Some would say that Greg Perry was a cold fish. But he wasn't. He was passionate about so many things. It was just that he never lost his temper. If he raised his voice it wasn't passion or anger, it was a purposeful decision to raise his voice, to underline whatever he was saying. But, he was a kind, fair-minded and loving man.
His main passion by far was his wife of twenty five years, Susan. He also loved and was proud of his two children, Melissa and Jude, but they were grown up now. Melissa had graduated with a good degree and was building her own career, and Jude was about to start his last year at University before he would also strike out for himself. Greg was very proud of his children, but he looked forward to Jude graduating and moving off to his own life, leaving Susan and Greg to enjoy their empty nest.
On this last Monday of August, Greg was sitting at his desk pondering if there was anything else he could do to encourage his Board of Directors to accept that he wanted to retire early, or at least edge towards working part-time. It was over six months now since he had promised Susan that he would start planning to ease his work load. She had given up work last year when she was made redundant, and they had talked and decided that it really wasn't worth her while trying to pick up her career somewhere new if Greg would retire sometime soon. So he had promised her he would have freed himself up no later than Jude's graduation next year, but he knew that she was getting impatient and bored with being at home all day. The house was empty without the children, and she missed them. She was doing more charity work with her Church, but she had refused Greg's offer to help her take golf lessons, so that she could have joined him on the greens. In fact, Greg smiled as he thought of it, her Church and his golf were the only things that ever kept them apart, other than work. On Sundays she would head for her God, and Greg would commune with his, in a regular foursome with old friends.
Greg brought his thoughts back to getting the Board to agree to some form of part time working. The problem was that the Board were scared to let him go. Greg had founded Perry Consultants over fifteen years ago. His calm manner, his ability to turn problems into opportunities, his optimistic outlook even when the going got rough had seen him through. And he could look back on times in the business when the going had got very rough, but now they seemed to be in calmer times, and the company was growing steadily. Greg had a good right hand man in Tom Gould, and everyone expected Tom to takeover when Greg did retire, it was just the Board were reluctant to actually let him ease up at all. They were scared of him just not being there, and whenever Greg raised the idea of retirement or an easier work load they had procrastinated: "We need you to see through the current contracts" Or "Let's talk about it after year end." There was always some reason why not. Greg knew that as majority shareholder he could just dictate his own future, but he wanted the outside shareholders, and his colleagues within the firm to be happy at his retirement. He wanted the Board's approval and full support. He didn't want to walk out on a company and a team of colleagues that he'd worked with for over fifteen years, he wanted to go with their blessing.
In truth, Greg didn't really want to retire completely. He was only fifty, and he still had a lot of energy for they company he had created. But he did want to please Susan and spend more time with her. And these days, it seemed his office hours were getting longer not shorter. Somehow he had to get his colleagues to accept his partial retirement, and he had to get Susan to accept a compromise of partial retirement.
There was only one member of the Board who would probably be happy to see him go, and that was Phil Tremit, an external director and a successful local businessman.. He was a champion for Tom, and anxious to see him promoted. To try and speed things up, only last month Greg had tried having a quite chat with Phil, telling him that maybe, with the current mood of the other Directors, he had to accept that he wasn't going to be allowed to retire for some years yet. Greg hoped that Phil would take the challenge, and talk a few Directors round to his way of thinking, but he hadn't seen any signs of change yet.
Just then, as Greg was lost in his thoughts, he heard a knock at his open office door. Paul Benson, the Finance Director, was hesitantly wheeling himself in his motorised wheelchair towards Greg's desk, waiting to be told that Greg had time to see him. Paul had joined the company about nine years ago, when he wanted to return to work after a dreadful road accident that had left him with very weakened legs, he could just about stand and take a single step, and a totally paralysed left arm. He was a fully qualified accountant, but no other company in town wanted to know. It was only Greg who could not see any connection between a man's walking ability and his ability to keep accounts, and had immediately offered him a job on the proper pay for the responsibilities.
"Yes, Paul? What can I do for you?"
"I thought you might like to see this list of charity donations we will be making for this financial year before tomorrow's meeting." Paul proffered Greg a sheet of paper.
"Mmmm....thanks. Anything that's going to cause arguments?"
"I don't think so. Eighty percent of them were on the list last year. The new recipients are the ones in bold type."
"And you used the same percentage of the gross profit as always?"
"Yup. It's mainly your money, so if you are happy with it, then who am I to argue?"
Greg glanced down the list. All the charitable donations that were made through the company were to local small charities, Friends of the Hospital, the local Mother and Baby group, that sort of thing. Then Greg noticed one he didn't know:
"What's 'Help at 43'?"
"43 Manvers Street. It's an advice centre for addicts. It helps them find a bed for the night, they know which hostels accept addicts; help them get full social security payments despite their problems, that sort of thing."
"How about getting them off drugs. That might help them more."
"Oh no. That's the point, they aren't preached at. Their lifestyle isn't challenged. It's for people who haven't got to the point of wanting to give up yet. It's to help them stay safe until they're ready to make a big change in their lives."
Greg looked up at Paul. "No way!"
"What's wrong with them?"
"I'm not spending my money, and as you rightly point out, I am still the majority shareholder so it's mainly my money, on a bunch of people who are deliberating hurting themselves and probably everyone around them."
"But they need help until they get to sorting themselves out."
Greg sighed, "Look, Paul, I shouldn't have to tell you, I'm not against helping people who are trying to help themselves. People who have had a difficult period say, even if self-inflicted, but are trying to dig their way out of their problems have my respect and support. To my knowledge, we've got at least two ex-drug addicts and one recovering alcoholic and one guy with criminal prison sentence behind him, and about four registered disabled, including yourself. They are putting their lives back together, and we will give them all the help we can." Greg looked at Phil and answered his unasked question, "And No, you don't need to know who they are. But they are doing a good job and good luck to them. But there's a world of difference between respecting and helping them, and a bunch of losers who want someone else to put their world right for them. So cross that one off your list and reallocate the money. OK?"
"Would it help if I said that my wife is a volunteer there?"
