abrasive
- stubborn
- bullying
- and downright rude.

SOFOD tells me that New Boss rides roughshod over anybody who dares to get in his way, his actions are undermining years of work undertaken by SOFOD and others, he refuses to listen to anyone else, and he bullishly insists he is right even when evidence to the contrary is staring him in the face.

"Oh!" I say again. (I am starting to feel a delicious glow in my tum, and I don't think it's the harissa paste. I think it may be the glow of Vindication.....)

"I'm not the only one who feels this way," says SOFOD.
He proceeds to name 3 other members of Anonymous Council's Directorate who also loathe New Boss.

"He is certainly difficult," I offer.

(I mean, only yesterday I witnessed New Boss emerge from his office, march up to delightful Continental Colleague, bark the two words "IT Support!" and then march straight back into his office without a backward glance - an interaction so gracelessly abrupt, I actually felt ashamed for him...)

Loyalty is something I generally pride myself upon - but hell, it has to be earned.

So I tell SOFOD about New Boss's crude joke telling, his suggestion to me that I deal with my demons, the way he stomps about the office ignoring us all, his sarcasm, and his appalling manner towards his staff....

"I'm not sure how to deal with the situation," I say vaguely as I conclude my litany of toe-curling examples of "leadership" (the quality New Boss actually believes he is displaying!). "Really. I don't have a clue".

SOFOD has known me for many years.
He settles back in his chair and regards me with apparent fondness.

"If I were you Katharine," he says gently, "I would just sit quietly and wait for the train to hit the buffers. Because that's what I am going to do".

And so, dear Reader, I've decided that's exactly what I am going to do.

Choo choo !

2 comments:

  1. Just had a long catch up tonight on your blog. It is as meaningful and enjoyable as ever. Well done. FIFI

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  2. Thank you very much! I hope you keep reading and getting something from it !! xx

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