Life gets tough at work and home

Things are not very good right now both in the office and at home. In the office, the numbers are just not coming in and so everyone is very cranky.

Last week, we had a meeting to review our numbers that did not go well. Our CEO was rather upset that we are presently 10 per cent below target and 15 per cent below the same time last year.

Sometimes I do not understand these bosses. I do recall that at the end of the year, we told the CEO that we needed to share a more modest projection with the board.

He adamantly refused to change the numbers to reflect reality. So why is he now crying foul?

However, I have been in this company long enough to understand how bosses work and how they like to flog we worker bees for results.

So, the CEO decided that we needed a day out of the office to brainstorm on ideas about how to “jump-start the company”.

I was taken aback by the choice of venue since we chose to go to a five-star hotel in Naivasha. It does not make sense that we should be blowing money, yet we are complaining about funds.

To be honest the brainstorming session was a total time waster with people making what, in my view, was silly ideas on how to save costs.

Someone had the audacity to propose that we stop providing tea and coffee for employees, another said we should limit how much printing paper employees use.

To me this the day was a thinly veiled attempt by the boss to try and embark on a cost-cutting exercise — nothing to do with jump-starting the company.

Things are no better in the home front. The other day Shiro called me from Dubai and said, “Babes we need to move Maingi to a different school”.

This conversation always gets me worried for I know Shiro would rather the kids attended a GCSE school, which is way out of our budget.

Messages

She asked me, “have you been reading the messages on the school WhatsApp group?” I told her, “What group?” She said, “There is a group for parents to discuss their children and their progress and other issues.” That is when it hit me — I was initially a member of that group but I quit when I realised that all parents would talk about is nannies and the price of milk and bread.

From the tone of Shiro’s voice, I could tell there was a serious issue, so I told her,” I have not been following what is going on, please update me.”

Shiro spoke for close to half an hour where she listened to a whole list of complaints against the school. It sounds that the school has water issues, performance issues and bullying issues.

She said that some parent had mentioned that our son was a victim of bullying and had body marks to prove it. Shiro asked me, “Have you noticed anything funny on Maingi?”

How was I to tell Shiro that I usually get home too late to notice such things plus I leave such matters to the nanny? I told her, “I am not aware of such things, I will need to find out.”

She proceeded to vent on the phone, saying how she needs to come back since her children are suffering. My worst fears were confirmed in the evening — Maingi had some marks on his back. He told me that Ali, a classmate of his, had been beating him when he does not share his breakfast. My heart broke. How have I been missing all these signs? I decided to wait until the next day to discuss it with Shiro. Just before I slept a message came through from the HR manager “Josphat my friend, just wanted to let you know I have received a redundancy letter today. My last day is March 29,” read the message. This is a disaster.