Chapter 2 - The Audit
By 7:30 the next morning, the report sat on Victor’s mahogany desk in the executive office on the twentieth floor. Victor didn't touch his espresso until he had read every line.
The numbers were staggering, and frankly, shameful. Maria Lopez wasn't just working hard; she was being ground down by a flawed operational model left over from the previous management regime. Split shifts with three-hour unpaid gaps, a commute across the city that ate up her rest time, and an unofficial culture of covering for understaffed floors.
"She has a clean record," Raphael noted, standing a respectful distance from the desk. "Four years with the Torres Grand. Excellent reviews from supervisors, though her recent attendance logs show chronic exhaustion. Sir, standard protocol for unauthorized sleeping in a guest suite is immediate termination."
Victor closed the folder with a sharp thwack.
"Protocol is revised," Victor said coldly. "How many other housekeepers are caught in this split-shift grinder?"
"Roughly forty percent of the night crew, Mr. Torres."
"Then fix it. Effective immediately. Eliminate split shifts for the night staff, increase their hourly rate by twenty percent, and institute a mandatory rest-facility upgrade in the basement locker rooms. I won't have people collapsing in million-dollar bathtubs because our infrastructure is broken."
May you like
Raphael blinked, clearly surprised by the swiftness of the corporate overhaul, but nodded professionally. "And Ms. Lopez? Should I call her into HR?"
"No," Victor said, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket. "Don't call her into HR. I'll handle her myself."
