Coffee With Stranger

Review Meeting

Dear all,

"We will be having our quarterly review meeting this Friday at 10 a.m. sharp. Come prepared with your presentation for your respective job roles."

The email pops up on my computer screen as I was editing an article in the morning. I had no idea about such review meetings as it was going to be my first review meets. It was hardly a few days that I have joined this company and what is this demon review all about?

"Have you checked the boss's email" I called up Vivan through an intercom.

"Ya just saw" he sighed.

"What should I do? I don't know a damn thing about it" I expressed my worries.

"You enjoy the show" Vivan replied to me.

"You don't worry as you are just a newcomer. You won't have to prepare and give any presentation."

"Oh, ok" I sighed as my pressure released.

"This time it's going to be tough for me." Vivan expresses his worry.

"Why what happened?" I asked Vivan.

"The revenue for the last quarter was not up to the mark. We had lost a few clients as well. And more importantly, the boss is behind me."

"Behind you? What do you mean by that?" I asked Vivan.

"It's a long story will tell you some other day," he said to me.

It was Monday and we had five days to prepare for the review meeting held on Friday. The atmosphere in the office suddenly seemed to darken.

Everyone looks worried for the review meeting. It was like the weather department had declared that there will be a tsunami coming on this Friday.

I wasn't sure what to do. But as Vivan told me that I need not worry much as I was a new joiner. Still looking at the faces of the colleagues, I also felt the tremors.

"What should I prepare for a review meeting?" I asked Payal to seek her help.

"Nothing, you don't need to prepare anything separately. I am going to present our part, you just chill." Payal told me. That was a big relief for me.

"But still give me some work so that I can be of any help to you." I offer my help to Payal.

"You do one thing; prepare a list of the articles we had covered in the last quarter. Take the data from Akash."

"So how's your preparation for the review?" I asked Vivan during the lunch break.

"Well I certainly going to present my performance for the last quarter, but I am sure the boss will not like it." He replied.

"Why you think so? If you had done hard work, then why will he not like it?" I asked again as I want an elaborate answer.

"You will learn it gradually" he smiled and answer to me. "Listen, I was thinking of talking to the boss about that anonymous note I got on my desk."

"Don't even think of doing that." He furiously replied to me.

"You don't know him. He is such an idiot that he will not help you, on the contrary, add up to the problem. You better stay away from him. As such his behaviour with the girls is not good. He has been well known for having an affair with different girls."

Everyone was busy in the office preparing for the review meeting. The routine work was almost stopped or delayed and everyone has got a reason to justify the delay was review meeting. It was around eight o'clock in the evening but still half of the staff was in the office preparing a presentation for the review meeting.