AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Thirteen
Benjamin
It's too early in the morning for this shit.
Everyone who works here knows I prefer my meetings to be mid-morning and not first thing. But here we are, sitting at the table in my office waiting for Maggie to arrive and start in on us. The air is thick and it’s too quiet as Bella and I sit side-by-side.
Maggie walks in and sits opposite us. She places a notepad and a pen in front of her, takes a sip of her coffee, and then looks up at us.
“I carefully considered how to approach this discussion. Isabella, I am glad you are here with us this morning,” Maggie starts, politely nodding to Bella.
“Me too,” Bella says quietly.
“I want to start out by saying I am extremely happy that Benjamin has found someone. While it's not ideal for that someone to be his direct employee, I think this conversation today can help us come to some agreement on the future with the company and relationships that may pose as a liability for the company.”
“Let’s hear what you have to say,” I say quickly, wanting her to just get on with it.
“I've known you for a long time, Benjamin. I know your character – your true character. I also know you were thrown into leading the company and since then you have grown into a force to be reckoned with. You are passionate about this company and the work we do here. You want this company to continue to grow and to flourish and you don't want anything unfortunate to happen to it or your family name. I know that in the recent past we have spoken a few times regarding adding a new section to the employee handbook forbidding employee fraternization, which you declined.”
“That’s correct.” I nod.
“Your father never saw a need for it either. But times have changed since your father led Adams Enterprises. There's a lot more workplace harassment that is talked about these days versus twenty years ago and that is unfortunate that some have felt the need to sweep harassment under the rug so often. There's always that one person who ruins something for everyone else. But it's the harsh truth of the business world as we see it today. I don’t want some people to ruin things for others. Or to take advantage of the company policies.” She pauses, looking to the both of us.
I speak up. “The last thing I want is for any employee here at Adams Enterprises to have to go through any of those things.”
“And that's why our staff is paid based on experience. That’s why we have a sexual harassment prevention seminar annually. I'm sure there are other situations where employees have dated one another, but, like your relationship, it's been kept under wraps.”
“And we will continue to do so. That was the primary stipulation when we decided to get involved: our personal lives and our professional lives will not mingle.”
“I'm afraid that the chain of command here makes it difficult for that to be completely true, you could say something that Isabella may take personally. Or another staffer could flirt with Isabella and you may react to that. We can’t predict how either of you would react now that you have personal feelings with one another.” Maggie says. I hear Bella gasp and see her wringing her hands a little harder in her lap.
“Now what are you trying to say here? I'm not firing her, and she's not leaving my side,” I say to Maggie firmly, my hand reaching to grasp Bella’s.
“Benjamin, can you confidently say that you can be objective about the work that Isabella does?” she asks pointedly.
“I can,” I say with conviction.
“And Isabella, can you take criticism from Benjamin without thinking its personal?”
“I think the fact that I haven't quit yet indicates that I can, ma'am.” Bella holds her head high.
Maggie nods and jots down a few notes on her notepad. She puts her pen down, folds her hands together and sighs.
“What I propose here is written disclosure, which will be added to the handbook. Employees will be required to disclose their romantic relationships with other employees of Adams Enterprises to Human Resources. Having this information up front will help HR determine how to respond appropriately to complaints of harassment, favoritism, or discrimination. The employees will need to sign a contract outlining appropriate behavior. This contract will also include an acknowledgement regarding sexual harassment and will remain in their employee file for the duration of their employment. And for a period of time outlined by the company lawyers after employment.”
“And what if staff members are unwilling to sign this relationship contract?” I ask, playing devil's advocate.
“Then we would need to seek either a transfer or termination,” Maggie states.
“I think this could be a good compromise. As you know, I don't like telling others what they can and cannot do in their personal lives. With this relationship contract, Adams Enterprises doesn’t have to be the bad guy, but can still shield itself from liability related to relationships between employees.”
“If I could make a suggestion to the contract, I’m not sure if this would be a standard, but it’s worth mentioning. I would think it would be beneficial to include no public displays of affection in the workplace that would make others uncomfortable and if the relationship was to not work out, that no retaliation can occur to one’s position within the company,” Bella offers.
Maggie nods and smiles. She writes down some more notes and then looks up to the both of us. “That was one of the plans that I wanted to put in place within this change. Thank you Isabella for your thoughts on the matter.”
“You two will be the first to sign the contract. If you agree to, of course.”
“We will,” Bella and I say in unison.
