An overbearing boss takes his assistant widow for granted and overworks her every day for several weeks. Circumstances help her turn the tables after she passes out and wakes up to be proclaimed his new boss.
Alice’s colleagues thought she had an easy job. She was Mr Colin’s secretary. “She just marches after the boss with a tablet, schedules meetings and answers his calls…anyone can do that!” they grumbled.
But no one knew the struggles Alice endured every day. Her boss overworked her, knowing it was her only job. Alice never argued and completed all the extra tasks Colin gave her. The moment she sighed in relief after eating one, he brought another one to her table.
Colin constantly pressured Alice with extra tasks. Some include the work he had to do. She worked overtime and didn’t have the perks of the regular nine-to-five shift that the others enjoyed.
Despite all the exhaustion, Alice decided not to give up her job because of her fatherless daughter Ayla…
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It was Ayla’s 14th birthday and Alice planned to leave home early. She had promised to take her daughter out to dinner. Alice handed over a file and grabbed her purse, praying Colin wouldn’t call her back. Unsurprisingly, he screamed for her with another task.
“Alice, can you update this report? There are some corrections…”
Alice couldn’t refuse. She logged back into her computer and completed her task. She later rushed home and spent a wonderful birthday with Ayla, but not for long. Alice was too exhausted, and it was obvious.
Over the next few weeks, Colin pressured Alice with more work after her shift. He took her helplessness and talent for granted. Alice couldn’t report Colin to Human Resources because he took care of everything and everyone. There was nothing that could be done against him.
Don’t take your subordinates for granted. You may never know who will be your boss one day.
Alice worked hard and ran around the office doing things for her lazy boss. Meanwhile, Colin sat back and relaxed. He randomly inspected the office building, spent many hours on phone calls and passed all his work over to Alice. It was so easy for him!
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One day Colin informed Alice that their CEO would be visiting soon. He wanted the office to be as neat as ever. “I’ll be busy with inspections. So what I want you to do is… Here! Take these files and make a report for the next quarter. The calculations should be flawless. The deadline is four days from today, Okay? “
Alice agreed and took the files home. No one knew she was working overtime except her good friend Amanda, who was her colleague. The report was too complicated to prepare and it was something Alice hadn’t done before. It was completely Colin’s job and he was responsible for it.
Alice spent three sleepless nights preparing the report. She did her best to prepare it. The company’s CEO, Mr. Felix, paid a visit as scheduled on the fourth day.
‘Where’s the report? Why is she late? Damn!’ Colin grumbled. He marched behind the CEO into the conference room.
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A few minutes later, Alice entered the office. She had missed her bus and had taken a taxi at the last minute. “Luckily I got there in time,” she gasped and ran over to Colin with the report.
‘You’re never on time. Let this meeting be over…” Colin frowned and reached for Alice’s file.
He handed the report to Mr. Felix and smiled. “The report you asked for is ready, Mr. Felix!” he boasted.
“Great estimates, Mr. Colin. Well done! Everything is perfect!” praised the CEO. Alice was discouraged. Her boss did not admit that he did not prepare the report and took all the credit.
‘Oh, that! It was so easy to calculate. I’ve spent all night trying to figure out the estimates, Mr. Felix,” he boasted.
Colin grinned viciously and sent Alice off with a stack of folders and some office supplies. “Keep them in the pantry,” he told her. Colin was afraid that Alice would tell the CEO that she was the one who prepared the report.
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A few minutes later, Felix and Colin heard people screaming outside the conference room. They rushed to see what it was and saw the staff gathered outside the utility room.
‘What happened? Are you OK?’ Amanda asked concerned as she helped Alice to her feet.
“I’m fine. I just passed out. I hadn’t slept in the last three nights because Mr. Colin asked me to prepare that report. I did all his work and he took the credit. I felt sick and passed out ,” Alice gasped when the CEO overheard their conversation.
A moment later he called Alice to his room. Colin was sitting there. He was sweating and was red with fear.
‘Mrs Alice, have you prepared this report?’ Mr. Felix asked her.
Alice couldn’t lie anymore and said, “Yes, Mr. Felix, I have prepared this report.” But she was kind enough not to expose Colin’s bad side. Alice knew her boss was already in troubled waters and decided not to complicate matters for him.
“Okay! In that case you’ll be making all the reports for our company. And you’ll be fired from this position, Ms. Alice!” said Felix, startling her. Then came the good news. ‘Mr Colin, meet your new boss, Mrs Alice!’
The frightened, wide-eyed look on Colin’s face said it all. He was demoted. He imagined how bitterly Alice would come back to him for overworked her. But to his surprise, she taught him a fun lesson instead.
Despite being his boss, Alice never took Colin for granted. She respected their limits and did not overwork him. Alice treated Colin with the same respect and dignity as when he was her boss.
Finally, Colin realized his mistake and apologized to Alice. “We are perfect if we learn to do our job without bothering others. Don’t take your subordinates for granted. You may never know who will be your boss one day!” Alice advised, shaking Colin’s hand and accepting his apology.
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What can we learn from this story?
- Don’t take others for granted. Colin overworked Alice and let her do all his duties because he took her helplessness and talents for granted.
- Hard work never goes to waste. Despite overwork, Alice was determined to keep her job because she wanted to raise her daughter well. Her hard work paid off when she became her ex-boss’s new boss.
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