Kenya

Chapter One

As the summer was winding down in 1998, Kenya found herself waiting for the 7:45 train into Manhattan. She had taken a job at Humanistics, a firm located downtown. The firm was doing experimental work that was at the cutting edge of human resources which she found very exciting. At thirty, she was in many ways a late bloomer, not having found her niche up until very recently. She had taken this job in May as a Resource Analyst. A term that the company had coined, explained the human resources director that meant that she would be analyzing, assessing and examining a company's greatest resource - its people.

When she had gone for her interview in April, she had known instantly that she would enjoy working there. The office was located in the high rise at the corner of forty -seventh and fifth. Humanistics occupied five floors. The human resources department was located on the seventh floor. As she arrive that morning twenty minutes before her scheduled time, she took in the setting. The interior offices were furnished with plush tan colored chairs and dark cherry wood bookcases. It seemed like an unlikely blend but somehow it worked. At least for her, she loved cherry wood and leather chairs.

As Aphina - the human resources director came out, she rose to meet her.

the director said: "We do not stand on ceremony here, call me Aphina. Aphina was an elegant black woman with arresting features. She wore her Donna Karan outfit well and the pale green went well with her complexion. She lead Kenya down the hall.

As Kenya walked down the hall, she thought of her friend Marcia who jokingly called her a lost soul because of her woeful eyes and her ever changing temperament. She was slender, but not petite and wore her hair medium length to her shoulders. Kenya liked to believe that she dressed simply yet elegantly as was appropriate for her new job. Marcia, thought that she was being kind when she said "sometimes you dress so...Ah..creatively... But this time Kenya interpreted the remark properly and she didn't want to make any mistakes. She had gone out and splurged a little by buying three suits which she interchanged with the other clothes in her wardrobe.

As she followed the director into the conference room her stomach constricted. Apparently this was not going to be a one-on-one interview. When she reached the door she noted that there were three others and slightly in a daze, she heard from what seemed to be far away Aphina say: "This is Henry - our CEO, David - one of our consultants, and Sid, my associate director." "Please, sit down."

Kenya slide into the chair wishing that she could disappear through the floor boards. She was not into this!

Aphina said: "You have absolutely no reason to worry." You should have realized that as soon as I introduced you to Henry." When was the last time you met the CEO of a company, at the first interview?" We have been reviewing your credentials for some time now, we know your unusual track record and we are not going to grill you. We know that you do not interview well but we want what is behind all that. Your ability to understand, analyze and profile relationships in organizations and in group dynamics. Now let's talk."

The meeting had gone on for two hours. The group had talked about every aspect of human resources management, organization development and group dynamics. Aphina had explained that Humanistics wanted to revolutionize human resources management and in so doing - outsourcing. Kenya had breezed out of the office feeling invigorated. This was the aspect of human resources, organizational behavior, that she loved.

Two weeks went by and nothing happened. She couldn't sleep the first week and was late for the job that she was temping for that whole week. By the second week, she was in despair. How come companies were allowed to do this? There should be a law against this false creation of hope and of success.

On Monday the third week in April, she got a call at work. Natalie her neighbor in the cubicles said: "there's a call for you. Althea, Aphia, somebody..." Aphina! She snatched the phone. "When can you come down to do your paperwork young lady."

She could believe it, she got the job! "Tomorrow," she said, when she could speak. "Tomorrow," She said again.

"What time hon?" asked Aphina.

"Eight," said Kenya.

"See you then."

Kenya couldn't sleep. This time it was good news. When would she ever get some rest! She decided to stay up so that she wouldn't be late. She didn't trust her alarm clock, at least not with something like this. From that time onward, she had slowly started to become acclimatized in her new job setting. She was loving it from day one. Things had taken a turn for the better.