September 6, 1993
Monday
Zhorik said it like he was cutting it off clean: «Quit fiddling with vouchers, the process is dialed in. You’ll be building up the real business now.»
I agreed.
Zhorik opened his planner, flipped to the staff list: «Workers need a carrot, and the best carrot is career growth!» and suggested we ruffle the carrot patch a bit.
Peskov comes off the list. Marina takes over his position, Oleg Semyonovich gets made chief accountant, the cashier Lena takes his old spot, and the most careful of the trading-hall clerks, Yulenka, gets moved to the cash desk. No one gets hired to replace Yulia. The clerks can manage with three.
I agreed with that too.
Zhorik wrapped up the reshuffle with «Keep it up!» and explained that the payroll fund had shrunk in net terms, since there was one fewer employee. At the same time, the people who’d moved up got bigger salaries and a fresh burst of enthusiasm, setting an example for the rest — there’s room to grow! Get to it, comrades!!! You can build a career. That’s how enthusiasm and… Zhorik trailed off. He was hunting for words, unable to picture what else might arise in the workforce besides enthusiasm and thoughts of a bigger paycheck. I nodded in advance, let them grow and arise all they want. Business at «Russian Horizon» was in good shape, they’d manage.
– Right way to think! – Zhorik found his voice again. – So that’s that! Performance management’s settled. You’ll be building up the booze business without me. To keep the voucher fund out of the spotlight, get the business at Kalyazinsky rolling. Hand your duties over to Marina now. Tomorrow, furnish the offices on the second floor at the Terem.
