Chapter 28

I had decided to wait till next week, before I'd mention Siemen's attempt at headhunting me, but when I came back to the office Alice said: "Mr. Peterson called. He'd like to see you when you returned from lunch."

"Did he leave any clue as to why he wanted to see me?"

"No, not a word. Just that he'd like you to come as soon as you had finished your lunch."

"OK. You two hold the fort till I come back."

I had not expected my planted ideas to take action so soon, but it was the only reason I could think of, why he wanted to see me. It turned out to be quite correct.

"Hello, Mr. Hansen. Please sit down." He turned round and called his secretary on the intercom. "Miss Larsen, could you please bring us a couple of cold drinks?"

"Sure, Mr. Peterson." A minute later she entered the office, carrying a tray with mineral water, ice-cubes and glasses.

"Thank you, Miss Larsen. Please make sure we are not disturbed, unless it's very important."

"Yes, Mr. Peterson."

While she left the office we poured our drinks, and as soon as the door had closed behind her, he said:

"I've been thinking about your future employment in our company, Mr. Hansen. You have earned some heavy bonuses, and as far as I'm told by accounts, you have yet another very big bonus coming up."

"Yes, Mr. Peterson. As far as I've been able to calculate, it will be close to a million dollars."

"Right you are, Mr. Hansen. Now, I'm in no way trying to say that they are not very well deserved, because they are. You have really raised the company profits considerably. But a sum as large as that has made me wonder, if we could negotiate some other way to show our appreciation of your excellent work."

"Mr. Peterson, that might very well be possible. But then I shall have to tell you of a new development, which I had planned to tell you about next week. I can see that now is the time to tell you."

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Hansen?"

I reached out for my glass to take a sip of water, while I quickly transferred a feeling of uncertainty to him, plus a slight fear that he might loose me.

"I have been approached only yesterday by a major German industrial company. They want to hire me, and they have made me a most satisfactory offer."

"Oh, dear. Damn those industrial spies."

"I'm not so sure I'd call them industrial spies. They are more likely to be hackers, who can enter our computers, because they are not very well protected. At least they were able to tell me what I was earning right now, how much I had been paid in bonuses, plus the size of my bonus coming up in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, my God. We shall have to do something about that immediately. Can you tell me which company it is?"

"No, Mr. Peterson, I'm sorry I can't. It was a strict condition to their offer, that I didn't reveal their identity."

"You said the offer was tempting. Can you reveal the nature of the offer? I mean, is it along the lines you've got here, for now, or what else did they have in mind?"

I decided to give him another scare, so I flashed him something like seven times my present pay.

"They are offering me a substantial multiplication of my present monthly income, plus a much smaller percentage of the total company profit. The percentage is a lot smaller, but on the other hand it is a very large company, and in kroner or Deutsche Mark it will still be quite impressive. But I want you to understand, Mr. Peterson, that on a personal level I'd much prefer to stay in Denmark, rather than moving to a new country and a new way of doing things."

He still looked a little scared, but a small smile of relief crossed his face.

"Mr. Hansen, in a way my own ideas have moved in that direction. Your large bonuses have called attention in a few high places in our company. What I had in mind, when I called you, was to propose a large raise in your monthly income, in return for a much lower bonus plan. I'm afraid, though, that if the Germans really want you, we shall not be able to compete with them."

"It's my impression that they really want me. They feel sure, I should fit in nicely with some parts of their production." I stopped talking for a little while, just to let him stew.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Peterson, although some people would say it's not very clever of me. The German offer is very tempting, and the difference between the two possibilities may become so big, that I shall have to take their offer. But like I told you: On the personal level I'd much prefer to stay in Denmark, and I'd even be willing to accept a smaller income, just to stay here."

I flashed him a feeling of gratitude plus a bit of admiration, that I was so honest with him.

"I certainly hope we can reach an agreement which I can bring to the board of directors."

"I should have no problems accepting your idea of a higher monthly income, in return for a lower bonus arrangement."