Shit.
‘Hi, Rebecca.’ My voice tightens. I’m going to lose my job and it’s all my fault. ‘How can I help?’
‘Well, there are two things,’ Rebecca says. ‘I have Nigel here, head of animation. He wanted to talk.’
My head reels.
This isn’t good. Getting fired.
Maybe my Excel spreadsheets were important.
‘Okay.’
‘Who do you want to speak to first?’
‘Oh, I don’t mind.’
‘Well, I’ll go first,’ Rebecca says. ‘I have a feeling Nigel will want to have a bit more of your time.’
Great. But at least I have some time to grovel and get together an excuse for why I’m off sick from work anddefinitelynot in Athens.
‘We have suspended Clive,’ Rebecca says. I imagine him holding on to my other call, his heart beating. ‘We have had allegations from various members of the team that he has been bullying them. We want to know your experience with him.’
Clive? A bully? Well, I would haveneverthought that. Nothing to lose.
‘Clive would make me stay late without extra pay,’ I say. ‘He put me in a tiny office that is a storage cupboard and is not fit to qualify as a working environment. He wouldn’t get me the right office equipment, so my back is killing me. Oh, and he’s ignored my requests for career promotion over the years, and only asksmeto work in the office when everyone else works from home. He’s also told me that my job is at risk, and?—’
‘At risk?’
‘Yes, of redundancy.’
‘There are no redundancies planned.’
‘Oh, good. He must have forgot to tell me.’
‘No, Will. We haven’t planned any redundancies in over a year.’
I grip my phone. No redundancies? ‘Why did he tell me my job was at risk, then?’
Rebecca makes a little noise. What I’ve said must surprise her. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Power play, maybe?’ I guess.
‘Perhaps,’ Rebecca says. I could hear typing in the background. ‘Anything else?’
‘He belittles me and makes me feel like a spare part,’ I say. ‘If there’s anything else, I’ll let you know. But Clive is sly.’
‘Okay,’ Rebecca says, in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘Well, thank you for sharing that.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You’ve also been off sick?’
Here it is. I close my eyes. ‘That’s right.’
‘Is that because of working with Clive?’
An out. A clause. I’m sorry Clive, but I have to. ‘Yes. That’s right. I just… needed time.’
