the 9-5
excerpts from a remote cubicle
I knew when the box came in the mail that I had made a mistake.
I opened it, foolishly anticipating community.
Instead I found Made in China paraphernalia donned with the company logo - a pink plastic cup, a pink plastic pen with a big plastic diamond on top, 2 plastic cylinders filled with pink, purple and white m&m’s.
Also inside, a stack of cards. The word BRAVE floated down each one.
Body
Relationship
Assets
Vigilance
Expansion
The card, a miniature spreadsheet.
We were tasked with filling one out each week; to pick a relevant topic per category, personal or professional, and check off a daily box if we had completed our goal.
On Fridays, we had to post our card in the company Slack channel. It would promote encouragement they said.
Months into the job, I confessed my dislike for this practice to my boss. I saw her flinch with understanding, a flicker of her true persona visible on Zoom. In a fraction of a second it was gone.
“Never say that to anyone,” she said.