Note to readers

Okay, we're back again on another complicated working adult stuff chapter😅

I'm gonna explain to you what the persona and her colleagues do around the office.

As you are aware, she works in Corporate Secretarial Department where it has many functions other than convene meetings. But we're here to discuss about just meetings for now. Unless if you already understand Corporate Secretarial functions are, you may skip straight to the story.

There is a hierarchy in this organisation where the Management are like your bosses who have to think of business strategies and plans for the company. There is a higher level of authority above them which are the Board of Directors, they're basically like parents who allow or not to allow the business strategies and plans to be executed. So how can the Managers seek permissions to execute these plans? They have to go through meetings to approve the proposal. 

One of CoSec functions in an organisation is to convene meetings mainly Management Committee (MC) and Board of Directors (BoD). MC meetings would discuss mainly operations and strategies of the Bank including products, risk assessments, audit reviews and projects for endorsement before it can be escalated to BOD for final decision. So meetings papers to MC will be prepared by the Originators/Product Owners from all divisions in the Bank i.e. Finance, Risk, Product Team, Strategy and so on.

This structure is common everywhere, I believe. Except maybe the way things are done is a bit different among organisation and countries. But generally, all organisations have top management and board of directors.

Clear so far? Let's hit the road!

As per scheduled, we gather at a discussion room next to Saint's office the next morning, attended by the CoSec team with Saint and Zakiya representing the CEO. But the way I see from the seating arrangement, it feels like a face-off between the former TWB International staff and the current TWIB team when Saint faces me, flanked by Madam Norma and Zakiya on his sides while Hasanah, Fauzi, Kak Aisah are on mine.

Feeling rather embarrassed from yesterday's episode, I avoid any eye contact with Saint as he tries to catch mine.

"Good morning all," Saint chairs the meeting. My flutter heart melts by the sound of his deep erotic voice that I can no longer recall what was his voice like when he was a kid.

"I appreciate that you're able to make it despite the short notice," he went on. "Just need to streamline a few communications that correlate functions between CoSec and the CEO's office. We won't be interfering with CoSec's existing roles though, anything statutory or corporate secretarial related is still within Madam Norma's responsibilities. What we want to coordinate with you is on anything within Dato' Bahadin's purview. That includes TWIB MC meetings, Sharia meetings, BoD's meetings and Director's Circular Resolutions (DCR)."

I hear his choice of words in bewilderment, trying to get used to his more mature and business-like form of talking rather than rudimental.

"Which means?" Hasanah blurts out a question.

"Which means, all meeting papers will have to go through the CEO's office. I will review them before the CEO gives his final sign off for tabling," Saint clarifies.

"But that'll crunch our timeline for preparing meeting folders," Fauzi objects. "The current deadline for meeting folder preparation is three to five days before the meeting date. If the paper has to go through you before it goes to us, we won't have sufficient time to prepare the meeting folders by then."

"Not if we stretch the deadline," Saint responds. "The Originator will have to submit the papers to us seven to 10 days' prior the meeting date. So you can still keep your deadline."

"The Finance Team can never comply with your deadline," I chip in. "They usually generate their numbers a day before the meeting, otherwise their figures won't be accurate."

"And are you happy with this attitude?" his temperate but firm voice mocks my remarks. I shrug to respond, and it irritates him. "Do you think that's acceptable?"

Madam Norma intervenes, "I've to agree with Hussaini on this. We can't tolerate late submissions and it is time to draw the line."

"I'm just saying from my personal observation dealing with the working group which most top level failed to understand," I purse my lips.

"I reckon it's the TWIB's mindset," Saint smirks at me. "The International entity oversees bigger portfolios with more complex issues, but everyone can comply with the rigid deadline no doubt. Don't tell me they're better time managers compared to people at Islamic."

I exhale loudly in bitterness while frustration crushes the butterflies inside me. This is what happens when a group of people from another entity come in and take up significant positions in this organisation, they'll change the way we do things here. It's like British colonisation all over again.

                  🌸🌺🔫🍀🌸🌺🔫🍀

Our meeting ends 40 minutes later. Saint rushes back into his office while the others disperse out of the discussion room and return to their respective workstation. I charge into his office with my flutter-turned-flustered heart still raging inside.

"Saint–"

"I don't respond to that name and you don't get to enter my office without my permission," he tells off.

"Okay, Mr. Mohammadi-Conor. May I come in, please?" I ask coldly.

"What do you want?" he retorts, eyeing on his iMac screen.

"I don't like how you dictate the way we do things around here," I tell him.

"I'm doing my job because I know my place. If you know yours, you should do the same," he says grumpily.

"What happened to you? You've changed," I bleat.

"Is this conversation relevant to the Bank?" he glares at me. "Because I have no time for your insolence right now."

"Pay me some respect, please. I'm older than you," I snap.

"I don't like your attitude, so you don't get my respect."

"I don't like yours to begin with!" I muster a response, knowing that it's not the most brilliant.

"Well, you're the one who barges into my room and jibes me!" he bites back. "And I'm lodging a report on you for flashing off my old photos, putting my personal matter at stake. That's harassment."

"How's that harassing you? I was showing off my old photos! It's my personal matter," I clarify.

"With me in it? What's in it for you? A wildcard?" he sneers and I'm running out of argument to defend myself. "I don't want to be involved with you anymore. Whatever we had back then was a complete fucked up past. This organisation has no room for fucked up past and jokers."

Saint went on about the amount of jokers we have in this Bank as he rumbles away about the quality of the proposal papers. "Atrocious!" he says, but that's all I hear because I no longer pay much attention to his rants. He already lost me at "fucked up past".

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Photo source - hiva sharifi via Unsplash