Thursday, June 15, 2023

Character Masks

As a new hire, job duties are explained, but inter-personal relationships are not. A neophyte learns the pack structure and identifies leaders, power players, and possibly, staff with their own agenda.

If the work environment is dysfunctional, fitting in can feel like navigating a mine field. Who will have your back? Who will stab you in the back?

Jo, the new volunteer at the Binkley House Museum, is a loner. She’s not interested in finding her place in the pack; she just wants to work with the antiques.

She meets and clicks with Monty, the maintenance man-slash-gardener. He tells her about her co-workers and what’s happening at the museum behind the scenes.

Later, Jo has reason to doubt Monty’s motivation. Was his friendly and helpful approach merely a mask? Was he actually misleading her to further his own personal agenda?