Love to Hate You: Three's a Crowd

Chapter Thirty-one - Cutting Back

Chris received a meeting request from Vicky. It was entitled "Request for Flexible Working", which immediately set the overweight man on edge, because to make a request for "flexible working" was a legal right. The request had to be handled in a reasonable manner. If the request was declined, the employee needed the chance to appeal. It had red-tape written all over it.

'Vicky,' he said, as he waddled into her office. 'The meeting request; it says the attendees are to be Raffey and myself, you, and Mattie. Who is the request for?'

'Me,' she told him. He frowned.

'You already have flexible working; the days you leave early to do the school run.'

'Yes, but I require different flexible working,' she explained. Chris wasn't sure what to do. She was Vicky, so on that basis he was tempted to tell her that if her request was inconvenient, she could jog on. However, Vicky was an employee, which meant that although she was terribly unprofessional and familiar around him, he still had to be professional and reasonable around her, lest he find himself up in front of a tribunal. He pictured the tribunal. He set the scene in a high court which was quite unrealistic, but it added to the sense of drama and jeopardy.

'Well,' he said, tucking his double chin into his neck – or at least trying to; he struggled to find it. 'That's quite alright. Thank you for clarifying. I'll accept the meeting request immediately.' He'd turned about, poised to leave the office, when Vicky added, –

'I think Mattie might want flexible working, too.'

'She's already got very flexible working!' he said, spinning back to face her with red cheeks. If she even works at all! he grumbled to himself. And Chris did have a point. Rafe Paxton did not do the school run. At least, not unless he wanted to warn off a potential suitor for his wife. Mattie usually left early and came in late. She took time off for school things, and Chris was quite certain that she never bothered to make up the time.

'You might think it's very flexible, Chris, being a man, living in a patriarchal society, where your only real responsibility is work. Mattie has childcare and work to juggle. She is not a contortionist. She needs more flexible working.' But he drew the line at treating Mattie like an employee. Not when he felt that she was the bane of his existence. Except, looking at Vicky with her challenging smirk, he wasn't sure that she wasn't the true bane of his existence, instead.

'We can discuss this in our meeting, but I fear that if her employment becomes any more flexible, it will be non-existent.' He maintained this stance throughout the rest of the day, and arrived at their scheduled meeting determined to be polite and professional, whilst keeping a tight rein on his staff.

'Do you know what this is about?' Chris asked Rafe in a hushed voice, as they settled into their seats in the meeting room.

'Yes. A request for flexible working. The title of the meeting clued me in,' he deadpanned.

'Now,' Vicky began, 'I'd like to request more flexible working. I know I have some flexibility at the moment, but I'd like something more formal and more... flexible.'

'No shit,' Rafe mused. Chris scowled at him.

'I'm going to have to write that in the minutes!' he complained. 'This is a formal meeting. You can't say whatever you like just because these two are the ones involved.'

'I'm not sure I'm happy with the tone you used when saying, "these two",' Vicky complained, although she quite clearly only did it to wind Chris up. 'Now, as you know, I'm a parent, with another child on the way. The occasional early finish or late start does help, but I'd like to go part-time. I was thinking two full-days in the office and then two or three half-days working from home, depending on whether or not you felt you needed contact with me five days a week.'