Page 25 of Decoding Emma
I did.“Like Friday night at the restaurant?”
“That wasn’t something I needed to be on the computer to do; taking notes was good enough.For this, I had to go into the code to see if what I was thinking was even possible.”
“Make sure you log the time you spent.”
“What?”She turned her head suddenly, as though she’d just registered what I’d said.“I’m a contractor.”
“An hourly one and I want to make sure you get paid for your time.”Was she not aware of why it was so important to log her hours?The last thing any company needed was an IRS audit, and I’m not talking about taxes.
“No worries,” she said and waved her hand in dismissal.
“Emma.”My voice dropped.
“Damn,” she whispered as the scrolling code stopped and the last line flashed red.“It didn’t work.”Her shoulders slumped.“Maybe if I adjust the values once again.”She finished off the food.
I shook my head.“Emma, your attention, please.”
“What?”Irritation flashed in her eyes.
“My name may not be on the bottom line of your contract, as you so eloquently pointed out, but this is my department.It’s my ass on the line for compliance issues, be those mandates state, federal, corporate, and/or departmental.You will log the time you spent on the code on Sunday, so that you’ll get paid for it.”I wasn’t going to back down.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Again, it’s my ass on the line, so I’ll decide what’s a big deal.Your contract is very specific about compliance with all federal and state laws, and corporate regulations.”I faced her.“How many hours did you work?”
“I’m not sure.”She rubbed her forehead.“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”
“As I said, the contract is specific and doesn’t leave room for flexibility.You have two choices: Put the time on your time sheet or go home now and don’t come back until tomorrow in order to level out the time you worked on Sunday.You weren’t in the office, so I can’t go back and check the keystroke logs, and there’s no time stamp on the program modifications.”
Her eyes grew wide.“I have work to do.”
“I appreciate that, but my opinion doesn’t matter.What matters is company policy, contract terms, and state and federal regulations.All of that aside, Fantasies, Inc.believes in paying its employees and contractors when they are working, that includes weekends, though we do discourage weekend work, as I’ve mentioned.”Then it clicked.“You did read the employment contract, right?”
“I skimmed it.”Her gaze lowered.
I shook my head.“I asked you if youreadthe contract.”I could play hardball too.I reached over and switched off her monitor.The program was running, but the monitor was dark.The outrage on her face almost made me smile.Maybe I was being heavy handed, but I wasn’t going to risk my job because of her tantrum.
She reached out to turn the monitor back on, and I captured her hand in mine.“Leave it.It will still be there in an hour.”
“An hour?Asher, I have work to do.Let go.”She tugged at her hand.
I wanted to keep her hand in mine, but this was a contest of wills.I let it go.“We’re going to go over the employee contract, and you’re going to log your hours from yesterday.”
Her eyes flashed annoyance.“I’ll do it later.”
I knew she was trying to get me to let her go ahead and work, but this was a no-go for me.I wouldn’t let any of the employees slide like this, and I wasn’t about to let Emma get away with this crap.Besides, if the C-suite crew found out she wasn’t logging her time, they’d terminate the contract faster than I could snap my fingers, then fire me for cause.
“No, Emma.Now.”I stood and waited.
She sighed loudly, stood and followed me to the small conference table where I pulled out a chair for her.She stood there.
“Sit.”
“Neanderthal fits.”She huffed and sat.
I leaned forward and braced on my open hands so that we were almost nose to nose.“This is business and has nothing whatsoever to do with any personal opinions you may have about me.”I retrieved our drinks and food from the workstation and took them over to the table.Then I picked up the phone and called HR.Miles’ assistant, Sarah, answered.I asked her to have someone bring me Emma’s employment contract.
When I sat down, Emma was glaring at me with her arms folded across her chest.“I don’t know what the point of this is.”
