Chapter 195 The First Task
The list of eight names was pushed in front of Leopold. A few names looked unfamiliar to him. Leopold tapped on three of them and asked, "I remember the others, but I haven't met Yvonne Visconti, Juliet Elikin, and Gabriel Medici."
Lily said, "Yvonne is the housekeeping supervisor at Imperial City Hotel. I met her when I checked in there. She's thoughtful and honest. During my stay, a big celebrity happened to be staying at the hotel too. Yvonne didn't use her work as an excuse to approach them for autographs or photos. The guest had a good impression of her, and later that celebrity even publicly praised Imperial City Hotel's service online."
Leopold nodded in understanding.
Lily continued, "Juliet is the food and beverage manager at Majestic City Hotel. I visited there during a company exchange program. I'd say the food at Majestic City Hotel ranks in the top three among all Celestial Waters Hotel chains I've eaten at. We've also chatted privately, she has good character."
If Lily approved of someone's character, they couldn't be wrong.
"Gabriel is a bit..." Lily changed her words mid-sentence, "He was transferred from the sales department to the kitchen, responsible for managing daily procurement inspections."
Transferred from sales to the kitchen?
Interesting.
Leopold asked, "What was the reason?"
Lily hesitated, "There was some friction with his supervisor."
Although Leopold had also experienced being deliberately suppressed, he needed to understand the reason. If it were Gabriel's own problem, even with Lily's recommendation, such a person couldn't be given important responsibilities.
Lily said, "Gabriel graduated with a degree in hotel management. He applied to the sales department at Harmony City Hotel, responsible for collecting customer feedback and suggestions."
"The manager at Harmony City Hotel repeatedly ignored the customer feedback he provided and deliberately said disrespectful things about him in front of other employees."
"I definitely wouldn't have tolerated those words, but Gabriel did. I heard his family situation is special - his grandmother raised him from childhood, supporting him through college by collecting recyclables."
"He applied to Celestial Waters Hotel because of the high salary - he needs that high income to support his grandmother."
"Gabriel has excellent character and personality, but he had bad luck with people and suffered a lot of grievances. Later, he was sent to the kitchen by the Harmony City Hotel manager."
Leopold looked down, drawing a line under Gabriel's name with his pen, and asked Lily, "The manager at Harmony City Hotel is Jagger Sinclair, right?"
Lily nodded, "Yes, him."
Leopold's face remained calm, but his eyes showed complex emotions. "If I remember correctly, Jagger was recruited by Mr. Preston Wipere through a headhunting company."
Lily said, "Harmony City Hotel's performance ranks in the top ten among all chain hotels. He's capable, but too arrogant and can't take criticism."
Leopold pointed his pen at Oscar Brixia's name. Oscar worked in human resources at headquarters. "Have Oscar come to my office."
Lily replied, "Understood, I'll notify him right away."
News of Leopold's promotion to senior partner had already spread. When Oscar received the notice, he came to Leopold's office. Having worked in human resources since he started, he naturally understood that when a newly appointed executive calls you in, it's either to win you over or assign you tasks.
Oscar approached the desk, "Mr. Wipere."
Leopold gestured, "Please sit, Mr. Brixia."
Oscar sat down with a steady presence, "Congratulations, Mr. Wipere."
"Thank you." Leopold smiled slightly. "I asked you here today to ask if you have any other ideas about your current career development? For example, changing environments and accepting new challenges. The work would still be in the human resources field, but you'd have more authority than before. The compensation would naturally increase as well. Of course, the workload would also be heavier than before."
Leopold glanced at his watch, "I'll give you five minutes to think about it."
Oscar was slightly stunned, then withdrew his gaze and fell into thought.
He was weighing whether to stay in his current stable position or accept Leopold's so-called new challenge.
At the age of nearly 40, he no longer had a competitive edge in the workplace. Once unemployed, it would be very difficult for him to find a job with the same high salary.
He had long heard about the power struggles among senior management, and some irreconcilable conflicts were real. If he joined Leopold's team, it would be like declaring war on the opposing side, and he would naturally become a target for another faction.
This team needed to produce results, and very impressive ones at that. But if problems arose, taking a worst-case scenario, Leopold could still retreat safely based on his status as Preston's son, but he might not be so lucky.
Having spent many years in the workplace, he had seen ups and downs, and witnessed how people are forgotten once they leave. Even the group's executive president could be replaced, let alone a director.
Leopold was also testing Oscar. If he agreed immediately, it would show Oscar didn't think things through and had a rash personality. But being too hesitant wouldn't meet his hiring requirements either, he needed someone decisive and efficient.
Two minutes passed, and Oscar said, "I'm willing to accept the challenge."
Seeing the determination bursting from his eyes, Leopold nodded with satisfaction, stood up, and extended his hand proactively. "I'm glad you can join the team, and I look forward to your performance."
Oscar shook his hand and took the paper Leopold handed him. It had Gabriel's name, his hotel location, contact number, and salary range written on it.
Leopold said, "This is your first task, recruit him to Seaside City. The day after tomorrow at 9 AM, meeting room number two. He has difficulties in life and needs to take care of his grandmother. If he makes demands, you have the authority to make decisions on my behalf."
Oscar understood his meaning, "What if his demands are excessive?"
Leopold said, "You're HR. You judge whether this person is worth me paying a high price for."
Oscar's expression became serious, "Alright, I'll go home and pack, then catch the earliest bus to Harmony City."
"Go ahead."
Oscar and Lily needed to split up to handle the people in other cities. He just had to wait for the results.
Leopold arrived home after midnight. The hallway light was on. He changed into slippers and went to the bedroom, seeing the person on the bed sleeping soundly. He took his pajamas, gently closed the door, and went to shower.
Lying in the bathtub, Leopold let out a comfortable sigh.
Today had been so draining, and he was exhausted. The whole day was either meetings or seeing team members, talking about nothing but responsibility, authority, benefits, people, division, calculation, rewards - putting it simply, making sure rewards were implemented properly.
Perhaps because he was too tired, Leopold thought he'd just close his eyes for a moment, but he actually fell asleep in the bathtub. He woke up when Caroline called him.
"Wake up, how did you fall asleep here?" Caroline gently pushed his arm. "Leopold, wake up, don't sleep in the bathtub, the water's cold."
Leopold opened his eyes. Half asleep, he saw Caroline's face close by. Seeing her even in his dreams, Leopold reached up to hook her neck and pulled her over.
He captured her lips, warm and sweet, pried open her teeth, and dominantly swept away her moist tongue.
She got splashed with cold water. Caroline pressed against the edge of the bathtub and retreated, whimpering through her lips and teeth.