A hardworking woman turns into an aggressive and impatient boss after her most recent promotion at the store.
She gets away with it until insulting and firing an old janitor.
It had only been a week since Nia’s big promotion, and she still couldn’t believe it.
She was now the general manager of one of the biggest outlets of a fashion retail giant.
Years before she got the promotion, Nia had filled up a binder with ideas on how she would improve the store if she ever got the chance.
That morning, the binder sat proudly on her desk as Nia addressed the staff shortly after the shutters went up…
“Alright, guys. Is everyone clear on the new protocols we’re going to follow?” she asked.
The staff replied in nods, kind smiles, and a few gentle yeses.
“I don’t want anybody to be lax or deviate from my new guidelines. To ensure that, here’s what we’re going to do.”
“Anybody who fails to follow the new rules — whether it is about uniform, customer greetings, display arrangements, punctuality — will lose their incentive for that month.”
Nia looked at the faces turn serious and grinned proudly at her own idea.
The staff, however, were utterly shaken by such a drastic decision.
They were afraid that any small mistake, conscious or unaware, would cost them the money that paid most of their bills.
The men and women looked at each other in shock, wondering if they should try to reason with Nia.
Even though she had changed a lot in the past week, every employee in the store was happy for her. They all knew how hard Nia had worked for it for the last three years. They were all aware of how passionate she was about this industry.
And they were happy that someone who started as an intern on the floor had risen to such heights.
However, Nia’s newfound power was doing more damage than good for the store and the people who worked there.
Since day one on the new post, she had been changing things, setting unrealistically high expectations from people she knew were hardworking, and reacting to the smallest mistakes with excessive anger and impatience.
“Can I have your attention, please?” Nia called out to everyone. “I just had an important meeting with the clients, and I have some good news — we are planning to increase our sales volume this quarter. So, here’s what we’re going to do… I’ll send a list of names by afternoon, and those mentioned will have to extend their shifts.”
“If anyone has any plans for the weekend, drop them off coz we’ll be working on weekends, alright?”
The employees grinned and were upset.
They all had families, and weekend time off was their only getaway to unwind. They could do nothing to change Nia’s mind because they knew how stubborn she was.
Each day, Nia introduced some new strategy that demanded more input from the staff. She began setting unrealistic goals that could degrade the quality of work.
But she kept convincing herself and the others that whatever she did was for the company’s profits.
Then, one day, she sent the loaders away and ordered the salesmen and women to unload products to reduce loading costs. Nobody was allowed to take a break for more than five minutes, and talking in groups during work was strictly prohibited.
Day by day, the employees were nervous whenever Nia gathered them to make a new announcement. She banned sales staff from sitting or relaxing during their shifts.
No sick leaves were permitted for cold and flu unless it was something serious.
Nia was strict with the punching system, and the employees were not allowed a minute more beyond a half an hour lunch break.
“When customers see we are always busy and running around, they get a very good impression of us. We’ll have to show them we are never tired of serving them. And always serve them with a smile.
Am I clear?” she sternly said.
Nia was overly pleased with the way she was conducting things. She’d always dreamed of proving she was no less talented. She sat in her new office and sighed with pride, sipping coffee and thinking about her way to success.
Reaching such a height was not that easy for her.
She still remembered the rough days when she climbed up and down several offices and was turned down by almost every recruiter.
Nia was raised by a single mother after her father died in a car crash. She was a bright student in college, and after graduation, she tried her hands at various pursuits. But nothing worked.
Nia was a dreamer. She wanted to achieve big and not settle down with any ordinary job like her mother.
Nia was so desperate for a dream job. Then one day, she saw a pamphlet with an advertisement for an internship in a fashion outlet.
She attended the interview, proposing new strategies and ideas that could be profitable. Nia was hired on the spot as the recruiters were impressed with her potential.
On her first day at work, she put on a smile, promising herself to earn a promotion very soon. Her dedication paid off well, and in just six months, Nia was promoted as the outlet’s general manager.
It still felt like a dream when she sat in the rolling chair and stared at the street she once wandered, looking for a job from her private office on the third floor.
Nia did not wish to go back to those hard days again, not even in her thoughts.
She was incredibly proud of the changes she brought about in the store while making her rounds. Everyone was occupied with work. It was more work than they could handle, and they were forced to finish their tasks within the deadlines Nia had set.
But as time passed, overworking started taking its toll, and the sales volume drastically dropped.
It contradicted Nia’s plan for the upcoming quarter. She was furious and started blaming the employees for the loss.
“Our ratings are dipping. W
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