All Chapters of Eight Years of Corporate Slavery, Rewarded with a Broom: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

When Julius Podrick returned to his seat, he slammed the broom down on the desk. "What the hell does this mean? Is he trying to publicly humiliate our entire department?"Caleb Wright lowered his voice. "Keep it down…"Julius' eyes reddened as the veins at his temples throbbed. "Why should I? I'm getting married in the spring. I was relying on that year-end bonus, and they handed me a broom instead?"Renold Stone kept his head lowered. His fists were clenched tight, and his shoulders trembled.Caleb sighed and pulled out a cigarette, rolling it between his fingers without lighting it. "My wife has a follow-up checkup next month. I was hoping to use the money to…"Before he could say any more, my phone vibrated with a private message from the boss, George White."Zachary, don't overthink it. It was just meant to lighten the mood. You're a senior employee. You should have a broader perspective and keep the team in line. Do better next year and avoid coming in last again.Perspecti

Bill was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he said, "It's not that you haven't contributed, but the administrative department doesn't generate direct revenue. On the financial reports, it's pure expense…"I let out a cold laugh. "Then let's look at the workload."I brought up the attendance records. "Over the past year, each admin team member averaged 42 hours of overtime every month. During the National Day move, we worked 72 hours straight without rest, hauling heavy loads. When clients showed up unexpectedly at Thanksgiving, we handled everything ourselves, from airport pickups, lodging, meals, and meeting room setups. We didn't even have time to eat. "And no, we didn't get any overtime pay, comp time, or extra allowance. That means we were effectively making 18 dollars an hour. Even a convenience store clerk earns 22 dollars an hour."I paused, stressing every word. "18 dollars an hour for grueling, stressful work, and at year's end, they give us a broom as a token of

George cleared his throat. "The company has decided to upgrade and reform the administrative system and establish a new administrative department. This is Rodrigo Hudson, my nephew. He just graduated from Westbridge School of Business, and from now on, he will be fully in charge of the department."A murmur spread across the meeting room. Rodrigo smiled politely and nodded to everyone. "Hello, everyone. I'm looking forward to working with you."George continued, "Former colleagues from the administration department can apply for the new positions. Those who pass the assessment will stay. Those who don't…"He glanced at me. "The company will provide compensation according to the N+1 standard. Of course, you can also choose to take the compensation and leave immediately."Julius muttered a curse under his breath beside me. Renold went pale.George shifted his tone. "However, considering we have an important client audit next month, I hope everyone will cooperate to complete the ha

Rodrigo frowned. "Who's the new head of administration?"I smiled. "It's you, Mr. Hudson."Similar conversations happened every day. Rodrigo's team was completely overwhelmed by endless procedures, permissions, and rules. Their pride in "international experience" was useless against these trivial issues.Things got worse when the suppliers started causing problems. Long-time partners immediately shifted their attitudes once they realized the contact person had changed."I'm sorry, we only deal with Mr. Young. If he's replaced, we need a new contract.""What about the payment terms we agreed on? Those need to be renegotiated too.""The quotation has to be redone since the basis of our cooperation has changed."Rodrigo stormed off to George to vent his frustration. A short while later, George summoned me. "Zachary! Why aren't the suppliers cooperating?"I shrugged. "Mr. White, I really don't know. Perhaps they're simply more familiar with me."George said curtly, "Let them know

Three months ago, we were handed brooms and humiliated in front of everyone at the annual company gala. Three months later, we had taken firm root at the new company. Our salaries had doubled, and we were even earning extra on the side. Back at our old company, the audit had flopped, and clients were lining up to terminate contracts.Rodrigo's team had all abandoned ship. Suppliers hiked their prices and shortened payment terms, leaving a mountain of chaos behind.Rumor had it that George and Bill were now bickering in the office every day, each trying to pin the blame on the other.The finance department was a mess. Someone had reported the company for issuing fake invoices, shady related-party transactions, and misappropriating assets. The tax authorities had opened an investigation, and the report was thorough, with every date, amount, and procedure meticulously noted.I had no idea who made the report, but the backup files I kept had surfaced at precisely the right moment.G