Chapter 6

We finished our meeting with Shane, and Alicia called Lillian to let her know we were ready to meet with her.

Lillian started our meeting with, “Rolland, Kitty, and I have hired managers for all of JAMP Enterprises’ senior and mid-level management positions. The mid-level managers are submitting job requisitions, which we are filling as quickly as possible. The Presidents of the three subsidiary LLCs want us to fill their senior and mid-level management positions, but we don’t have job descriptions for those positions.

“Rolland, Kitty, and I are too busy to adequately support the Presidents in preparing job descriptions, so I need to hire more people for HR. My main question is, will JAMP continue to grow at this rate and if so how much larger do you think JAMP will grow? A second question is, do you think it is wise to continue the current growth rate?”

Alicia said, “Let’s start with our growth rate. The four of us discussed this with our Division Managers. We expect JAMP Enterprises’ growth rate to level off soon and then start to decline. Our three subsidiaries’ growth rates will increase once they have job descriptions in place. However, we don’t expect the LLCs to have large staffs at this time, so there shouldn’t be that many positions to be filled.”

Madge said, “I have been handling the requisitions for office equipment for the three LLCs and their requests have dropped to almost nothing. Based on that, I think our subsidiaries have equipped the offices they plan to use for now. As Alicia said, once the job descriptions are written, there will be a high growth rate that will drop off very quickly.

“The requisitions for office equipment for JAMP Enterprises’ Divisions has started to taper off, so I would expect the number of job requisitions to decline significantly within four weeks.”

I caught Lillian’s attention, and said, “Lillian, I agree with Alicia and Madge’s assessments of the situation. Our high growth rate is about to end, and drop to a more normal level.

“I think you need to hire people to fill the number of positions you will need to meet the typical workload of a company with the number of people we currently have.”

Phyllis added, “You may want to add a couple of additional people to support the creation of division and department Policies and Procedures Manuals, which is something we plan to require of each of JAMP’s Divisions and Departments, and for all of our LLCs. Hopefully, you will complete that before we start staffing Minnus Enterprises.”

Lillian said, “I will determine how many people I will need and hire them as soon as I can. I have been creating a Policies and Procedures Manual for HR, so I will create an HR policy requiring each division and department to have a Policies and Procedures Manual. The manuals will need to define the manager’s policies and any procedures they feel are necessary for their division or department. My manual will also create a requirement for the division and department managers to review their policies annually and update their manual when updates are needed to include submitting a signed statement that they have reviewed their manual.

“Each of the division and department’s managers will need to write their manual, and my department will review their manuals for compliance with HR requirements. When do you want to implement the requirement for the manuals, and how long should I give the Department Managers to submit a draft copy of their manual? Will you want to review their draft or final manuals? Is approval required and if so who is to approve the manual, the Board or the respective Division Manager?”

I looked at my wives, and could tell that they were deciding on what would be an appropriate response.

Madge said, “We will want to approve your Policies and Procedures Manual, and I think you should implement the policy of requiring manuals immediately. However announce the requirement for a manual as a memo.

“I do have a question. Why are you including procedures in your manual, but not requiring them in other manuals?”

“Well some environments, like HR, have what I think of as standard procedures. These procedures rarely change and need to be documented. In other environments, the procedures change frequently to adapt to changing situations, and sometimes there are different procedures for different situations in the same environment. These procedures need to be documented and made available to the employees, but a manual that requires review and approval is not the best way to document procedures that change frequently.”

Madge said, “The Department Managers are busy right now, so give them three months to submit their draft manual to HR. In the memo, indicate that the due date is negotiable based on current workload.

“In my opinion, the HR Department should be the focal point for approval of all manuals.

“The HR’s Department Policies and Procedures Manual should be reviewed and approved by the Board.

“Division Policies and Procedures Manuals should be reviewed by the HR Department and when approved, the manuals should be reviewed and approved by the Board.

“Department Policies and Procedures Manuals should be reviewed by the respective Division Manager. When approved, the manuals need to be reviewed and approved by the HR Department. If there are any disagreements between HR and a manager during the review process, the disagreement should be mediated by the Board.

“If a manager changes a policy or procedure during its annual review or creates a new policy or procedure, the new or changed policy or procedure should go through the same review process as a new manual.”

Alicia said, “I would add two requirements. First, all review copies be prepared as printed copies, not electronic copies. Secondly, any changes made during the initial review of an approved policy are to be highlighted in the review copies, so the person who is to approve the changes can easily identify a change. You may want to maintain an electronic copy of all approved Policies and Procedures manuals, Lillian. I think that your electronic copies of the manuals should be the official copy of the manual.

“HR will maintain a large amount of sensitive information. Your filing cabinets should be locked when unattended.

“Your sensitive information should be saved to a dedicated network drive that is only accessible by HR and IT personnel, and the electronic files saved to the network drive should be encrypted with only HR personnel having the ability to encrypt and decrypt the files. The IT Department will back up all network drives at periodic intervals.

“The electronic information on the network drive should also be retained in your department on a removable drive labeled with its contents and stored in a locked filing cabinet. The removable drive should be updated periodically.

Phyllis asked, “Why should the IT people be given access to the HR drive?”

I said, “The IT department will be responsible for backing up our network drives, which requires access to the sensitive information drive. If a file becomes corrupted, they will also have to restore the encrypted file from their backed up files. There are also maintenance tasks that the IT Department performs on network drives at periodic intervals.

“Since I am on the topic of backing up files, every department should have a policy requiring its employees to back up their computer’s hard drives at least once a week, but I would prefer daily. The question then becomes back up to what drive, a network drive or a local back-up hard drive?”

Phyllis asked, “Did we answer your questions, Lillian?”

“Yes, and you gave me a lot to think about also.”

Our meeting with Lillian was finished. After Lillian left, I said, “I would like to discuss a different aspect of our need for administrative support.

“I have noticed that at times the four of us need an administrative assistant. I think we should hire at least one Executive Assistant to support us. For example, we will have been in this meeting room for over an hour by the time we finish our discussions. It’s possible that someone needed to talk with one of us immediately, but we won’t know that until we return to our desks or until they track us down.”

Alicia said, “You’re right, Jeb. There have been a few times when I haven’t been at my desk and found a message after I returned. The messages weren’t critical, but they could have required immediate attention.”

Phyllis said, “I agree. When we start working at our satellite office, we won’t be here to answer our phones or respond to drop-in visitors. Of course we could forward our calls to our satellite office’s phones, but we may not be there to answer the calls. I also don’t want to give out my cell phone number to everybody, so an Executive Assistant is a good idea. If necessary, they could call our cell phones.”

Alicia said, “I’ll go talk with Lillian and have her find someone for us. We can add a second assistant if the workload warrants one.

I asked, “Anything else?”

Madge said, “I have something. We created Action Item 4, which is for me to sell my real estate agency to JAMP Enterprises. I think we have reached the point where we need to do that.

“My first question is, should we sell the business to JAMP Management or create a new LLC for real estate?”

Alicia asked, “Does it make a difference?”

“Yes, to me it does. My business’s name is known in the local area, and it has a very good reputation. If we create an LLC, we would change the business’s name. If we do that, the business’s prior customers will likely turn to other real estate agents.

“If we sell it to JAMP Management, the business could retain its name, but it becomes just one of many businesses the LLC is managing. I am not going to have a lot of time to monitor the business, and I am concerned about someone being put in as the manager who is not as qualified as I think they should be. I also don’t want to micromanage the person in charge of the business.”

Alicia said, “The solution seems obvious to me. We don’t have to follow a naming convention for our LLCs. We have been doing so to create the brand name JAMP. There is nothing stopping us from creating The Fairbanks Real Estate, LLC and adding a Real Estate Department to the Earth Division. Alternatively, we could create the JAMP Realty LLC, and it could have one or more chains of real estate agencies. The Fairbanks Real Estate Agencies could be the name of one of those chains.”

Madge said, “Let me think about it. For now, let’s assume we will use The Fairbanks Real Estate, LLC.”

Alicia said, “The President of your LLC can focus on growing the LLC by creating branch offices named The Fairbanks Real Estate Agency in major cities. The Department Manager can support the LLC by monitoring the performance of the branch offices. You can work through the LLC’s President and the Department Manager to ensure your local branch office and other offices are operated the way you want them to be operated.

“The one thing I’m not certain of is, will the Department Manager need to be a licensed real estate agent?”

Madge said, “I like your solution, and we can work the details out later. If the Department Manager will be monitoring the branch offices, then it would be best for them to be a licensed agent, or to at least have experience in selling and buying real estate.

I said, “Madge, you said that was your first question. What’s the next question?”

“Alicia’s solution resolved my other questions, Jeb. The only things remaining are Shane needs to create the LLC, we need to create a Real Estate Department, Lillian needs to staff the department and LLC, and I need to sell my business to the LLC.”

We had added Action Items 10 through 22 to our Action Item List during our two meetings and subsequent discussion. We ended our meeting and went our separate ways. I noticed that we all seemed to make the restroom our first stop. With an empty bladder, I stopped off at the break area for more coffee, and then returned to my office.

Once I was settled in my office, I placed a call to Edgar and asked him to meet with us at the farm the next morning. He agreed to meet us at 9:00 AM.

We reached the end of our day, and headed home. On the way, I told my wives about the meeting with Edgar tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Tbd tent torn down

When we arrived home, my wives headed to the kitchen and I went to find Simon. He was in his office in the command shuttle.

“Do you have a few minutes to explain something to me, Simon?”

“Yes, what do you want to know?”

“Mary explained what I would do as her bearer, which I understand will be to carry her wherever she needs to go. She is essentially having me provide her with the means to move from one location to another. That doesn’t seem like an important position to me.

“When I first met John, he displayed the courtesy and respect that I considered appropriate for my position as a Facilitator. When I told him that I was Mary’s bearer, his entire demeanor changed. He seemed to respond to me as someone far more important than a Facilitator.

“What does it mean in the Empire to be a Zldat’s bearer?”

“What Mary told you is true, Jeb, and John’s reaction is understandable. I don’t think you understand Mary’s position in the Empire’s society.

“To start with, Zldats need bearers for they can’t move without assistance. When a Zldat selects a person to be their bearer, the Zldat compensates their bearer with advice, which can be used by the bearer for personal gain. That gain often takes the form of power, financial gain, or both. The more important the Zldat, the more respect the bearer receives from the Empire’s citizens, and the more power the bearer has in the Empire.

“Mary’s father is the Supreme Royal Zldat, and he is the absolute ruler of the Zldat race and its home planet Minnus. The Zldat race is also the most influential and powerful race in the Empire. The ability to view the Time Continuum gives the leader of the Zldat race an immense amount of influence in the Council of Empire Members, which is the Empire’s government. What that means is, the Supreme Royal Zldat essentially controls the Empire’s government.

“Mary is also her father’s First Offspring. In the Zldat culture, a Zldat’s First Offspring receives almost as much respect as its father or mother. So being the First Offspring of the Supreme Royal Zldat gives Mary an immense amount of respect and power in the Zldat culture.

“Now Mary is also recognized as one of the most powerful Zldats when it comes to viewing the Time Continuum and making accurate predictions. When you combine her abilities to make accurate predictions and who her father is, Mary is probably in the top thousand most important people in the Empire.

“What you do for Mary may not seem very much to you, but because you serve Mary as her bearer you are viewed as a very important and powerful person in the Empire. Your status is much lower than Mary’s status, but it is comparable to President Kelt’s status, here on Earth.

“Does that help you understand what it means to be Mary’s bearer?”

“Yes, thank you, Simon. You explained Mary’s position and my position in the Empire very well. I still don’t feel that my carrying Mary to where she wants to go warrants that degree of respect and power, but I accept that Empire citizens will view me as an important and powerful person just because of who I serve.

“It is probably like social status here on Earth. The social status of a secretary is relatively low if her boss is an office manager in a small company. She would have a high status within the company, but none outside the company. But make that person one of President Kelt’s secretaries and the secretary is very welcome in the circles of high society. It all seems to come down to who you work for.”

“That is what I have observed, Jeb. However, I have also noticed that some people like you and your wives earn the respect of others by what you do. So far, you and your wives have done an outstanding job as the Facilitators. That has earned you the respect of the delegates at the last meeting. I expect that the four of you will be even more highly respected by the time the next meeting ends.”

“Yeah. That’s what Mary has told me, but for a different set of reasons, which she doesn’t want me to discuss at this time.”

A traffic jam caused by a fender bender had delayed Edgar this morning. We were finally sitting around the dining table, again.

I said, “Edgar, We have a great deal of work for you to do during the next several years. Right now, I want to focus on the prep work that will need to be done for reinstalling the meeting, media, and two dining tents. It will probably be a good idea to include upgrading the walkways to protect people from rain and strong winds. I think we will also want to add a shelter for the buses to drop off and pick up passengers. We will also need to add heating and air conditioning systems for the four tents. I’m thinking of gas for heat, and electricity for air conditioning, which in turn means an increase in the gas and electric service provided by PUD. We were lucky during the last meeting that we didn’t have a power failure. So we should also have a backup generator, and a large external fuel tank.

“My wives and I have a list of what will be needed for the next meeting, and we can go over the list in more detail with you later.”

Phyllis slid the list across the table to Edgar, who briefly glanced at it.

I asked, “Have you talked with Elba since she was out here? If so, how is the drawing package coming along?”

“I talked with her last week, Jeb. She has made good progress. From what she told me, the office is not that complex, so the drawings will be ready for a first review in about two weeks. Why?”

“My wives and I want the office building completed as soon as possible. If Elba is up to it, we’ll pay overtime for her to reduce the number of days to complete the drawings, so you can start construction.

“You will be our prime contractor, and we think you should subcontract work where possible to expedite the schedule. We’re hoping the drawings are far enough along that you can start putting a bid together to build the office building.”

“I’ll do what I can, Jeb. But I’m curious, what is so important about this office building?”

“The importance for us is basically convenience and money.

“When my wives and I go into our headquarters building, we want to present a formal appearance. That means we have to clean up and dress appropriately before we leave. Then we lose almost an hour in roundtrip travel time. Once we arrive at the office, there are constant interruptions that disrupt our work, and most of the issues could have been handled by phone or email in far less time.

“We think we can avoid a large portion of those interruptions and shorten the time necessary to address the issues if we discuss the issues by phone, email, or video conference. We won’t worry about a formal appearance if we are working at home, so casual dress is acceptable. If we can eliminate our commute and reduce the number and duration of the interruptions, then that will allow us more time to focus on managing our LLCs, which improves our financial position.”

“That I can understand, Jeb. When I’m in the office, I get pulled into meetings and have to put up with a lot of unnecessary conversation. Maybe I should try working from a home office to see if it helps by increasing my productivity. But if I were to try that, it would be my wife talking with me.”

Edgar gave us the classic ‘I can’t win’ shake of his head and shrug of his shoulders.’ He said, “I’ll stick with the office. Did you have another project when we finish this one?”

“Yes, at our headquarters building. Right now we are okay with parking, but the company is growing. In about two years, we won’t have the space necessary for all of our employees to park their cars. We plan to build a multistory parking garage. We don’t have an estimate, yet, of how many cars it will need to hold, but we will want the roof to be reinforced to be used as a landing area for hovercars.”

“Hovercars? What are they?”

“You’ve seen the hovercraft that move along the ground on a layer of air. Think of an electric passenger car that can fly using an electromagnetic field. Simon told us about them, and we plan to buy one once we start trading with the Empire.”

“You just confused me, Jeb. I thought this coming meeting will determine if Earth will trade with the Empire.”

“Not exactly, Edgar, but that is what many people think the meeting is about. The Alliance Agreement will include provisions related to trade, but trade will occur even if the agreement isn’t approved. We are planning to start trading as soon as we can make contact with Empire traders. That is privileged information, so please don’t spread it around.”

“I’ll keep your secret, Jeb. I may be interested in something like a hovercar. How much do they cost?”

“That is one of the problems with trading with the Empire, Edgar. Earth’s currencies are based on the value of gold. Gold is cheap in the Empire, so our currencies have no value there. We will have to rely on the barter system at first.

“Eventually, Earth will develop a currency that is acceptable to the Empire, but that won’t happen in the near future. We will have to find out what we have that is valuable in the Empire. That is part of what the coming meeting will be about.”

“Okay, Jeb, I had best go check with Elba and check on the status of her drawing package.”

“A couple of last minute thoughts, Edgar. Can you tell Elba to plan for a reinforced concrete pad about fifty feet from the building for a hovercar, but tell Elba it is for a very heavy truck. We will also want to add a sidewalk from the pad to the entrance of the building and extend the sidewalk from the building to the house. I will give her the details during our review of her drawings.

“Don’t tell Elba yet, but in about a year, we will want to build on the land across the road from us. It will be a huge project for her, and I want to evaluate her ability to handle the design effort. I suspect she is a small business and will have to triple or quadruple her current design staff to handle the effort. Are you familiar with her business’s current capabilities and if she is willing to expand her business?”