She looked around for Adrienne. She’d barely seen her since that awkward conversation in Adrienne’s office earlier in the day, which she didn’t understand because Adrienne’s calendar showed her free all afternoon. Where had she disappeared to?
Well, I’m not her keeper. She knows the meeting is now, so she’ll have to get to it.
Jenny swung back to her desk to lock down her laptop—for once having remembered to do so—and found Maxwell waiting for her.
His body filled her cubicle; he wasn’t overweight, just tall and broad and a little imposing on first meeting. Once you got to know him, you realized what a marshmallow he truly was.
“Hey, Max, my man!” Jenny held out her fist for a bump and chuckled when Maxwell stared down at it. “Still not up for fist-bumping, huh?”
He shook his head.
Jenny laughed.
Maxwell was kind of a geek and passionate about sports statistics. Truth be told, he loved all sorts of statistics. He was quiet, intense, and never socialized with the team, but he and Jenny got on fine.
“Okay, let’s go.” She shoved her purse into her desk drawer.
When they reached the main conference room, it was, of course, standing room only. She and Maxwell squeezed past the guy from legal who always smelled of oranges and sidled between a small group of chattering women from finance until they leaned back against a small patch of wall near the big credenza that dominated one end of the room. Opposite them at the other end were the five main board members, the head of HR, and the head of legal.
Adrienne had a seat halfway down the long table on the right side, but try as Jenny might, she couldn’t catch her eye.
Maxwell leaned in. “It won’t be good news.”
“What?” Jenny’s heart rate picked up again.
He shrugged. “I looked back on all the previous all-staff meetings and analyzed what they revealed. In eighty-seven percent of cases, it was to announce things that led to major changes in the business. In eleven percent of cases, it was even worse, leading to job reductions. Therefore, there is only a two percent chance this will be good news. Statistically speaking, those are small odds.”
Before Jenny could thank him for making her feel so much better, the CEO brought the meeting to order by loudly tapping his pen on the table.
The room fell silent.
The CEO stood and glanced at his watch. He turned to the heads of HR and legal, and when they nodded, he looked over at a woman Jenny didn’t recognize who stood in the doorway. When that woman, with a cell phone to her ear, gave him a thumbs-up, the CEO faced the room.
“Everybody, thank you for clearing your calendars to be present right now. Today is an exceptional day in the history of TC Productions. A moment ago, it was announced to the markets that C&V Inc—who you have all heard of, I’m sure—will be acquiring TC Productions, as of today.”
Gasps and mutters spread around the room.
It took a moment for his words to sink in, but then it dawned. Jenny turned to Maxwell, whose eyes were serious.
“Two percent was very small odds.” He puffed out a long breath.
“Shit.” Jenny blinked rapidly as she turned back to listen to the CEO once more.
“I know this is probably a shock, but we truly believe this is the best way forward for the future of the company.” He tried a smile, but in the stony silence that greeted his words, it didn’t last long.
“For the company or for your bank balances?” The bitterness in the speaker’s tone was crystal clear.
Rita Lapham, the HR director, stepped forward, palms raised in a placating gesture. “I know this is not how you expected your day to end, but let’s try to keep it civil, shall we?”
“Easy for you to say!” The shout was from a woman standing in the corner opposite Jenny. “I bet your job isn’t on the line.”
Murmurs of agreement spread round the room like a wave.
Oh crap. Jenny pressed herself back into the wall, afraid her knees would give way. My job! What’s going to happen to my job?
“Are you okay?” Maxwell gazed at her with concern.
“I have no idea.” She swallowed with her fists clenched so tight, she feared she’d crack a bone.
“So, how many of us will be out of work?” the same woman called, this time stepping out from behind a group of people to face the room.
“I’m not at liberty to say right at this time,” Lapham replied. “But each of you will be invited to a meeting with a representative from my team to discuss what the next steps will be.”
“But there will be job losses?” the woman pressed.
Jenny vaguely recognized her now as someone from marketing.
Lapham glanced at the CEO, who gave her a short nod. “Yes,” she said, “there will.”
A mix of gasps, cries, and loud curse words rumbled around the room.
Once more, Lapham raised her hands. “Please, stay calm. Wait until you hear from your HR representative. We hope to meet with everyone today, so I would ask you all to stay at your desks until you’ve been called. Please don’t leave the building; hear what we have to say.”
The CEO stepped up and said something in Lapham’s ear, and she took that as her cue to step aside. “As Rita has said, it would be best if you all returned to your desks,” he said. “We’ll be sending out more details once all of those meetings have taken place. So, please, could you now leave the room?”
Jenny slammed the stall door closed behind her and sat on the toilet. By the faint sounds coming from the other two stalls, she wasn’t the only one who sought solace in the one place you were unlikely to be interrupted. From
