It is 9am, the start of a workday. The office was bustling with activity. Everyone was present at work, except Karena, a chronic latecomer. 20 minutes later, she strolled into the office leisurely, holding 2 cups of coffee while still on the phone. Her team leader, Darius was already waiting for her.
"Hi, everybody," Karena said.
"Morning, Karena," Darius said in a displeased tone while looking at his watch. "You're late, again." Karena rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on," she said nonchalantly. "It's only like, 20 minutes. Besides, I bought coffee, so I'm basically here." She glanced at a middle-aged lady in office attire, who was seated at her workdesk. "Who are you supposed to be?" she asked.
"Hi, I...I'm Priscilla," the lady said nervously. "I...I just started today. I'm here to assist with a new project."
"Oh, uh, assist with the project?" Karena asked. "Since when do we need a little extra help? I thought I was handling it."
"You are, Karena, but this project is a big priority for the company and we decided it's best to bring on someone else to support," Darius replied. "Priscilla has a lot of experience, and I'm sure that you'll find her support very valuable, okay."
"Well, if you think I need help, fine, but don't expect me to play babysitter," Karena continued in her nonchalant tone.
"Oh, I'm sure we're going to work really, really well together," Priscilla replied. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how you handle things."
"Oh, great, another set of eyes to watch over me. Just what I needed," Karena said sarcastically. Darius put up his hand to stop her.
"Karena, we've got a lot to cover today, and I want you to take Priscilla through all the project files and explain where things stand, okay? It'll be a good way for her to do, to get up to speed," he said. However, Karena simply pouted and made a face.
"Why do I have to do that?" she scoffed. "I'm already juggling a lot of stuff. Besides, if she's so experienced as you claimed, she could figure it out herself, right?"
"Oh, I...I don't mean to be a burden, Karena. I...I'm just here to make things...things easier for everyone, including you," Priscilla stammered. Darius tried to reason with Karena, highlighting about collaboration, but to no avail. James and Glenda, 2 of Darius' team members could not stand Karena's behaviour, and offered to walk Priscilla through their project files. Seeing this, Karena simply walked away as if nothing happened, leaving the team stunned. Darius shook his head in disapproval as he saw her walk away.
A few hours had passed since the start of the workday. Darius walked into Karena's office and saw her chatting happily on her mobile phone about non work-related matters. Not wanting to be rude, he knocked on the door. Karena continued chatting on her mobile phone even as she saw him. She only hung up after 5 minutes.
"Karena, excuse me," Darius addressed her. "Can we talk for a moment first?"
"What's up?" Karena asked, barely looking up.
"I need you to finish the report on the marketing campaign by noon, okay. It's crucial that we have these numbers ready for the presentation this afternoon," Darius stated.
"I mean, can't someone else like James or Glenda do it? I've been like tied down all week," Karena answered nonchalantly.
"This is your responsibility, Karena. We've talked about this," Darius said, unimpressed by her lacklustre attitude. "Oh, and the all hands meeting is starting, and we need you in the conference room right now."
"I don't even get why I have to go there. It's just like the same old stuff every time," Karena replied, still barely looking up.
"Because your input is important. This project affects the entire team. We need everyone on board and you're supposed to report on the data metrics. Does that ring a bell?"
"Uh, well, I...I've been gathering information and I just uh...just need a little bit more time," Karena said. Seeing that there was no point talking sense into her, Darius shook his head and left. Priscilla, who had witnessed everything, also shook her head.
Later that day, Karena was sitting in her office, still engaged in non work-related matters. Darius walked in. "Karena, can I speak to you for a moment?" he addressed her.
"What is it now?" Karena asked irritably.
"Karena, we need to talk about your performance and your behaviour lately," Darius continued, displeased.
"Oh, here we go. What now? I'm doing my job, aren't I?" Karena snorted.
"Barely," Darius said. "You've been late almost every day this week, as well as for this month. You soend more time on your phone than on your tasks. Not only that, during meetings, you're either not paying attention or you're making sarcastic comments, and quite frankly, it's affecting the entire team." Upon hearing this, Karena rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on," she said. "That's why I'm a little sometimes. What's the big deal? Everybody's late once in a while, and if I don't want to sit through boring meetings, then that's my problem. I still get my work done."
"No," Darius interrupted her. "It's not just your problem. It's a problem for everyone who relies on you to do your part, and honestly, you're not pulling your weight and your attitude is making it difficult for others to focus."
"Wow, really?" Karena challenged. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. I have been here for years, and I've seen how things work, and I know what I'm doing."
"Then act like it," Darius said firmly. "Being here longer doesn't excuse poor behaviour. We all have to work as a team and right now, you're not being a team player." Karena shook her head in disbelief.
"You don't get it, do you?" she said. "I have done my time here, and I have earned the right to do things my way. I have been working hard, unlike some people who just sit around and play boss all day."
"Karena, I'm not here to argue with you. I'm trying to have an honest conversation about your conduct. Look, you're talented, you have the potential to be a great asset, but only if you're willing to take responsibility..."
"Look," Karena interrupted. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not going to work. I am good at my job and I know it. You should be grateful I'm even here considering everything I do..."
"But you're not doing everything, Karena," Darius said angrily. "That's the issue. You're skiving, and that's affecting more than just your own work. The deadlines are being missed, other team members are picking up your slack, and I'm spending more time managing your attitude than I'm leading this team, and you know what, that's not sustainable. I need you to understand something very clearly. This isn't about me being hard on you, it's about fairness. I've tried to give you room to improve, and I've been patient, but this can't continue. If something doesn't change, we're going to have to re-evaluate your position here. Do you understand?"
"So, what? You're threatening to fire me now? Go ahead. I'm sure this place would just fall apart without me," Karena said defiantly.
"Karena, this isn't a threat. This is a reality check, and I don't want to see it come to that," Darius said wearily. "But I need to know that you're willing to make an effort, because right now, I'm not seeing it." Just then, Priscilla entered.
"Is everything okay here?" she asked.
"Everything's fine," Karena said. "We're just having a little chat. There's nothing you need to worry about."
"Actually, I think it is something I do need to worry about," Priscilla said, her tone firm. "Because I'm not just a new employee. I'm Priscilla, the CEO of this company."
"Wait, what?" Karena asked, unable to believe her ears. "You're the CEO? But why are you here?"
"I've been working undercover to get a better sense of what's happening on the ground, to see how my employees interact, how they handle their work, and most importantly, how they treat each other."
"Oh, well, uh, that's uh, that's interesting, um, that's a little weird, I guess, but okay, um, I guess you've seen how hard everyone's been working, right?" Karena muttered.
"Yeah, right," Priscilla said. "Yes, I have seen a lot. I have seen how the team is trying to pull together and I've also seen how one person's behaviour can disrupt an entire office."
"Look, I know I've had a few off days, but that's normal, right?" Karena said, still trying to justify her behaviour. "I mean, everyone has bad days. It doesn't mean I'm not doing my job."
"It's not just a few bad days, Karena. It's a pattern," Priscilla corrected her. "Spending more time on personal calls than your own assignments, and making sarcastic remarks during meetings that discourage others from participating. I have seen you avoid tasks, push your responsibilities onto others and show a complete lack of respect for your colleagues, especially your manager. That's not just having a bad day. That's a choice you've been making, day in, day out."
"But, I mean, I've been here for years," Karena protested. "I know how things work, maybe I've been a little distracted lately, but I'm still one of the best at what I do. I mean, everyone knows that, right?"
"Well, being here longer doesn't give you the right to act however you want," Priscilla said. "You may have experience, but this doesn't excuse the lack of professionalism and respect you've shown."
"So what? You're going to just like, judge me based on a few days of watching. You don't know how hard I've worked for this company. I've put time in, and I've earned my place here."
"And you've also earned the consequences of your actions," Priscilla added. "Your behaviour has been absolutely disruptive, disrespectful and frankly, unacceptable. You've been given multiple opportunities to improve, but instead, you've chosen down, to continue down this path. Effectively immediately, your employment with this company is terminated."
"Wait, wait, you can't do that. I mean, can't we just talk about this?" Karena said, realising too late the gravity of her situation. "I mean, I can do better, I...I promise, I'll change, I'll change." She fumbled with her words that it sounded unconvincing. Priscilla shook her head.
"Karena, this isn't the first time you've been given that chance. I understand that people can have difficult times, but the kind of change you're talking about doesn't happen because of just one conversation. It takes a willingness to reflect, to respect others, and to hold yourself accountable. And that's something I certainly haven't seen from you."
"That's fine, that's fine," Karena said. "If that's how it is, then I'm out of here." She then stormed out of the office. Darius and Priscilla shook their heads.
"Thank you for your patience and professionalism," Priscilla said. "I can see how hard you tried to manage the situation, and I really appreciate your efforts. It's certainly not easy to handle something like this, especially when you're trying to lead a team."
"Thank you, Priscilla," Darius said. "I didn't know what else to do. I just, I just hope this doesn't affect the rest of the team too much you know."
"It won't, I promise," Priscilla replied. "If anything, this will make things easier for everyone. Sometimes, a fresh start is what a team really needs to move forward. We're going to get through this, and we're going to come out even stronger."
"Well, I guess the undercover test really worked out after all," Darius said.
"It sure did," Priscilla said. "To reward the team for their hard work, we'll be treating them to lunch tomorrow." With that, they left the office, leaving the reign of Karena's unprofessionalism behind.
