Another update from the Jungle….
Addy graduated from college and went to work for the government agency where she had interned as a student. Of course, there’s a big difference between being an intern and becoming an employee. As an intern, Addy was excluded from most office social events because she was underage.
A few months after accepting the job offer, the big bosses decided representatives of each branch office of the agency should receive intensive training away from the usual office distractions. They decided that the perfect spot for learning is New Orleans. Addy prepared for her first business trip.
Nick, the head of Addy’s office, got into the spirit of learning before they left town. He distributed the bosses’ agenda at a staff meeting. Then he told the attendees that he knew a great place in the French Quarter and that he would play tour guide as soon as they checked in at the hotel.
Two hours after the airplane landed, Addy followed her co-workers down a dark alley in the French Quarter to Nick’s “great place.” The fun began. As a recent college graduate, Addy considered herself a seasoned drinker. She soon realized she was an amateur.
Addy doesn’t remember many details after the first bar, but she knows she had a good time. She later saw how good a time when she was invited to the HR manager’s office to view cell phone video of what she didn’t remember doing in the French Quarter.
The video shows a gaggle of staggering zombies in a karaoke bar, all dancing to a different beat as they belt out the same song. In the background, Addy recognizes her supervisor in a passionate embrace with a co-worker. Front and center in the video is Nick gyrating madly, his hand waving through his unzipped fly. Nick is totally sozzled, barely able to stand.
The HR manager says she invited Addy in for a chat as part of the usual on-boarding process for new hires. How should Addy respond to the HR manager?
She can say that she’s enjoying learning from her more experienced co-workers.- She can ask for copies of the video in case she needs to blackmail her bosses later. (Addy’s a quick learner of office politics.)
- She can stare blankly like a little lost waif and wait for the HR manager to give her a clue about how to respond appropriately.
The antics outlined in this scenario have been changed to protect innocent waifs like your author. Surely, no government employees near you would ever misbehave during a training seminar.
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