The Office Predator

One lovely Tuesday morning, I walked into bathroom to conduct my business, but that plan was shattered when I ran into the intern. I found her in the bathroom— the one who walked in every morning with "bright eyes and bright smile" and healthy dose of optimism. Now, she was huddled in a corner, crying hysterically.

I asked what happened. She was so upset that she struggled to formulate sentences.

I knew I was out of my depth (my empathy was limited prior to kids), so I told her I'll be back. I found our "departmental mother"—the woman who kept the soul of this office intact and somehow rationalized with the most stubborn folks. We rushed back to the bathroom. The mother said a couple sentences to the intern to calm her down and the intern spilled 'the beans'.

For over a year, a POS colleague (man in his late 50's) had been trying to extract production data for an energy project from the facilities department. He had failed repeatedly. Why? Because 1) personal hygiene was not his strength, 2) he had the temperament of a toddler, 3) he enjoyed insulting people for fun and 4) everyone knew he was a POS who was being protected by my slimy boss, Lazy Louis.

The intern, however, had used something he lacked: decency and knew how to work with people. She simply talked to them, showed basic respect, and in a matter of days, they handed her the keys to the kingdom. She presented her findings with pride, to the POS. She closed out the project, the project he has been struggling to complete for over a year. He was shocked and then 'jokingly' asked her:

"Whose **** did you suck to get this information?"

Of course, he was protected by my boss and didn't get fired. HR just gave him the good 'ole slap on the wrist.

The Lesson: ....

There are so many here:

-The Golden Rule is key in business

-HR is not here to protect the employees. HR only protects the company

-Always find and protect the 'departmental mother'.

-Always maintain good hygiene. Nobody wants to work with someone who doesn't brush teeth or take regular showers.