Page 12 of Negotiation Tactics
I need to regroup and rethink my strategy, because I’m not willing to compromise with the terms. A pay cut of any sort is just not happening, I can’t allow it. People need to be paid what they deserve and not less. The most I’ll do isrewordmy proposal, but that’s no guarantee the Commission won’t outright turn it down again and it irks me knowing that there’s little I can do to change that. And what he’s offering… there is no way I am agreeing to throw the people I represent under the bus with some shitty deal disguised as a win.
“I am sure we can reach an agreement once you resubmit your amended proposal, Joshua,” he says and winces when I glare at him. “Mr. Anderson. We both want what’s best for both employees and Devon Holidays.”Wrong. I want what’s best for the people, not his shitty company.“The Board and the Commission will see it, too.” He smiles and offers his hand, though I don’t take it, instead gathering my folder plus the rejection/counterproposal and holding them close to my chest.
“You don’t really care about the employees, Mr. Devon. Don’t pretend you do,” I snap at him before I manage to rein that urge in, but I don’t regret it even if it’s not the most professional thing to say. “You are just like every other asshole. I can’t believe it had to be you that night, ugh,” I add in a mumble.
“That’s not—”
“You are an evil asshole. And a coward.” I shoot up from the chair, done with this farce. What a waste of an afternoon. “Thank you for your time, but next time don’t come. I will only speak with your commission. Goodbye.”
They’ll see. I’m done playing nice if they are going to disrespect me and what I represent so blatantly. I can’tbelieve they didn’t even send one representative. I shove the door closed and power-walk to the elevator, catching it just as it’s about to go down.
Devon Holidays made a mistake, and they’ll pay for it because I’ll do everything in my power to win. Even if I have to play dirty.
5
Josh
I’mstillangrywhenI make it back to my office, a small room with peeling-off wallpaper, an old carpet, and a creaking chair. It’s no different from the rest of the offices in the Union building, where the most impressive and new feature are the PVC windows we installed two years ago since the old ones were letting in too much cold and thus raking up our heating bills.
It’s not a particularly exciting working environment, but everyone’s character comes through the knickknacks and small decorations they have around their spaces, my own take on that the single shelf I nailed to the wall behind my desk and chair. Along with my favorite romance titles that fill it up is also the space prison love story I just couldn’t put down, even if sci-fi is not a genre I typically go for.
Aside from books, I also put up the only concept painting I ever fully finished, dating back to when I was still in high school and toying with the idea of going into architecture and interior design. It hangs next to the window, and I take a few moments just to look at it, the warm colors and the neat lines of the conservatory I designed calming me down a notch.
“Josh, dear, how did it go?” Mariam asks from the door with her tea mug in hand. “That bad, huh?”
I guess my strained smile gave it away. “Nothing I didn’t expect,” I tell her, even if it’s not quite the truth. I’d not thought the Commission would turn me down like this without even bothering to show up and negotiate. Like for real, why send in the CEO’s useless son?
I sigh, stifling down the budding irritation. Not because of the rejection I’ve ultimately been served, but because for a few minutes I’d allowed myself to believe there was something genuine in those unfairly captivating eyes. A wish, an intention, to resolve the issue in a way that didn’t fuck over the people working for Devon Holidays.
“Are you sure?” she says, taking a generous sip. “You seem a bit wrung-up.”
“Just tired.” She cocks an immaculately styled blonde eyebrow, showing me just how easily she can see through my bullshit. “Okay, I may be a little annoyed. They didn’t even come to the meeting and instead just sent the CEO’s idiot son.”
Mariam shakes her head, curls bobbing. I really can’t believe she’s in her mid-fifties and looking so good. “Alistair Devon? I thought he’s just a Junior Partner and doesn’t really have a say in things.”
“He doesn’t,” I growl in exasperation, frowning at the frog origami peeking out from behind the stand of my monitor. My desk is just as old and worn out as everything else in my office, marks and scruffs marring the top even if they are usually hidden beneath the clutter of documents and various paper animals. What can I say? I find origami therapeutic. “Which is why I’m a little annoyed, Mariam. They just shot me down and didn’t even give me the chance to present my case.”
She comes over and puts her cup down, skimming through the folder that I slide over to her. Her tentativesmile gradually disappears. “I can’t believe they think a one-off payment is good enough to put this case on hold for half a year…” she mutters, throwing me an empathetic look. “What are you going to do?”
I sigh again, massaging my temples, then stare out of the window at the gloomy afternoon. The streetlamps have just come on even if it’s not quite dark yet, and people are crowding the sidewalks as they head home.
“I’ll ‘revise’ the proposal, change the wording… Make it a little more ambiguous? Then I’ll submit again.” I give her a meaningful look. “There is no way I am agreeing to this one-off payment.”
“I wish I could help you, sweetie, but I doubt any of us can do a better job. This case is a tough one, but I’m sure you can handle it just fine once you get past these initial bumps.” She pauses, drumming slender fingers against her chin. “Maybe your mom can give you some advice?”
“Yeah…” I haven’t called her yet because I plan to rant in person tomorrow. “I’ll tell her what happened when we have lunch tomorrow.” Just as I finish saying this, I notice the slim folder under Mariam’s arm. “What’s that? Did you need me for something?”
She looks at it and places it on my desk, above the one containing the information on Devon Holidays. “Yes, actually, and I hate to ask you for this after your shitty day, but I was hoping you could go with Lily tomorrow. She’s finalizing the negotiations with the waste disposal company, and I just wanted to make sure it’s all in order before she signs it off.” She pays the darkening sky a heartbeat of her attention and offers me a sympathetic smile. “I’d do it myself, but I have to look after the little ones as my Sonya is leaving for her dance competition tonight.”
I answer Mariam’s smile with a grin, snatching the folder. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure everything is in order. Let me know how the competition goes! I’m sure she’ll smash it.”
James, the other senior consultant, is on leave, so at the moment it’s just me, Mariam and Demi who can handle the training and supervision of new members. We have four, with my friend, Lily, being the newest, but the quickest at learning. The cases the Union takes on are not limited to one sector, but a few, so we usually have our people specialize in a certain thing. Like me and Mariam though, Lily is interested in everything.
“Oh, I have no doubt! Sonia’s been training the troupe extra hard for the past two months and a lot of those vloggers have been praising her choreography.” She picks her cup up. “Thank you, sweetie, and I’ll make it up to you. I’ll do the next two supervisions, and I’ll also bring you some of the chocolate sponge cake I’m making for the grandkids.”
I feel a burst of excitement at her words, saliva filling my mouth. Her chocolate cake is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life and I’m positive she could give the new fancy patisserie that opened a week ago a run for its money. If Mariam wasn’t one of my best reps, I’d long have let her go so she could be a five-star baker.
Once Mariam leaves, I read through the waste disposal case for tomorrow. I end up being the last one in the office, and by the time I leave, I’ve mostly forgotten my frustrating meeting from the afternoon. Or, at least, I’ve managed to stuff it far down enough so I can focus on Lily’s case. Despite her inexperience, she’s successfully negotiated a pay raise of twenty percent for the night shift with an extra day off every third week. It’s better than Iexpected, considering the things I’ve heard about Garb & Agnes LTD.
