‘Respectfully, I doubt Hillview would operate if I worked a forty-hour week,’ Faber said.
‘Yeah, that’s a big problem, but it’s not yours to solve,’ Caleb said. ‘And I get that it’s also not going to be solved immediately, just by telling you to work less. That’s why we’re tackling specific workflow issues, ones that you’re so used to, the time they take from you have become invisible. It’s also normal to feel resistant to changing things like that, when you’re used to working at 200% capacity.’
Faber loathed that he could see the logic in it, but he was certain Caleb was still wrong.
‘Anyway!’ Caleb said. ‘I’ve talked to Marikit, Lachlan, and Nora, and they all now have a stronger idea of what they’re to contact you for. Marikit and Lachlan are now fully in charge of resourcing for themselves when supply lines go down. Nora’s going to contact you for all the websites and notifications you have set-up for blanket and laundry sales, as well as the people you use for repairs when the washers and stuff go down. Going forward, if any of the alpha companions contact you about just “grabbing” something for them, you forward the request onto Marikit or Lachlan, whoever is here on the day.’
‘What about after-hours requests?’ Faber said sharply, resisting the urge to hit something – or someone – very, very hard.
‘Faber, should you be here, for those after-hours requests? Given you don’t log those hours?’
Faber glared at Caleb, and he hated that Caleb’s expression was so fucking open and unbothered. Like none of Faber’s petty, stupid emotions affected him.
‘There comes a point,’ Caleb said quietly, leaning back in his chair, ‘where the alpha companions learn that this isn’t a 24-7 room service facility. It’s an omega rehabilitation facility. Their ability to acquire some gourmet treat from the kitchen, whether for themselves or their omega, can genuinely wait until the next day. Of course for emergencies, we always have a nurse on-call overnight. But I’d bet real money that most of the overnight requests are just people getting used to thinking they can ask for things they don’t actually need.’
‘The comfort of the alpha companions and the omegas on-site is important.’
‘The comfort of all the workers here, and the omegas, is important,’ Caleb said.
‘This is, what, your third day on the job,’ Faber snarled. ‘Do you think Dr Gary would agree with any of this? Or Temsen?’
‘I think Dr Gary showed so little interest in the true workings of a facility like this that he dumped it all on you, so he didn’t have to think about it. I know he was dealing with a lot, and the…strain of having to talk to the sponsors, and the people who drop the omegas off, is a heavy burden, but that’s still what he did. And then I think everyone knows that Temsen prefers being a doctor over a CEO, because he told literally everyone how he felt about it. So, actually, if they do disagree with me, I’d almost welcome the opportunity to have a really serious talk about upper management at Hillview.
‘Because it’s funny, really, that I’ve taken multiple courses on the subject, and neither of them has ever taken a single one. It shows. Trust me.’
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
theartofmadeline
