Page 66 of The Riviera House Swap
She knew what her friends and family would tell her to do. Ignore the email, carry on with the holiday – or remind Jemima that she had originally wanted to leave and request that her resignation be accepted. She shouldn’t allow the boss of a company she’d dedicated years of her life to, a company she’d clearly made herself indispensable to, treat her in this way.
But thinking things and feeling them were two very different things. Could she afford to lose this job? What would she do if she left for good? Would she get a bad reference if she didn’t go back and save the day? What were her rights? How might Jemima make life difficult for her if she didn’t acquiesce and hop on the next plane?
When Nina had started working at the firm, it had been run by a guy called Colin – an older guy who had been in the business for years and was relaxed about things. One of the reasons she’d chosen her role was because the firm had a real family atmosphere. People would go out for lunch together, pop to the pub after work. Everyone got their jobs done, but always had time to stop and chat by the coffee percolator or during lunch at their desks. Jemima had been there, but as an assistant, rather than running the show.
When Colin had retired and Jemima had been promoted into his position four years ago, everything had changed, including Jemima’s whole attitude to work. She’d come in wearing business suits and a tight, brisk smile and started talking about bottom lines and cash flow and social media presence and building their customer base. None of these things were new – Colin had managed the firm well and it had grown incrementally each year: new staff members, a new website; they were always pitching to new clients. But Jemima brought all that to the surface – the importance of raising the company (which hadoperated very well for fifty years before she’d taken over) and that workers were professional and didn’t waste time. Ever since then, both output and morale had seemed to plummet.
Then Covid had hit and they’d all worked from home, and since then, the office had been manned by a transient staff – some in three days, some fewer. You never knew who was going to be there, and work become something you did on your own, with the main communication via email.
The combination of this, and Jemima’s leadership, had changed the job entirely, Nina realised. It had sucked the heart out of the firm and reduced them to a disparate group of people rather than a team. It had made people edgy and paranoid and afraid of making a mistake. It had dried up any small talk as each person focused on their own workload and the need not to be seen in an unfavourable light.
If Colin had made this plea to her, she probably wouldn’t have minded going back to save the day. But then Colin would never have done this, she realised. He’d respected the fact that while he expected a level of dedication from his employees, the firm would never be their entire lives. ‘And it shouldn’t be,’ he’d used to say. ‘What would I want with a load of one-dimensional employees? You need to have a life outside of this place in order to give your all when you’re here.’
Now Jemima, with her focus on growth at all costs, in tandem with Covid-19, had changed her place of work into something unrecognisable. So why was it so hard for Nina to just walk away? How did she still have this hold over her?
She started to type:
Hi Jemima,
I am sorry to hear that the firm is struggling with the new temp. However, all the procedures involved in the officemanagement are clearly outlined in my job description and I am sure other members of staff can assist.
After careful consideration of my situation, I have decided I wish to honour my original intention and leave at the end of my notice period. As this is two weeks, and I have this amount left on the unpaid leave you signed off on 15th October, I will not be returning to work at the end of this month period.
I wish you all the best in the future.
Regards,
Nina
Her finger hovered over ‘send.’Do it!Her mind urged. But then she thought about the house sale – how until completion, you never really knew for sure if it would work out. She had some savings, but they would run out eventually. What if Jemima turned on her and made it difficult for her to find another job? She wouldn’t put it past her. Yes, she was meant to be taking risks, but this was a risk too far.
QUITTING
Pros:
Putting myself first
No more Jemima!
Cons:
Jemima might not give a reference
What if I can’t find another job?
No idea what I want to do
Will I find something I like doing more?
Cutting off my nose to spite my face?
She deleted her draft email then, not quite knowing how to respond, put her phone away and tried to get her mind back in the moment. She was here, in France. Last night, she’d had a meal with the man who could be the love of her life – they’d kissed and had plans for tomorrow. If she put Jemima out of her mind, the world could be her oyster (hopefully, an oyster with a pearl in it, rather than the sloppy, mucous-y kind that made her retch).
The anxiety that had awakened in her made it impossible for her to lay in bed any more. She quickly got up and slipped on some jeans and a T-shirt. Pushing her hair back with a headband, she washed her face in the ensuite and applied a bit of tinted moisturiser.
Downstairs, she was relieved to hear the sound of the radio chattering in French and noticed the smell of coffee in the air. Sabine was up and about and she needed the distraction.
She found her friend at the oak table, a map spread in front of her. She was marking something with a pen. When Nina entered she looked up.
