Broken biscuits (part 1)

Rate this page

Rating statistics for this page

3.3 out of 5 from 70 votes

Breakdown

22 votes

14 votes

11 votes

11 votes

12 votes

What a start to the year!

It’s January 4th. Mercedes, Chief Executive of Millcaster Aid to Africa, surveys her office with satisfaction. “Start the new year shipshape!” her dear old Dad used to say. Well, he’d be pleased, she thinks, looking at her clear desk.

The loud ring of her mobile jolts her back to reality. Someone clears their throat and mumbles down the phone: “…um,  think there may be…a problem with the…er…ReadyBix contract.”  

Not liking what she thinks she’s heard, Mercedes replies: “Sorry, can hardly hear you. Is that Jocelyn? Could you repeat that and speak up?”

“Hi Mercy - yes, it’s Jocelyn. Um…I think there may be a bit of a problem with ReadyBix. That reception they held for us just before Christmas – you know, when you were off with flu, well…well, I think I may have, um, upset the Chair’s wife a bit… and…” she pauses and hesitates before whispering, “…he says he’s calling off the deal with us!”

Panic

Mercedes is too stunned to speak. The sponsorship deal with ReadyBix is key to MAA’s future survival and their cherished plans to build a farm in Rwanda. Jocelyn, Director of Fundraising, had negotiated a brilliant contract with ReadyBix last year: one pence to Aid to Africa for every pack of BrekkyBix sold – and BrekkyBix is currently a best-seller! Mercedes always feels a glow when she sees someone buying a pack in the supermarket. Topping it all, Clive, the ReadyBix Chair, was so taken with the charity, he was personally sponsoring the farm building project in Masero - now on track to open this year.

“How do you know he’s calling off the deal?” Mercedes asks, finally.  

“There’s a curt email to you from Clive’s PA, copied to me,” says Jocelyn.

Finding it hard to breathe, Mercedes asks Jocelyn to come into the office as soon as possible, despite her still being on leave. She turns on her computer and reads the email with a sinking heart. And to think she was feeling so optimistic about 2010 this morning.  

This is like a bad dream, thinks Mercedes, rubbing her eyes. And then she remembers the board expressing concern at the last meeting about being so dependent on just one income stream. And I was so cocky, she recalls, “We’re the flavour of the month with Clive,” I said to them, “it’ll be fine.” Oh dear, we’ll never get anything like that amount from anyone else – even if we could secure other funding…And I thought we were recession proof!

The joke that misfired

Jocelyn comes in, looking like she hasn’t slept. She hands Mercedes a letter. “Your resignation?” enquires Mercedes, dryly, scanning the contents. “So, having brought the charity to its knees, you’re walking away scot free? It’ll go into any reference we give, you know. Just because you’ve escaped disciplinary action, it’ll be on your record.” 

Jocelyn sits in silence and then says quietly: “I just can’t stay, Mercy. You gave me a second chance last year and I’ve blown it.”

Mercedes pauses and asks: “So Jocelyn, just what did you say to upset Camilla?”  

Jocelyn goes scarlet and looks down. She mutters: “It was something about her weight – and how many biscuits she must have eaten…er…to get to that size. Just a stupid joke to someone on the tombola. Didn’t mean any harm - but Camilla must have heard. Didn’t realise until I saw the email today. Really, really sorry. I’m gutted.”

“You’ve certainly done us harm,” Mercedes says coldly. Jocelyn just looks down and sniffs loudly, rummaging around in her bag for a tissue.  

“Tell me more about that night, please. I want to know everything,” demands Mercedes. She starts to make notes as they begin piecing together what happened and what it all means. With her heart beating fast, Mercedes notes that the ReadbyBix contract contains a break clause. That’s 65% of their income gone at a stroke.

Jocelyn drafts an apology to the ReadyBix Chair and his wife Camilla and gets up to leave. 

“Take care of yourself, Jocelyn,” says Mercedes gently, as Jocelyn closes the door behind her.

What to do next?

Alone, after Jocelyn has gone, Mercedes gets a blank sheet of paper. Remembering something that struck her during a management workshop she attended last year on organisational crises, she draws four columns and heads them: grow, shrink, merge, close. She puts the paper into her briefcase and without saying anything to anyone, leaves the building. Sue, the Office Manager, looks up in surprise and says, “Blimey, what’s up with Mercy?”

Have your say 

• Mercedes wanted to start the new year with a clear desk and a tidy office. What do you do at the start of a new year?
• What do you do if an employee - who may be subject to disciplinary action - resigns before you can start the process?  
• Is Mercedes right that she can mention that Jocelyn upset a major funder in any reference they give her in the future?

Have your say on the Millcaster Tales forum.

Past episodes

This story is a follow on from a previous story. Read more about Millcaster Aid to Africa in 'Low-level bullying'.

Catch up with other past episodes of Millcaster Tales.