Read Online Underground Time by Delphine de Vigan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Delphine de Vigan
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information flow within our team. In addition, we have the pleasure of welcoming Corinne Santos, who joined us this morning. Corinne has a similar background to you. She worked for a few months at L’Oréal in the international division and she’s just finished a placement in Communications, where she worked wonders. She’s going to help us set up the product plan for 2010, she . . .’
The sound of Jacques’s voice faded out for a few minutes, was drowned out by a buzzing noise. Mathilde was standing facing him, but could no longer hear him. For a moment it seemed to her as though she was going to dissolve, disappear. For a few seconds all she could hear was a terrible deafening noise that came from nowhere. Jacques’s eyes went from the girl to the window, from the window to the open door, from the open door back to the girl. Jacques was talking to her without looking at her.
‘You’ll find a copy of this note in your pigeonhole. In your absence, I took the liberty of having your things moved to 500–9, the empty office.’
Mathilde tried to get air into her lungs, air that would let her cry out or get angry.
There was no air.
‘In order to avoid having to disconnect and reconnect all the equipment, Corinne will be using your computer from now on. Nathalie has copied your personal files on to a memory stick, which you can ask her for. IT will give you a new workstation as soon as possible. Any questions?’
The noise had stopped. There was a silence between them and she felt dizzy.
There were no words.
Corinne Santos looked at her. Corinne Santos’s eyes said, ‘I feel sorry for you. It’s nothing to do with me. If it hadn’t been me it would have been someone else.’
Corinne Santos’s huge blue eyes were asking for forgiveness.
On two occasions in January Mathilde asked for a meeting with the HR director. Patricia Lethu assumed a suitable expression and listened to her. She took notes and ticked boxes. She spoke to her in the affected way that people who are in good health adopt with those they have to handle carefully. Patricia Lethu explained patiently how complex the world of business had become, that it was subject to competitive pressures, to new markets opening up, not to mention EU directives, and how much all that, here as elsewhere, contributed to creating tension, stress and conflict. She described the harsh realities of business as though Mathilde were coming out of a convent or waking up from a long coma. With a sigh, Patricia Lethu added that HR directors all faced the same difficulties, it was a real headache, and in addition there was this ever-present pressure on objectives. It wasn’t easy – it wasn’t easy for anyone. You had to arm yourself, remain competitive, not allow yourself to be outpaced. Because it was undoubtedly true that those employees who were weakest psychologically would soon find themselves on the front line. Moreover, the business was doing a great deal of thinking about these issues and was considering setting up seminars run by outside consultants.
Patricia Lethu counselled patience. With time, things would get back to normal, a solution would be found. You had to accept that nothing was for ever, embrace change, make adjustments, be ready to reposition yourself. You had to take a good look at yourself. Maybe the time had come for Mathilde to think about a new direction, update her skills, take stock? Life sometimes forced us to take the initiative. Thus far Mathilde had been able to adapt. Patricia Lethu was confident that things would work out. She shook her hand.
Looking at it more closely, it’s been noted in Mathilde’s file that she is in a conflict situation with her superior. Over a sudden personality clash.
The company seeks information, takes note, considers the situation without investigating why it has come about, without examining whether the claim is well-founded. And by virtue of the same logic, it allows Mathilde to
The sound of Jacques’s voice faded out for a few minutes, was drowned out by a buzzing noise. Mathilde was standing facing him, but could no longer hear him. For a moment it seemed to her as though she was going to dissolve, disappear. For a few seconds all she could hear was a terrible deafening noise that came from nowhere. Jacques’s eyes went from the girl to the window, from the window to the open door, from the open door back to the girl. Jacques was talking to her without looking at her.
‘You’ll find a copy of this note in your pigeonhole. In your absence, I took the liberty of having your things moved to 500–9, the empty office.’
Mathilde tried to get air into her lungs, air that would let her cry out or get angry.
There was no air.
‘In order to avoid having to disconnect and reconnect all the equipment, Corinne will be using your computer from now on. Nathalie has copied your personal files on to a memory stick, which you can ask her for. IT will give you a new workstation as soon as possible. Any questions?’
The noise had stopped. There was a silence between them and she felt dizzy.
There were no words.
Corinne Santos looked at her. Corinne Santos’s eyes said, ‘I feel sorry for you. It’s nothing to do with me. If it hadn’t been me it would have been someone else.’
Corinne Santos’s huge blue eyes were asking for forgiveness.
On two occasions in January Mathilde asked for a meeting with the HR director. Patricia Lethu assumed a suitable expression and listened to her. She took notes and ticked boxes. She spoke to her in the affected way that people who are in good health adopt with those they have to handle carefully. Patricia Lethu explained patiently how complex the world of business had become, that it was subject to competitive pressures, to new markets opening up, not to mention EU directives, and how much all that, here as elsewhere, contributed to creating tension, stress and conflict. She described the harsh realities of business as though Mathilde were coming out of a convent or waking up from a long coma. With a sigh, Patricia Lethu added that HR directors all faced the same difficulties, it was a real headache, and in addition there was this ever-present pressure on objectives. It wasn’t easy – it wasn’t easy for anyone. You had to arm yourself, remain competitive, not allow yourself to be outpaced. Because it was undoubtedly true that those employees who were weakest psychologically would soon find themselves on the front line. Moreover, the business was doing a great deal of thinking about these issues and was considering setting up seminars run by outside consultants.
Patricia Lethu counselled patience. With time, things would get back to normal, a solution would be found. You had to accept that nothing was for ever, embrace change, make adjustments, be ready to reposition yourself. You had to take a good look at yourself. Maybe the time had come for Mathilde to think about a new direction, update her skills, take stock? Life sometimes forced us to take the initiative. Thus far Mathilde had been able to adapt. Patricia Lethu was confident that things would work out. She shook her hand.
Looking at it more closely, it’s been noted in Mathilde’s file that she is in a conflict situation with her superior. Over a sudden personality clash.
The company seeks information, takes note, considers the situation without investigating why it has come about, without examining whether the claim is well-founded. And by virtue of the same logic, it allows Mathilde to
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