Orientation
By Daniel Orozco, first published in The Seattle Review
A co-worker gives a new staff member an introductory tour of the office, while providing small gossip about other employees along the way.
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Plot Summary
A staff member new to the office is told the rules and culture of the office. They are instructed to never answer the phone and to let calls go straight to voicemail. All work must be paced and fit into the eight-hour work day. The new staff member is also told about others in the office. The receptionist is one temporary staff member among a long line of changing receptionists. Russel Nash, who sits at the desk to the right, is in love with Amanda Pierce, who sits at the desk to the left. Amanda, however, is in love with Albert Bosch, who is in love with Ellie Tapper. After talking more about their co-workers' personal lives, the co-worker describes where the fire exit is and how staff have frequent emergency protocol quizzes and drills, though these are hardly ever necessary. The company also offers a comprehensive health plan as well as a generous vacation and sick policy. The co-worker then provides a tour of the kitchen, and tells the worker that they have one hour for lunch and 2 fifteen minute breaks throughout the day. The co-worker shows the new staff member the refrigerator and warns that there are a few people in the office who tend to steal food from it. The new staff member is shown the Unit Manager’s office and then the supply closet. Closing up the office tour, the co-worker describes some particularly quirky employees, Gwendolyn Stich who is crazy about penguins, and Kevin Howard who is a serial killer waiting to be found guilty. Finally the co-worker showcases the photocopier room and suggests that the new worker admire the great view from the window.