A few weeks later, everything had been arranged and Jake eagerly began his journey back into the workforce. It was a sunny morning when Jake and Klara walked into the familiar lobby, bringing back happy memories for Jake from years earlier. It had been a long time since he’d set foot in this building, and the sight of the bustling employees in their business attire made him acutely aware of how much he had changed during his years as a volunteer assistant.
Klara, a commanding presence in her power suit, seemed perfectly at ease as they approached the receptionist’s desk. Jake felt a sense of vulnerability, his nervousness growing as he realized the enormity of the step he was about to take. He knew he had to regain his footing in the corporate world, but the transition felt daunting.
The young man at the receptionist desk seemed intimidated as Klara leaned toward him, her tone brimming with authority. “Make sure to take care of my little man here. He’s just returning to the workforce after a long break, and I want to ensure he’s settled in comfortably.”
Jake’s heart sank at Klara’s words. He had anticipated her support for his return to work, but hearing her refer to him as her “little man” in front of the receptionist was humiliating. It was as if she had diminished his stature and independence with a single phrase.
The receptionist, a young and polite man, nodded with a friendly smile. “Of course, Mrs. Tsai. I’ll make sure…”
“Jake,” Klara inserted promptly.
The receptionist nodded, and completed his sentence smoothly. “…Jake knows where he needs to go.”
Before Jake could express his frustration, Klara had already swiped her badge and headed toward the elevator reserved for senior executives.
Trying to shrug off what had just happened, Jake turned his attention back to the receptionist.
“Good morning,” Jake greeted the receptionist with a friendly smile. “I’m here for my HR orientation.”
“Sleeping with the boss, huh?” the other young man asked with a smirk. “That’s one way to get a job, I suppose.”
Jake was taken aback by the receptionist’s crude remark. He hadn’t expected such an unprofessional response, and it left him feeling uncomfortable. He decided to handle the situation with grace and professionalism, not wanting to make matters worse.
With a composed demeanor, Jake replied, “Actually, I’m returning to work here after a few years, and my wife happens to be a senior executive. I’d appreciate it if you would save the commentary and just direct me where I need to go.”
He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to draw any additional attention to the perceived nepotism.
The receptionist, realizing his mistake, immediately dropped the smirk and grew more serious. “I apologize for any misunderstanding, Mr. Tsai. It looks like you worked for us a long time ago. Welcome back! Please head to the largest HR conference room on the seventh floor. They’re expecting you there.”
Jake gave him a curt nod and headed for the elevators. As he rode up to the seventh floor, he couldn’t help but notice that everything looked much the same as he remembered, from the pristine office spaces to the iconic blue logo of the company.
Arriving at the HR office, Jake was greeted by a young HR representative wearing a tight fitting black cardigan with the sleeves rolled up, over a revealing white blouse. She led him into a conference room where several other men were already seated, all of them looking a bit anxious but hopeful. They were dressed in suits like Jake, but theirs were cheap polyester tweed and looked like they had been manufactured en masse by the same factory.”Good morning, everyone,” the young HR representative began with a welcoming smile. “You can call me Ms. Lerman, and I’ll be your guide through this orientation process. We’re thrilled to have you all joining our team.”
Jake’s heart swelled with pride as he realized that he was back where he belonged. He’d expected to be reappointed to his previous position as a senior project manager, given his years of experience with the company. But as the orientation continued, Jake’s optimism started to wane.
As Ms. Lerman provided an overview of the company’s history, values, and expectations, Jake couldn’t help but notice something peculiar. The other men in the room seemed to be fresh recruits, fresh from Men’s Support Centers. Why would he be lumped in with them?
Feeling a growing sense of unease, Jake raised his hand to ask a question when Ms. Lerman paused for inquiries. “Excuse me, Ms. Lerman,” he began, “I noticed that most of us here seem to be new hires, but I was a senior project manager during my previous tenure at the company. Is this orientation targeted to someone with my background and qualifications?”
Ms. Lerman’s smile faltered. “We appreciate your previous contributions to the company, Jake. However, our company requires all male hires to start as office assistants. And this orientation is just as important for you as it is for the others. After all, we want to ensure that everyone is up to date with our current procedures and expectations.”
Jake’s heart sank as he processed Ms. Lerman’s response. Starting as an office assistant? He had anticipated a bit of a learning curve upon his return, but this demotion was far from what he had expected. The room seemed to blur for a moment as disappointment and frustration welled up inside him.
Ms. Lerman continued with the orientation, detailing the daily tasks and responsibilities of an office assistant. Jake couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu as she talked about organizing files, setting up meetings, and making coffee, tasks he had delegated to others when he was a senior project manager. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
After the orientation was over, Ms. Lerman led Jake and the others to the elevator and took them down to their new workspace on the third floor, which had bright orange carpet and rows of cubicles. After feeling dwarfed by his old cubicle work area upstairs, he was gratified to see that they were all built to male proportions; the top of the cubicle walls barely reached Ms. Lerman’s waist. Clearly the workers on this floor were all men, so the pilot program he had advocated for all those years prior, to hire dedicated clerical support staff, must have blossomed into an entire unit. As he looked around, however, he noticed that while all of the cubicles in the Administrative Support Unit were for men, all of the work areas for the team leaders were twice as tall, clearly intended for women.
It had become glaringly evident to Jake that the company had made significant changes in his absence, ones that had relegated men to certain roles and women to others. He was uncomfortably reminded of the gender segregation at the twins’ elementary school.
In the corner office, reserved for the unit supervisor, he saw his old collaborator Kat Moncada watching the new arrivals through the glass that separated her office from the floor full of cubicles. She was wearing a stylish yellow top that Klara had asked him to track down a few times, to no avail. Perhaps he could ask her later where she’d bought it.
The first couple new hires were dropped off with the filing team, right by the elevator. When they got to the next cluster of cubicles, Jake’s name was one of the two called out by Ms. Lerman. “Jake, Billy, you’ve been assigned to the General Mailbox Team. Your supervisor will be Imani Reed, who is joining us now.”
A young woman with a dark ebony complexion and a head full of long dreadlocks loomed over them with an air of confidence, wearing a stylish denim dress that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a fashion runway.
“Thanks Lisa!” she said to Ms. Lerman. “Which two are mine?”
Ms. Lerman, hands on her hips, nodded toward Jake and then jerked her head back toward the five remaining from the Men’s Support Centers, who seemed to move in a pack.
Ms. Reed crouched down to shake Jake’s hand.
“You must be Jake!” she began, after noting the nicer tailoring of Jake’s suit and the gray starting to show in his brown hair.
Her voice was friendly and warm. “I’m your new boss. Welcome aboard!”
Jake tried not to stare at the cleavage that was now in his face. “Thank you, Ms. Reed.”
As Jake shook her hand, he noted that she was only a year or two older than his younger sister Sarah. Her youthful appearance further reinforced that he hadn’t retained any of the seniority from in his previous role.
“You’ll be working here,” she added, gesturing to the closest empty cubicle.
“And Billy will be working on the other side. Billy, don’t be afraid to come closer. I promise I don’t bite.”
The smallest of the other five men approached cautiously; it was clear that he was terrified.
“Is this your first job?” Ms. Reed asked, her voice gentle.
The small man just nodded, his words seemingly caught in his throat.
Ms. Reed put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Well, you lucked out. This is a great place to start your career.”
As Ms. Reed showed Billy to his cubicle and Ms. Lerman and the others proceeded down the row, Jake couldn’t shake the mixture of emotions swirling inside him. The humbling reality of his new role as an office assistant weighed heavily on him. He was eager to prove himself and work his way back up, but it was disheartening to think about how far he had fallen from where he’d been before he’d had to step away from the workforce.
As he organized the few office supplies in his cubicle, he overheard snippets of conversation from his colleagues. Most of them were just looking to make enough money to rent an apartment and get out of the communal living at the various Men’s Support Centers that had placed them with the company.
While most of them seemed to totally lack ambition, Jake noticed that there was one voice that stood out from the rest. A young man, sitting a few cubicles away, spoke with determination and confidence. He had big plans for his career at the company and had already been making strides. Listening to him made Jake aware of how much catching up he had to do.
Once Jake and Billy had settled in, Ms. Reed sat with them and explained the work assigned to the General Mailbox Team. The company maintained several general email addresses for the public to use, and the job of the General Mailbox team was to sort through all of those emails, determine the appropriate recipients, and then forward them along accordingly. Even though the work didn’t sound challenging in the slightest, Ms. Reed had a kind demeanor that immediately put Jake at ease.
The rest of his first day at work was both long and uneventful for Jake. He spent most of his time sorting through a mountain of emails, forwarding them to various departments. Although the work was tedious, he maintained a diligent focus, determined to prove himself. And when he was unsure where an email should be forwarded to, Ms. Reed was very patient and helpful providing him with direction.
When the workday finally came to an end, Jake met up with Klara back in the lobby. Her day had been filled with meetings and executive decisions, and she had the air of someone who had conquered the world.
As Jake and Klara settled into their car for the drive home, a heavy silence hung in the air. Jake couldn’t help but stew in his frustration over the ways the company had changed. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he turned to Klara with a deep sigh.
“Klara,” he began tentatively, “I couldn’t help but notice something today, something that’s been bothering me since I returned to work.”
Klara glanced at him, her attention momentarily diverted from the road. “What is it, Jake? Did something go wrong today?”
Jake hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “I can’t believe how much this place has changed since I left, the way they’ve restructured everything. It’s like a completely different world. I mean, starting as an office assistant? That’s a huge step back for me, and it doesn’t make any sense given my experience.”
Klara’s brow furrowed slightly, but she didn’t interrupt him.
“I mean, I understand that things have changed in the years I’ve been away, but I was a senior project manager, for crying out loud!” Jake said, his voice tinged with frustration. ” And the fact that all these men, like me, are starting from the bottom, while women seem to start in professional roles…”
Klara sighed, her grip on the steering wheel tightening briefly. “Jake, I understand that it might seem unfair to you, but there are reasons behind these policies.”
Jake’s frustration bubbled up, and he couldn’t hide the incredulity in his voice. “Reasons? Klara, how can you justify this? I thought we’d moved past this kind of thinking. I thought we were working towards a world where people were hired and promoted based on their skills and qualifications, not their gender.”
Klara’s eyes remained focused on the road as she responded, her tone measured. “Jake, it’s not as simple as it seems. The company implemented these changes to address certain issues, to ensure that all employees are successful. When you worked for us before, men in the workplace were few and far between. It was like the Wild West, and you had to try and keep up with women who, let’s face it, have a lot of natural advantages that you lack. Once we committed to a hiring men in larger numbers, it was necessary to adopt policies that take into consideration the differences in both biology and life experience between men and women.”
Jake stared at Klara, disbelief and frustration still coursing through him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the woman that he loved. This new corporate direction was a far cry from the principles he had thought they had both believed in.
“But Klara,” Jake said, his voice wavering with a mix of emotions, “I get that there may be differences, but isn’t it regressive to make sweeping assumptions about every man and every woman? Isn’t this approach just reinforcing stereotypes rather than addressing them?”
Klara’s hands tightened on the steering wheel again as she changed lanes in anticipation of their approaching exit. “Jake, it’s not about assumptions or stereotypes. It’s about creating an environment where everyone can thrive. Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, and it might seem unfair on the surface. But we’ve learned from our experiences, and this is the approach that has been most successful for the company.”
Jake slumped back in his seat, the weight of his new reality sinking in. He had envisioned himself returning to his old position, contributing to the company’s success based on his skills and expertise. Now, he felt trapped in a system that seemed to disregard his qualifications.
“But what about my experience?” Jake asked, his voice softer now, tinged with a hint of desperation. “I’ve been out there, working as a volunteer assistant, supporting our family while you climbed the corporate ladder. I’ve learned and grown during these years. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Klara glanced at him briefly, her expression conflicted. “Jake, this is one of the reasons why I wanted you to be a volunteer assistant before returning to work. I knew the twins’ school would provide you a framework to navigate the new corporate culture. I don’t discount your experience, and I know you’re frustrated. But you’ll have opportunities to prove yourself, and you can work your way up from here. Remember, change takes time.”
As they pulled into their driveway, Jake couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of disappointment. The world he had returned to was far from what he had expected. He had imagined himself resuming his career with renewed vigor, but now he found himself doubting not only his abilities but the principles of the company he had once been proud to work for.
As the week progressed, Jake adjusted to his new role as an office assistant, working alongside younger men who lacked both his experience and his drive. The days felt monotonous, as he handled administrative tasks like sorting through emails, scheduling meetings for Ms. Reed, and making coffee for the team. It was a stark contrast to the project management responsibilities he had enjoyed in his previous tenure with the company.
As he settled into his daily routine, Jake couldn’t help but notice the absence of his old friend and collaborator, Gary. They had shared countless moments of camaraderie and Gary had been the pilot program’s first hire. Jake couldn’t fathom why Gary wasn’t among the office assistants. Perhaps he had decided to leave the workforce, get married, and pursue a different path?
One day, while he was grabbing a snack from the fridge in the office break room, he decided to inquire about Gary’s whereabouts from one of the older office assistants, who seemed to have a longer tenure with the company than the others.
“Hey,” Jake began casually, “do you know what happened to Gary Rawls? He and I used to work together, several years back.”
The man looked at Jake with a mixture of surprise and sympathy. “He’s still with the company, but he’s not in the office assistant pool anymore. Gary’s moved up in the ranks. He’s now the executive assistant to Ms. Waters, who oversees our unit and a few others.”
Jake couldn’t hide his astonishment. Gary, his friend and and former subordinate, had climbed the corporate ladder while he was relegated to the company’s most junior position. And Victoria Waters, his former peer, was now in upper management. It was a humbling realization.
“That’s… unexpected,” Jake admitted. “I thought he might have left the workforce or something.”
The older man flashed him an understanding smile. “Nah, Gary’s doing great. He’s been working closely with Ms. Waters for a while now. It’s pretty rare for any of us guys to make it up out of the office assistant pool, but Gary put in years of hard work and impressed her with his dedication and skills. It’s definitely not something that happened overnight.”
As weeks turned into months, Jake continued to diligently fulfill his responsibilities as an office assistant. While the routine tasks were far from stimulating, Jake was determined to excel in his new role and climb the corporate ladder once again.
His youthful and dynamic boss noticed his efforts. Ms. Reed was impressed by his work ethic and the way he always went above and beyond what was expected of him as an office assistant. Soon she began to mentor him unofficially, offering guidance on office dynamics and providing advice on how a man in his circumstances could navigate the new corporate culture. She recognized his potential and encouraged him to pursue opportunities for growth within the company. Jake was grateful for her guidance and resolved to prove himself.
With Ms. Reed’s support, Jake grew more confident in his role as an office assistant. He began taking on additional responsibilities, volunteering to assist with small projects whenever he could.
His determination and hard work did not go unnoticed by his colleagues either. When he had started, there were a lot of muttered insinuations that he’d only gotten hired because Klara liked how he performed in bed. But many of the same guys who had once disparaged him behind his back were soon coming to him for help and advice.
One day, as Jake was sorting through the emails to one of the general mailboxes, he came across an application in response to a job posting in his old unit. Looking up the posting number on the company’s hiring site, Jake felt a jolt of excitement run through him. It was a project specialist position on his old team. It was still a step down from his old job, but it still represented a chance to return to the kind of fufilling work he had excelled in before his career break.
Jake immediately began preparing his resume, eager to apply for the position. He had years of experience with the company and a proven track record in project management. He believed he was more than qualified for the role. However, when he approached the HR department to submit his application, he was met with an unexpected obstacle.
Ms. Lerman looked at the posting Jake was interested in, and then handed him back his resume. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she said, her expression polite but firm. “but we can’t consider your application for the project specialist position.”
Jake’s heart sank, and he couldn’t hide his disappointment. “May I ask why not? I have extensive experience in project management, and I’ve been working hard to prove myself in this role.”
The young woman sighed sympathetically. “It’s not about your qualifications, Jake. It’s about the company’s policy. Going from an office assistant to a project specialist is considered too big of a jump. We have a structured career progression for our male employees, and there are steps in between.”
Jake was frustrated but tried to remain composed. “Is there any way I can at least interview for the position? I believe I can bring a lot to the team.”
She shook her head apologetically. “I understand your eagerness, but I can’t make exceptions to the policy. You’ll need to advance a number of levels from your current role before you can be considered for a position like that. Years back, we had a couple situations end badly when male employees were promoted too high and too fast.”
Jake left the HR department feeling defeated and frustrated. The corporate ladder that had always seemed daunting now seemed impossibly high, and the rigid policies left no room for his skills and experience to be recognized. He couldn’t help but wonder if returning to work had been a terrible mistake.
It was during this despondent walk that he bumped into a familiar face, a sight for sore eyes if ever there was one.
“Jake, is that you?” Gary exclaimed, flashing a bright smile as he recognized his old friend and colleague.
Jake, who had been lost in his own thoughts, looked up in surprise. “Gary! It’s been a while.”
Gary extended a hand, and they shook firmly. “I heard you were back in the office, man. Welcome back! How’s everything going?”
Jake hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should express his frustrations, but he decided to be honest with his old friend. “Well, Gary, to be honest, it’s been a bit tough. I was hoping to get back into project management, but they’ve got me working as an office assistant, and I can’t seem to catch a break.”
Gary’s expression turned sympathetic as he listened to Jake’s predicament. “I can imagine that’s frustrating,” he said. “But don’t forget, Jake, that’s where I started too. When I joined the company, I figured I’d spend my whole career as an office assistant. But that’s not what happened.”
Jake raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Gary’s words. “What changed?”
Gary smiled. “I met you. You had accomplished things I hadn’t even known were a possibility, and it made me want to strive for more.”
Jake felt bolstered by the reminder of his past accomplishments, but it didn’t change the roadblocks in his path. “But what about the policy that prevents me from applying for positions in my old unit?”
Gary chuckled. “Jake, sometimes you have to be strategic. That policy is inconvenient, to be sure, but there are ways to work around it. Build relationships, show your worth, and when the time is right, you’ll find a way to make that jump. It might take a bit longer, but I promise you it’s possible.”
Jake’s spirits began to lift as he absorbed Gary’s words of wisdom. “Thanks, Gary. I needed to hear that. I guess I’ve been too focused on where I used to be and not on where I can go from here.”
Gary clapped him on the back. “That’s the spirit! Trust me, it’s not about where you start; it’s about where you’re headed. Keep pushing, and you’ll get there. You taught me that. And hey, if you ever want to run something by me, or even just grab a beer, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
As they parted ways, Jake felt a renewed sense of determination. He realized that his journey back into the workforce might be more challenging than he initially thought, but he wasn’t ready to give up. With Gary’s encouragement echoing in his mind, he returned to his cubicle, ready to tackle his office assistant duties with renewed vigor, knowing that every small step was a part of his path to future success.
But a few days later Jake would receive a phone call that would challenge his newfound resolve.
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