Serving Ms. Brown.

current mood: pleased


Today was the first day of my new job.
I was so paranoid about being late I barely slept last night and got up before my alarm clock had gone off! I'd also had a burst of super-efficiency before I went to bed and laid out my clothes ready for the morning (I don't need to say how much time I spent yesterday deciding what I was going to wear) and so found myself with oodles of time to get to work. (I'm not deluding myself that this level of organisation will continue though. Oh no, as soon as I'm settled in to the new routine no doubt I'll slip back to my usual slap-dash, last-minute way of doing things. *grin*)

When I got to work I went straight to personnel, as instructed, for an hour or so of orientation. This consisted of filling in forms and having my photo taken for my ID then being given a lightning tour of the building by a chirpy little woman - whose name I can't remember - while that was all processed. The company I'm working for only occupies a few floors of the multi-storey building, but there's a lot packed into that space. By the time we got back to where we started I was feeling a little daunted and not at all enlightened about where things were. Anyway, my ID badge and electronic key-card were ready so the woman had me sign for those then thrust a couple of pamphlets about 'emergency procedures' (like if the building catches fire, or a herd of stampeding elephants upsets the filing cabinets) into my hands then escorted me up to my little corner of the universe.

Elizabeth is Ms Brown's secretary (as opposed to her PA) and she's very friendly. Her 'office' is a smallish alcove outside of the inner sanctum (Ms Brown's office). I have my own desk there, with my own phone and computer. Part of my job, Elizabeth told me with a smile, will be fielding the calls for 'the boss', something she's had to do for the past few weeks on top of her normal duties. Needless to say, she seems quite pleased to have me there.
Ms Brown came into work as Elizabeth was going over the computer protocols with me. My new boss apologised for not being there to greet me earlier but she'd been at a morning meeting and it had only just finished. She shook my hand and asked if she could call me Shara - I said yes - then smiled a little and said she'd leave me to Elizabeth's care while I got an idea of how things worked. With that she disappeared into her office and I barely saw her for the rest of the day.

It's funny, during my interview I got the impression that Ms Brown was quite tall but she's actually a couple of inches shorter than me. There's a real air of - I don't know - efficiency and capability about her, though.

A little while later an expensively-suited brunette man breezed into the alcove and greeted Elizabeth familiarly. She answered with a frosty smile and a clipped, 'Mr Slater.' I don't think it was my imagination that the temperature suddenly dropped. He looked at me then and flashed a brilliant, toothy smile.
'You must be the new girl." He took my hand without asking and enclosed it completely with both of his. "Ben Slater, very pleased to meet you."
Ah, I've met his sort before - good-looking, smooth, think they're god's gift. The sort of bloke who expects women to fall in a dead swoon at their feet. Maybe I was being unfair, or judging too quickly, but I didn't like him.
He asked if Ms Brown was in; Elizabeth said yes but before she could buzz through to the office to let the boss know someone wanted to see her, Mr Slater flipped us a wave and barged straight in.
'Ms Brown hates it when he does that.' Elizabeth frowned.
The office door opened a minute or so later and both Mr Slater and Ms Brown came out.
'Thank you, Benjamin, I'll bear that in mind.'
Mr Slater nodded at her, winked at Elizabeth and I then sauntered away.
'I'm so sorry, Ms Brown - ' Elizabeth began to apologise as soon as he was out of earshot.
'Don't worry,' Ms Brown's expression was rueful, 'Mr Slater isn't the sort to wait for an invitation.'
Elizabeth nodded reluctantly - I think she was still feeling guilty - then caught sight of the time.
'If it's all right, Ms Brown, I'll take Shara for the morning break? Would you like something?'
'Just a coffee when you come back. No hurry.' Ms Brown smiled and went back into her office.

There's a big cafeteria on the first floor of the building; this is where Elizabeth took me for morning tea. She told me that while there's small tea-rooms within the company's section, sometimes it was nice to get out of the office completely.
We took our drinks and sat down at an empty table by a window that overlooked the main street.
'I suppose some background information wouldn't go astray.' Elizabeth said, regarding me thoughtfully. 'Ben Slater was recently promoted over Ms Brown even though she has seniority and is much better suited to the position.' I could see she was still rankled by this. 'But he's very flash, talks himself up well and the board chose him over her.' She shook her head ruefully. 'Sorry, shouldn't be biasing your opinions on your first day.' I grinned and confided that my first impression pretty much coincided with what she'd told me. Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow. 'I don't need to warn you to watch out for him do I? It's only - ' she looked as if she were debating whether to continue or not, then leant towards me and lowered her voice. 'Mr Slater has a bit of a... reputation.' I waited for her to continue: there's nothing like office gossip to help you get the feel of a place. 'He's been out with a couple of the other secretaries,' Elizabeth continued, sotto voce, 'one of which was a young girl, eighteen or nineteen, who suddenly left work afterwards. She didn't show up the next day, or the day after that, but rang a couple of days later to quit.' Elizabeth pursed her lips. 'Rumour has it that Mr Slater, um... forced the issue of sex.'
I didn't know what to say: if it was true it was appalling.
'But I suppose you shouldn't listen to rumours, should you?' Elizabeth sighed then smiled and stood up from the table. 'Time to get back.'

When we returned to the office, Elizabeth showed me 'our' tea room and told me how Ms Brown likes her coffee. She then handed me the cup and said I could take it in to the boss.
Ms Brown's office is quite large. The carpet is a rich blue that matches the blinds on the floor to ceiling windows. The walls are all panelled in a pale wood and the whole space feels open and airy. Ms Brown even has a few lush-looking plants dotted about the place and lots of interesting things on her bookshelves besides books.
Ms Brown accepted her coffee with that polite smile of hers and asked me how I was finding it so far. I replied, not very originally, that it was fine, there was a lot to remember but I was sure I'd get the hang of it all quickly.
'Good' she said encouragingly then dismissed me by way of asking me to send Elizabeth in...

It felt like a long day but I think I've already picked up a lot of the routine in the office. With Elizabeth's help I've started a daily/weekly 'things to do' list. I'm sure it'll all become second nature to me before long, but in the meantime it doesn't hurt to write things down.
Is this going to be any more fulfilling than my previous job?
*cue cliché* Only time will tell...

current mood: tired


I really don't like clothes shopping, I never find anything I'm thrilled about and it is so tedious trying things on. However as I'm starting my new job in less than a week I felt I had to get off my arse and replenish my wardrobe. Well, my work wardrobe anyway; I do need some more non-work clothes but that's hardly a priority at the moment.

I can't believe how much money I've spent!
I decided to keep it simple – a couple of skirts, a couple of pairs of good slacks, half a dozen basic shirts and maybe a new jacket – and thank god I did, I hate to think how much I could've blown if I'd been tempted to be more elaborate! But the clothes I bought today should do me for a good few months and once I've got a better idea of what the acceptable dress code is at my new work I can slowly add to the collection.

I admit I was consciously trying to emulate my new boss in my choice of clothes. Smart, neat, business-like; nothing fancy, no frills or ruffles (for which I am heartily grateful, I've still got the photos from my frilly pirate shirt phase and I die a thousand deaths every time I look at them!) Obviously I couldn't quite afford the same quality as Ms Brown can but I think I've done well enough. Everything I got today is well-made with straight lines and plain, flattering colours; I avoided anything that looked institutionalised, if you know what I mean. Still, I did treat myself to a lovely new bra. It's beautifully soft and satiny with a delicate lace trim – I thought it might be nice sometimes to wear something really feminine under the 'corporate bitch' outfits. *grin*

And then there were the shoes...
I need comfortable shoes – I have no idea how much time I'll be spending on my feet - but I definitely didn't want shoes that looked therapeutic. Luckily the first shoe shop I went into had exactly what I was looking for; simple black leather with a moderate heel and nice, not too pointy toes. They're very comfy to wear and I got a second pair in a rich, reddish brown.

This evening was supposed to be my send-off from my old job but by the time I'd battled the traffic to get my piles of purchases home I wasn't remotely interested. But the evening had been organised for me and I had said I'd go...
First, I stopped by my old work to clear my desk. Not that there was much to clear, I've never been one for festooning my workspace with photos and crap, unlike some of my colleagues whose desks you can hardly see for the clutter.
It was very strange going back into the office. I felt like an outsider, already excluded from the club - though that feeling wasn't quite so evident once we got to the pub and the liquid bon hommie started flowing.
Nearly everyone from my department was there, including my replacement – not sure how I felt about that. Nice enough girl, I suppose, but I found I had nothing to say to her, or for that matter to any of my ex-workmates now that I couldn't talk 'shop' with them.
But it was a pleasant evening all told. Neil gave a little speech, wishing me well in my new job, and I got a nice bunch of flowers, a box of liqueur chocolates and a very cute plush frog. (Actually, I was kind of touched by that, I mentioned once that frogs are my favourite animals and someone obviously remembered.)
It all got very sloppy and 'oh I'll miss you!' by the end of the evening, but I didn't mind, I'd been bought a number of drinks and was feeling awfully mellow.
I'm glad I'd decided beforehand to get a taxi home, it would be embarrassing to start my new job having lost my license!

I'm also glad I had this last social thing with my old workmates; it was a tidy, friendly way of closing that chapter of my life.
Am I going to miss it? Probably not...