Sime~Gen Roleplaying: District Controller's Office Scenario
Episode #101: Move It Or Lose It (11/6/99)
Darrel approaches Arat's office with a bit of trepidation, holding a thick report.
Darrel realizes that the ostensible content of the report doesn't necessarily reflect on him, personally, but something about Ormof's nager when sending Darrel on the errand implied that Something Bad was in the offing for Darrel.
Darrel has grown rather adept at spotting such attitudes in his superiors.
Darrel straightens his uniform, twisting one cuff a bit to hide a worn spot, and signals.
Beni looks at Arat, raising an interrogative eyebrow.
Arat wonders why no Donor has ever been successfully trained to open a door without being guided through the process.
Arat: Well, open it. [annoyed]
Beni gets up and goes to the door, wondering why Arat doesn't simply hire a doorman.
Beni opens the door.
Beni: Come in.
Darrel zlins Beni a shade apprehensively, seeking more information on just how much hot water he's in, at the moment.
Darrel would have a better idea if he'd actually been caught doing something questionable, in the past week or so.
Darrel skitters through the door, and approaches Arat's desk.
Arat watches impatiently.
Darrel holds out the report he's carrying, as if it was a shield.
Darrel: Ha-Hajene Ormof asked me to bring this to you.
Darrel: It's the completed report on the chemical inventory.
Arat: Where is he? [snaps]
Darrel flinches at Arat's obvious displeasure, and tries not to cringe too obviously.
Darrel: Err... I believe he's tied up with the waste people at the moment, arranging for the disposal of some of the more questionable bottles.
Darrel: ~~ truth ~~
Darrel: It's taking a bit longer than he thought it would.
Darrel isn't sure that Ormof is setting the proper priorities, but he has long since learned how dangerous second-guessing superiors can be.
Arat: Tell him that I am looking forward to seeing him as soon as he becomes available.
Arat does not sound pleased.
Arat in fact sounds like Ormof will not be in for a good time.
Darrel: ~~ apprehension ~~
Arat: You may go.
Darrel: I will.
Darrel timidly places the report in Arat's in-box and slinks towards the door.
Beni tries to ~~ soothe ~~ Arat's displeasure.
Beni doesn't have much sympathy for Ormof, mind you, but finds that Arat is much easier to handle when not too upset.
Beni waits until the door closes behind Darrel, then reaches to rub Arat's neck and shoulders.
Beni examines Arat to see if his efforts are having any effect.
Arat remains stiff and hostile for a few minutes longer, then gradually begins to respond.
Arat: That man makes me furious.
Arat says unnecessarily.
Beni: Who, Darrel?
Beni had rather thought Arat preferred Darrel to Darrel's boss.
Arat: No, Ormof. [snaps]
Arat wonders why Beni is being so dense this morning.
Arat: What does Darrel have to do with anything?
Beni chooses to ignore the snap, one of the many skills he has been achieving since trying to become a Farris-compatible Donor.
Beni: I admit that I don't much care for Ormof, myself.
Beni: He's....
Arat: Lazy.
Arat's voice and expressive Farris features make it clear how much of an insult that is coming from him.
Beni: Well, he does leave a great deal of the routine decisions to his staff.
Arat: And not particularly honest.
Beni nods.
Beni: I think the previous Controller kept him on only because there were worse problems elsewhere.
Beni is well aware that there are limits to how much deadwood a Controller can dispose of at a time.
Arat: That is mainly why I have kept him, but that time may be coming to an end.
Arat hasn't done a real heavy duty purge in about two years, and the minor one that happened since was almost undetectable.
Arat: His behavior recently has been inexcusable.
Arat: He's resorted to trying to get his employees fired to cover up his own shortcomings.
Beni: You mean Hajene Darrel?
Beni: I think that may be personal.
Arat looks at Beni sharply.
Arat hadn't said a word about which employees, and wonders why Beni knows of that particular case.
Beni: He's been complaining about Darrel ever since the incident with the autoclave.
Arat knows that Beni has been assigned to Ormof in the past, but doesn't have a clear picture of how often they talk.
Beni isn't up to Narosian standards of gossip-collection, by any means, but he is a naturally gregarious person, and people love to gossip about those who are enduring official displeasure.
Beni keeps up the neck-rub.
Beni: Or so I'm told, anyway.
Arat tries to relax again.
Arat never feels more paranoid than when other people are trying to out-think him at the game of being Controller.
Ormof approaches Arat's office, having finally managed to dispose of the disposal people.
Ormof doesn't think he should have to waste his valuable time arranging to have the trash taken out, but they waste people insisted that they had to have his signature on the papers for each chemical.
Arat has, by now, had a chance to wear out Beni's hands and read Ormof's report.
Ormof also considers that having to pull half of his department off of their regular duties to do an emergency chemical inventory, just because Arat wanted it done yesterday, is an unnecessary interference in his authority as a department head.
Ormof signals briskly at Arat's door.
Beni leaves off the neck rub and goes to answer it.
Arat hadn't been too impressed by the numerous misspellings and the vague (at least, to Farris eyes) measurements of the disposal report, and even less by the obvious construction method used on the proposal for future chemical stores maintenance: Copying word for word out of First Year manuals, probably those Darrel received while in his class.
Arat sighs.
Arat wishes everybody could just be... competent.
Arat wishes, failing that, that he could be surrounded only by competent people and the rest could just go away and live somewhere else.
Beni stands back to let Ormof enter.
Ormof bustles into the office, ignoring Beni completely.
Arat hopes Ormof is going to be more chastened this time around.
Ormof: My apologies for the delay, Controller Arat. The waste disposal people took more time to process our requirements than anticipated.
Arat doesn't think it starts out well, when Ormof opens by passing blame for something off on somebody else.
Ormof's apology is sincere, as far as it goes, but with a firm understanding (at least on Ormof's part) that the excuse is legitimate.
Ormof is probably correct that the excuse is among his more legitimate ones; at least he was working on something else.
Arat: I have read your report.
Arat: Aside from a number of inaccuracies, the disposal report is acceptable.
Ormof thinks this is faint praise for a document that he spent the past six hours (pre-waste-disposal) compiling.
Arat: However, I will require a revision of your proposal for future procedure.
Ormof: A revision? But the plan I outlined covers all of the essentials in the manual.
Arat: That part is fine, so far as it goes.
Arat: However, you have assigned some of these tasks to specific employees, while leaving others entirely unscheduled. I understand that you will not always know who you'll assign to certain tasks; in that case, they should appear on your main schedule as to-be-announced.
Arat wants it to be blindingly obvious to Ormof each morning that he has to assign this work along with the regular work of the department.
Ormof: I see.
Arat realizes (from experience in dealing with other managers) that it is all too easy for a lazy sort of person to forget about things that aren't written down explicitly in a schedule.
Ormof anticipates another long session of revisions, interfering with the smooth functioning of his department.
Ormof defines a smoothly-running department as one which operates with no perceptible input from himself.
Arat is also aware that "duties" which are neither assigned to specific employees or put on the schedule are very difficult to track as to whether they are becoming a problem or not.
Arat would like to find out about the next chemical crisis less than 5 years after it begins, thank you.
Ormof: On the subject of personnel assignments, have you had time to process my suggestions regarding my staff?
Arat's eyes narrow as Ormof fails to acknowledge the order, and instead moves on to his own demands.
Arat: Yes.
Ormof: Ah, good. That will be of great help when finalizing my schedule.
Ormof wishes he could be around when Arat gives the inconvenient Hajene Darrel the boot.
Arat picks up a brochure lying on his desk.
Arat: There is a month long intensive seminar on infection avoidance techniques beginning at the World Controller's Office Training Center next week.
Ormof: A month long?
Arat: It's supposed to be an introduction to a two-year specialization training beginning immediately thereafter, but the full training is not mandatory and each Center is encouraged to send two staff members.
Ormof contemplates the hole this will make in his schedule.
Arat: It will be an excellent opportunity for Hajene Vris to both sharpen her skills and learn groundbreaking new techniques.
Ormof: It would be a valuable review for Vris.
Arat thinks, and it will also look more like a reward than a punishment.
Ormof: There would be a replacement to cover her duties, would there not?
Ormof had not planned to do anything so time-consuming with Vris, at least not until Darrel's replacement was broken in.
Arat: Hajene Darrel's class ends next week as well, so he ought to be able to take on her duties. Assuming, that is, you have suffered no shortage in the past.
Arat happens to remember Ormof mentioning no shortages in his report.
Ormof: Well, there will be the additional duties required by recent changes.
Ormof means by this, the things he should have had his staff doing all along, but didn't bother about.
Arat: They are nothing that requires a channel. [points out]
Arat: And, they are not particularly time consuming, provided one maintains a regular schedule and does not allow any problems to accumulate.
Ormof winces at this reminder of the all-nighter that his department just pulled.
Arat: If it becomes a problem, we will see about getting you an intern to work on it.
Arat: The intern can also fill in for your clerk as required.
Ormof: An intern would be useful.
Arat had thoroughly investigated the so-called attendance problem of Ormof's clerk, and learned that she'd given 24 hours' notice and Ormof had forgotten to put in for a temporary replacement until it was too late.
Ormof: If it turns out that the additional help is still required after Vris's training is completed, I will put in a request for an additional clerk.
Ormof is hoping to put some pressure on his current clerk, by this reminder that she can be replaced if she continues to inconvenience her boss.
Arat doesn't like the zlin of that.
Arat: I said, an intern.
Ormof: Of course.
Ormof thinks that the important thing is to set the precedent for an additional staff person; job titles can come later.
Arat: As for Hajene Darrel, while his attitude can be trying at times, I do not believe he is performing incompetently in his post.
Ormof's face falls.
Ormof: He has already required one session of retraining in basic procedures, due to his mistakes.
Arat pauses for a moment.
Arat: As, you say, Vris does?
Ormof: Well, yes, although she has been less of a problem than Darrel.
Ormof: She, at least, is open to correction.
Ormof: Hajene Darrel does not seem to understand the necessity of following procedure.
Ormof means by this that Darrel has been known to exercise creativity and improvise, all of which require more work for his supervisor.
Arat: Do you find retraining to be a viable and positive method of dealing with employee issues?
Ormof considers.
Ormof: With specific shortcomings which result from lack of basic information, yes.
Ormof: With problems of basic incompatibility, it is less helpful.
Arat: I see. And how would you define "basic incompatibility"?
Beni can't help thinking of Pylor and Arat as a sterling example, sensitivity training notwithstanding.
Ormof: When there are such large differences in work philosophy and approaches to problems that it is impossible to anticipate what an employee will do, or how well, requiring significant extra time to be spent tracking that employee's work, regardless of competence, I would say a basic incompatibility exists.
Arat: I see.
Ormof: When there is a history of competence issues, as well, the problem becomes even more urgent.
Arat: I agree entirely on that point.
Arat: Which is why I think it would be best if you underwent some continuing education as well.
Ormof: ....me?
Arat: Yes. Remaining up to date on procedures and regulations is at least as important for managers as it is for lesser employees. Management skills must be honed and constantly upgraded as well.
Ormof tries hard to keep his ~~ dawning indignation ~~ under control.
Arat: I have looked into your record and it has been some years since you last attended an educational seminar or conference, or registered for a class... at least through the Tecton.
Ormof is well aware that he has been caught napping in the chemical-inventory and disposal area, and is aware that he is likely to be disciplined for it.
Arat: This is clearly an oversight.
Ormof: Well, yes. It has been a busy time for me, and I couldn't let my duties go, much as I would have liked to.
Arat: Of course.
Arat: Therefore, I am going to split your schedule to include five hours per day of coursework, and your time will be covered by Hajene Metlav from Pediatric Medicine.
Ormof: I see.
Arat: She will not be there to rearrange your department, only to fill in for you.
Arat: It will be up to you to choose your coursework, coordinate with Hajene Metlav, and run your department well and alertly.
Ormof sees that he will be forced to take on an additional five hours of work, as he is already doing as little channeling work as is compatible with entran-avoidance.
Ormof is already mourning the loss of his leisurely daily perusals of Capitol's two main newspapers.
Arat: We shall meet once per week, for fifteen minutes, to discuss your progress in implementing the new plan.
Arat: If you should require assistance, I will render whatever assistance is required.
Arat means that if Ormof drags his feet on selecting some classes and seminars to attend, Arat would gladly pick some for him.
Ormof rejects a half-formed idea of foisting discrete portions of administrivia off onto Metlav, and another to delay the coursework until Vris returns from her own seminar.
Ormof is well aware that any "assistance" Arat is likely to offer would cost him more time and effort than it would save.
Ormof: I will have the reorganization written up by next week.
Arat nods.
Ormof hopes that this will be sufficient time for him to figure out which classes are least challenging.
Arat: I expect to see you some time later today with your general schedule and your procedural proposal modified as requested.
Ormof: ...very well, Controller Farris.
Ormof sees the time frame for academics-minimizing research shrinking.
Arat: That will be all.
Ormof gets to his feet and stumbles towards the door.
Beni looks after Ormof thoughtfully, but with some satisfaction.
Arat also has some hope of salvaging the man, after this meeting.
Beni is contemplating the profits he has just made in the betting pool, for correctly guessing that Arat would try rehabilitating Ormof rather than summarily getting rid of him.
Arat's only concern is that the laziness is due to some underlying incapacity and that Ormof might not be able to sustain a full day of work, in which case his plan will not succeed.
Arat is hoping it proves to be simple laziness of the sort which can be shaken off, however.
Beni waits until the door closes.
Beni: I can see Ormof's department is in for some interesting times.