DownTime overlays as my clock rolls past 16k seconds. The haematic assay has determined that a rest period is appropriate, Babs initiates the shunt.
A curt text horiscroll rudely bumps the load screen though: “Mandatory KPI overview scheduled in 3200 seconds, please ensure dunk readiness to facilitate prompt processing”.
I sigh inwardly (my control over autonomic displays of physical frustration is long practised and nothing gets through the loyalty buffer); I suppose it had to happen sooner or later, nearly two weeks in with new Job and no direct avatime yet with management—I was going to have to justify my existence to the man.
DownTime passes pleasantly enough, three thousand seconds isn’t really long enough to disinter so I access some newsfeeds and toggle a wank to take the edge off, Babs oversees tumescence and the subsequent refractory management; I come almost absentmindedly.
Clocktime rolls out of DT and the pre-load delenitive sharpens my anticipation for the upcoming review. Transition to WorkSpace Corporate is immediate; obviously gentle staging environments are considered a waste of bandwidth for newb peons.
“Your Job reports satisfactory performance thus far, but has offered two advisory punitives with regard to borderline bloodchem indicated potential disloyalty spikes. However your probation period permits a certain degree of orientation latitude so Corporate suggests continuing employment for the time being; you are fortunate.”
(A distant ache in my bowels as the waste catheter shifts with mass peristalsis suggests otherwise). The reviewer is a blandly coded androgynous avatar, they’ve only bothered to code up a head and torso and one arm to mitigate the possibility of the reviewee attempting to hack the personality channel.
“We are also required to inform you of changes to the remuneration resource allocation mechanism (RRAM). As of the termination of this meeting all performance related exchange collateral awards will now be allocated across the full resource spectrum. In addition to KPI indicated replenishment of nutrients, energy, non-work leisure media and travel entitlement; WorkSpace is initiating an Hgb programme. This exciting new development in employee resource management utilises blood oxygen efficiency to reward hard workers with a welcome boost of productivity where it most matters, at the molecular level. Extensive research has resulted in this purer synthesis of the desired WorkSpace work ethic: Performance begets performance. The Hgb programme will automatically eradicate the laggard via the simple expedience of diminishing productivity returns. It is simple, X, work hard and in very real terms your work life continues.”
I swallow queasily; avoiding an emergency ejection from a Job into a lightless, cold residence module without a dataconnect is a fiendishly powerful motivator. I nod and sign off on my understanding via a standard pheromone expression. Corporate spits me back out to WorkSpace Primary and I urgently greb the next job in the queue.