Upon opening it, my stomach sank, and my brain begged me to walk out of this building and never come back.
Before you start this job, please note that you are 100% replaceable.
Say this three times daily so you’ll never be tempted to give your opinion.
You are anemployee.
You must work.
You must do work tomy satisfaction.
Ugh.
I shut it and immediately texted my old manager.
PLEASE just let me work three weeks at the counter. That’s all I’m asking for.
EIGHT
HARRISON
Later That Morning
“Mr. Cross, I’m starting to lose count of how many times I have to explain this basic concept to you.” My favorite lawyer stood in front of my desk. “Do you even know?”
“I stopped keeping track after fifty.”
“Well, since we both know you’re extremely intelligent, I’m going to assume that you’re pretending to be dense or waiting for me to save you from yourself.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Carter.” I smiled. “I am quite flattered by your compliment, though.”
“Labor laws, Harrison.” He dropped the formalities. “Unbreakablelabor lawsthat make it quite clear what you can and can’t make employees do.”
“That phrase isn’t ringing a bell for me.”
“You can’t work someone on a twelve- to fourteen-hour shift without an official marked break, and you can’t fire someone while they’re on a company-approved vacation.”
“Vacations are no longer approved at this company.” I shrugged. “I don’t see a problem.”
“I thought we were aiming for fewer lawsuits this year, not more.”
“Is this about the receptionist?”
“We can start with that one,” he said. “But there are forty other people who you’re about to potentially mishandle as well.”
I held back a sigh.
“What if the employee in question hasn’t done any real work in years, and they were getting paid ninety thousand to answer the phone and brew coffee?” I asked. “Surely I have every right to cut them for that?”
“Sure,” he said. “With a six-month severance package and a well-written ‘Thank you, but we’re moving in a different direction’ letter.”
“Do I pay you enough to write those?”
“I’ll look at my latest invoice and see,” he said. “Now, about the mandatory lunch breaks.”
“I can offer five minutes.”
“State law requires thirty minutes to an hour.”
