Harold,” Zack said standing at the entrance to Harold’s cube.
“Oh. Hi Zack.” Harold motioned for Zack to take the single chair. “What brings you into the office today?”
“I – I need to ask a favor. A big favor.”
Harold paused.
“This business I’m involved with in California. They need each of the investors to work out there to cut costs.”
“Zack, this sounds like moonlighting.”
“No, it’s my investment.”
“An investment that makes you work? I thought an investment was supposed to have all those little dollars out huffing and puffing and pulling themselves along while they spilled pennies in your pocket?”
“It’s an issue and I need to protect the money that is invested already. My kid’s college tuition. You can understand?”
“Zack. This is hard. We have clients that need attention on their investment. I need your help here.”
“It’s not like I’m not working on this job. I’ll be doing the same thing. Just in the spaces between I’ll be out spraying the vineyard against bugs, picking grapes, racking barrels, bottling, or sticking labels on bottles and cases.”
“I want visual control of my department Zack. You’ve already stretched that with your work-from-home program. Honestly, if you didn’t save us a few times with your negotiating skills you’d either be full-time or out.”
“Many of our clients are in the Carolina’s, Wisconsin, Indiana, China, and Mexico so it is all phone based anyway. I’ll have broadband and my conference software so it will be seamless to our customers.”
Harold leaned in, “Zack, I know you’ve been a manager before and can understand. How do I know you’re working or not when you are way out there?”
Zack said, “Check the output. How quiet the customer remains of complaints is the critical measure. You don’t hear anything then that means they are happy with my service. Have you been getting a lot of calls from the clients I work with?”
Harold sighed, “No Zack. Yours are the quietest of any around here. Except when they call me to praise how you solved some problem for them.” He fidgeted in his chair. “But I want to know if you’re surfing joke sites.”
“It’s not any different if I’m here in the cube next to you, or out there.”
Harold leaned on his elbows on his desk and rubbed the back of his neck, “Zack, I want a lot of updates on what you are doing. I want calls from our clients that you are being wonderful. Keep communicating with our department and me. If I see any faltering of anything you’re coming back here and we’ll discuss the telecommuting from home situation too.”
“Thanks, Harold.”
Chapter 4
February
The barrel cellar remained a constant temperature all year. Outside, the colder night air gave way to the heat the February sun provided the valley. Zack wore a flannel shirt over his white T-shirt and an old pair of blue carpenter jeans and steel-toed work boots. He slung the transfer pump over his shoulder and leaned into it to drag the equipment across the floor. He checked the barrel number with the folded paper in his pocket and then squeezed the bung between his finger and thumb to pull it and poke the end of the pipe into the barrel. The smell of wine floated up deliciously over the open hole. The new oak barrel gave it flavors and tannins that helped it age for the future. Zack said, “If you don’t get sipped before then.” He moved the filler hose into the empty older barrel that was now mild and would allow the wine to settle and age. Several other investors worked in the barrel room with him, one with the fork truck moving racks and others transferring contents from barrel to barrel as Zack did.
“Making great progress, we’ll soon be done with all the transfers.” Zack stood and surveyed the underground wine cave and the disarray of barrels and racks. They would have to tidy up.
“Did you see how active the sales floor is?” Frank asked.
“Oh. Hi Zack.” Harold motioned for Zack to take the single chair. “What brings you into the office today?”
“I – I need to ask a favor. A big favor.”
Harold paused.
“This business I’m involved with in California. They need each of the investors to work out there to cut costs.”
“Zack, this sounds like moonlighting.”
“No, it’s my investment.”
“An investment that makes you work? I thought an investment was supposed to have all those little dollars out huffing and puffing and pulling themselves along while they spilled pennies in your pocket?”
“It’s an issue and I need to protect the money that is invested already. My kid’s college tuition. You can understand?”
“Zack. This is hard. We have clients that need attention on their investment. I need your help here.”
“It’s not like I’m not working on this job. I’ll be doing the same thing. Just in the spaces between I’ll be out spraying the vineyard against bugs, picking grapes, racking barrels, bottling, or sticking labels on bottles and cases.”
“I want visual control of my department Zack. You’ve already stretched that with your work-from-home program. Honestly, if you didn’t save us a few times with your negotiating skills you’d either be full-time or out.”
“Many of our clients are in the Carolina’s, Wisconsin, Indiana, China, and Mexico so it is all phone based anyway. I’ll have broadband and my conference software so it will be seamless to our customers.”
Harold leaned in, “Zack, I know you’ve been a manager before and can understand. How do I know you’re working or not when you are way out there?”
Zack said, “Check the output. How quiet the customer remains of complaints is the critical measure. You don’t hear anything then that means they are happy with my service. Have you been getting a lot of calls from the clients I work with?”
Harold sighed, “No Zack. Yours are the quietest of any around here. Except when they call me to praise how you solved some problem for them.” He fidgeted in his chair. “But I want to know if you’re surfing joke sites.”
“It’s not any different if I’m here in the cube next to you, or out there.”
Harold leaned on his elbows on his desk and rubbed the back of his neck, “Zack, I want a lot of updates on what you are doing. I want calls from our clients that you are being wonderful. Keep communicating with our department and me. If I see any faltering of anything you’re coming back here and we’ll discuss the telecommuting from home situation too.”
“Thanks, Harold.”
Chapter 4
February
The barrel cellar remained a constant temperature all year. Outside, the colder night air gave way to the heat the February sun provided the valley. Zack wore a flannel shirt over his white T-shirt and an old pair of blue carpenter jeans and steel-toed work boots. He slung the transfer pump over his shoulder and leaned into it to drag the equipment across the floor. He checked the barrel number with the folded paper in his pocket and then squeezed the bung between his finger and thumb to pull it and poke the end of the pipe into the barrel. The smell of wine floated up deliciously over the open hole. The new oak barrel gave it flavors and tannins that helped it age for the future. Zack said, “If you don’t get sipped before then.” He moved the filler hose into the empty older barrel that was now mild and would allow the wine to settle and age. Several other investors worked in the barrel room with him, one with the fork truck moving racks and others transferring contents from barrel to barrel as Zack did.
“Making great progress, we’ll soon be done with all the transfers.” Zack stood and surveyed the underground wine cave and the disarray of barrels and racks. They would have to tidy up.
“Did you see how active the sales floor is?” Frank asked.
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