Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories: Boss Saved His Job

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Boss Saved His Job

It is a well known fact that there is power politics in most of the companies at higher levels of management. The companies may appear to be run well or not so well to the outsiders, but there is always politics inside. It wasn't any different in one of the largest and reputed companies my friend was working for.

In this company's production facility, the production chief had requisitioned for a large chunk of additional manpower for one of his departments. Production was picking up at a good rate and to meet the targets of production, as per him, he needed to position all of the requisitioned manpower immediately. He mentioned that he was already a bit too late in getting the manpower. He wanted the sanction of the manpower almost on yesterday basis.

The system of authorizing extra manpower stipulated that it be studied by company's industrial engineering department. Industrial engineering department would make a detailed study on the need for additional manpower and estimate the required number of extra men over a time line.

My friend was in-charge of industrial engineering department and he used to report to the chief of staff departments of the company. His boss was at a senior management level. His boss's hierarchical level and the level of the chief of production were the same.

And there was always a constant power struggle between the two chiefs. It was fairly well known to almost everyone in the company; even the bosses in the corporate office knew it. Sometimes the corporate bosses would use it as leverage to meet their objectives- the notorious divide and rule policy.

My friend is a thorough professional and very competent. He did a good job of studying the manpower additionally requested by the chief of production. However, as per his estimate, the number of men required immediately would be significantly less than what was projected by the chief of production for immediate placement.

Accordingly, a quick report was made by my friend with minimum paper work justifying the number of extra men estimated by him though they were much less than what were asked for. He handed it to his boss who in turn, sent a copy of it to the chief of production and a copy to HR department for initiating an immediate recruitment action so that the things were not delayed.

When the report was read by the chief of production, he flared up. He thought, "How can they challenge my figures on manpower? What do they know about production and how to meet the targets?".

He had some score to settle with the chief of staff departments and this was the best time. He rang his corporate boss and told that the chief of staff department was not cooperating with him and despite his best judgment on the number of extra men needed, he was being given just about one third of what he had asked for. He added that he won't be responsible for not meeting the production targets. He also mentioned that he was sick of the incompetency of the staff departments of the company- they sit in cabins and twiddle their thumbs.

Corporate boss was jittery. He had the final responsibility to the board of directors and share holders of the company. He came down rushing to the factory site office. The chief of production almost bulldozed his corporate boss in authorizing a negotiated number of extra men which were pretty close to what he had in mind though not exactly the same number that he had requisitioned. He beamed with satisfaction and urged his boss to do a detailed investigation on the incompetency of the chief of staff departments.

The corporate boss had a long meeting with the chief of staff departments. At the end of all the discussions, the corporate boss was not much satisfied with the number of men that were calculated. He told that knowing the level of production expected, the production department deserved far more men as per his own experience and hunch. He indicated to the chief of staff departments, "The chief of production cannot function and fulfil his commitments in the environment of constant non-cooperation from you. It has been now going on for a long time and every time the corporate office has to intervene to resolve the conflicts."

The hint coming from the super corporate boss was understood by the chief of staff departments and he walked out of the cabin down cast and dejected, almost ready to put in his papers (of resignation).

He slowly walked up to my friend's cabin and told about how the corporate boss had authorized far more manpower than my friend had estimated. He said, "You seem to have made some mistake. Can I see your detailed calculations?"

My friend handed him the file where he had made detailed calculation and he also gave him a two page "aide-memoire" prepared by him. My friend was always in a habit of preparing such "aide-memoires" particularly when he smelt rat. The chief of staff departments went through them and as he finished reading the stuff, there was a broad smile and satisfaction on his face.

My friend had written as part of his aide-memoire, "..........while the chief of production has asked for a particular number of men to be added immediately and he thinks that with that manpower he will be able to sail through for next three years, perhaps he is wrong. He does not require that kind of high numbers now immediately for this year's marginally more production but his requirement of extra manpower will go up somewhat in the second year and then rise very steeply in the third year since the production rate would get steeply accelerated around that time. For now, we will immediately release the manpower that would be required to tide over the immediate need as it is an urgency and I realize it and then, I would work out the requirement of extra manpower for the year two and year three in close synchronization of the production figures of those years, giving sufficient allowance for the recruitment and training lead times. My guess, after doing the first rough cut calculation, is that we may have to give to the chief of production far higher number of men than what he actually asked for. And we will definitely do so. He seems to have missed out something some where, looks like ..........."

My friend's boss rushed to the corporate boss's cabin clutching in his one hand the "aide-
memoire" and in the other his resignation papers. My friend's boss and the corporate boss remained together in the cabin for some fifteen minutes. While corporate boss was shredding the resignation letter, my friend's boss walked out of his cabin with a grinning face.

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