“Yes.”
“Any employee complaints?”
“Nothing formal.”
“Informal?”
Robert hesitated.
“That may take longer.”
“Why?”
“Because formal HR doesn't capture all manager feedback.”
Wendy smiled without humor.
“Then what exactly does HR capture?”
Robert absorbed that.
Fair.
He continued:
“Jenna says Derek regularly penalizes staff by assigning undesirable shifts.”
“Samantha says everyone jokes around.”
“Michael says Derek frequently overrides security advice.”
Wendy looked toward him.
“Frequently?”
“Yes.”
“Documented?”
“No.”
“Then the problem is bigger than Derek.”
Robert nodded.
“I agree.”
At noon, JR Enterprises made the announcement.
Employees gathered in auditoriums.
Others watched remotely.
Wendy stood on the stage beside Jim wearing replacement clothes.
No trace of cola visible.
The board chair introduced her.
Applause.
Wendy looked at thousands of faces on screens.
She had prepared a speech.
Twenty minutes.
Growth.
Responsibility.
Innovation.
People.
Strategy.
She folded it.
Placed it on the podium.
Jim looked toward her.
Wendy began:
“This morning, someone poured a cup of cola over my head in our lobby.”
The room became still.
People had already heard rumors.
Now confirmation.
“I was mocked.”
“My appointment was questioned.”
“A document from the founder’s office was destroyed.”
“Several people laughed.”
“Several others disagreed with what was happening and stayed quiet.”
No one moved.
Wendy continued:
“I’m not telling you this because I want sympathy.”
“I’m telling you because today was supposed to be my first opportunity to observe JR Enterprises before most employees knew who I was.”
A slight murmur.
“What I saw was uncomfortable.”
“But useful.”
She looked toward Jim.
Then back.
“I also want to be clear.”
“This will not become a story about someone disrespecting the wrong woman.”
“It would have been equally wrong if I were not standing here now.”
Applause began.
Wendy lifted one hand.
It stopped.
She did not want applause yet.
“If our values become active only when the injured person has power, then they are not values.”
“They are risk management.”
The room stayed silent.
Wendy continued:
“My first priority as CEO is still business performance.”
“Customers.”
“Operations.”
“Technology.”
“Growth.”
“Capital discipline.”
“But culture is not separate from performance.”
“Culture is what people do when they believe the person in front of them cannot affect their career.”
That line traveled across the company within minutes.
Wendy continued:
“This morning I saw cruelty.”
“I also saw fear.”
“I saw a receptionist who knew she should call upstairs but was afraid to disobey her supervisor.”
“I saw a security officer who knew something was wrong but hesitated because he did not want conflict.”
“I saw employees join laughter because joining seemed safer than objecting.”
She paused.
“I am interested in all of those things.”
“Not merely the person holding the cup.”
Then she unfolded the original speech.
“Now.”
“We still have a company to run.”
A few people laughed softly.
Wendy smiled.
“Let's talk about that.”
For twenty-two minutes, she laid out operational priorities.
Warehouse automation without mass layoffs.
New procurement controls.
Debt reduction.
Expansion in Mexico.
Improved internal mobility.
A five-year technology modernization plan.
No inspirational ending.