I went in for a job interview once and I liked what I heard about the company: they had great revenue, the employees shared in the profits, and the owner was selling out to a group of employees who pooled their money to take over. Everyone was excited about the future.
I wanted the job, and they were interested in me. When I returned a week later for my second interview, the place was in turmoil. The company had been sold out from under the group of employees to a corporate raider, and 80% of the engineers quit in protest.
Because they were desperate, they offered me an even better job. Rationalizing why 14 engineers, five salesman, four project managers and a partridge in a pear tree would abandon ship, I jumped on board.
It was fun at first with lots to learn and plenty to do. But I ended up working nights and weekends. Still, the money was good and I figured I could hang in there. They offered some perks to keep up our spirits. Soon, however, we became hostile with each other. Two of the network engineers got into a heated argument over Banyon Vines versus Netware (technologies of the mid-90s) and we all picked sides like kids in a school yard.
The Customer is Always Right If They Keep Paying
The company had a contract that provided 90% of its revenue. That’s why it had been snapped up (at a premium) by the corporate raider. The service we provided to that one customer suffered because so many of us were new. Rumors spread that the customer was not going to renew the contract.
The new owner held an all-hands meeting to quell our fears. He told us that the customer was willing to renew the contract but that he had insisted they put it out to bid so that we could win the contract again, fair and square, to prove that we were worthy. He tried to get us excited about it.
It was a crock of shit.
The contract was worth thirty million dollars a year. No one in their right mind would turn down a renewal, so he was either a fool or lying to us. Either way, the rats began to desert the ship.
Any Port in a Storm
I found another job (yay!). My last paycheck was docked for all cost of the training they’d provided me (boo!). They were even kind enough to bill me for the amount my last paycheck didn’t cover (what the??). To hear them tell it, I owed them five thousand dollars (shit!).
A month after that, they threatened to sue me for defamation, claiming I was posting crap about them on a Yahoo forum about the business under the username “Cupid’s Little Helper” (I swear to god it wasn’t me!).
The company that hired me was much better: people were friendly, my boss cared, and the work was interesting–at least for a while. I worked for them for eight years, leaving when they were bought by a much larger corporation which removed the last human elements from our office, and only treated us as revenue-generating entities.
He Who Laughs Last
Dysfunctional and inhuman corporations show up in my stories a lot. My experiences are not new or unique. Businesses are intent on making money, and that’s the bargain we strike when we accept a job.
It may seem that I’m satirizing corporations in my writing but, really, I’m just writing it the way it is (maybe not always the way it is, but often..).
My book, HIVE, for instance, is set in a future where the entire world is managed by a corporation. The CEO is effectively the king of the world. It’s good work if you can get it.
Meanwhile, at My Writing Desk…
But it’s been a busy few weeks with travel, stuff to do around the house and then, tragically, death of a family friend. If, somehow, the past year and a half hasn’t taught you that you should appreciate your time with loved ones, please accept this as a reminder to go hug someone, or a pet, or call someone to say hello.
On that happy note…
Maybe You’d Like
I really like the cover, and here’s the story’s pitch, lifted directly from Amazon because it’s one of the better pitches I’ve read:
Bestselling author M. J. Kaestli’s unique society blends the broken Utopia of Matched with the corruption and stakes of The Hunger Games. In this thrilling dystopian world, Compliant examines the cost of freedom and the power of love.
Recommended Reading
I won’t spoil it, but the writing is so good that I’d been given a hint about the ending (from a review) and still held my breath as I read the very last line.
Next Picayune
I’ll be scrambling to get HIVE in bookstores and recording an audiobook. It’s a lot, but I’m actually happier when I have a lot going on.
Thanks for reading the Mickey Picayune
All the best,
–mickey
P.S. I really like my current job, and my boss is one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. Definitely top-three. Maybe top-five, but still a very good boss!