The Naked Truth Is You’re Not Cut Out For This

[Employee] joined us straight from university where she was a mature student. She seemed like a really unusual match for the department. She had no previous experience and no relevant qualifications. She seemed nice if you got past her constant white noise about how great her time in university was and how it changed her and how being an older student was great — just a whole lot of information no one asked for.

But she seemed nice enough and she got on with things. I did start to notice that she was very picky with what orders she took. This isn’t an issue until one day.

Employee: “I can’t do this.”

Me: “What’s wrong?”

Employee: “This design. I just can’t handle it right now.”

I look over and it seems a simple task, all the client’s instructions are there, and it’s a pretty easy scope.

Me: “Why don’t you take five and come back to it with a clear head?”

Employee: “Yes, good idea. It’s just so… ugh.”

She goes outside and the rest of us look at each other completely confused. She is gone for fifteen minutes before she comes back in. She takes one look at the order and freaks out again.

Me: “What’s the matter?”

Employee: “This man, this misogynist wants me to design naked women.”

It’s an artistic design of a woman holding a product.

Me: “That man works here and is only relaying the client’s orders.”

Employee: “Well, you need to get him to tell the client to change it.”

Me: “We don’t do that. The client tells us what they want and we do it.”

Employee: “Well, I will quit, then!”

The room is quiet with the sound of no one caring.

Employee: “I’m going outside.”

She was gone for an hour, only to come back and not do any work. Someone else finished the design — which turned out to be a “by women for women”-type brand — but we can’t have anyone in the team just refusing to do work. She was given another week, but then she threw another fit over a request to use pastel colours and again wanted the client to change their mind.

She was gone the next day.