Most of the pharmaceutical companies
pay some daily allowance to their medical representatives and first line
managers. The allowance is given so that the sales guy can manage to pay hotel
bill and travel bill (for local commuting). Some of the companies also give
some sort of food allowance so that the sales guy can buy food while he is
working in the field. As most of the sales guys come from middle class
background, so they always try to save some money from the allowance. But some companies
reimburse the actual bill once a person gets promoted to become the first line
manager. This is done in order to enable the first line manager to stay in a
decent hotel and eat better food. Moreover, his laundry bill is also reimbursed
so that he need not bother about the meager allowance and can focus on his
actual job. This story is about the ‘proper use’ of the facility of
reimbursement of the actual bill by a guy who was recently promoted to the post
of the first line manager.
Unlike most of his colleagues, that
guy was somewhat rustic in his behavior and dress sense. Just after becoming a
firs line manager, he went for a joint working in the territory of one of the
medical representatives in his team. The medical representative reported to him
early in the morning at seven am sharp because they had to go to some interior
for work. The moment the medical representative took a seat on the sofa in the
hotel room, the manager asked, “Hey would you like to have breakfast?”
The medical representative answered in
affirmative. Hearing that, the manager made a call to the receptionist and
ordered for breakfast, “We want a full plate of chicken chilly, two plates of
omlettes, a full plate of fish fry and two plates of butter toast for
breakfast.”
The medical representative was
stunned. He said, “Sir, I thought of having something light for breakfast. I think
it is going to be too much for two of us.”
The manager replied, “Don’t worry
mate. Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual; so I no
longer need to worry about the bills.”
The medical representative took a
plate each of butter toast and omlette and a few pieces from the chicken chilly
and fish fry. Rest of the food was gobbled by the manager.
When they came back from the interior,
it was the time for lunch. The manager once again called the reception desk and
said, “Hi, can you write down my order for lunch? Please send two plates of
mutton curry, one plate of chicken tikka, one plate of fish fry, ten pieces of
naan and two plates of fried rice. You can send two plates each of gulab jamun
and ice cream for dessert.”
The medical representative was a
frugal eater and hence said, “Sir, I would take just two naans and a few pieces
of chicken tikka for lunch. You can order accordingly. There is no need for
ordering so many items.”
The manager said, “Don’t worry mate.
Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual, so I no longer
need to worry about the bills.”
After finishing the lunch, the medical
representative went to meet the wholesalers. The manager remained in the hotel
to complete his daily quota of the afternoon siesta. The medical representative
came back in the evening as they had planned to meet some more doctors in the
evening. Looking at him, the manager asked, “Hey, would you like to have
something for the evening snacks?”
The representative said, “No, thanks!
I am full.”
The manager said, “You are a young
guy. You should eat a lot because you need to work really hard. I am not going
to hear anything from you. I am going to order for some snacks.”
The manager once again called the
reception desk and ordered, “Please send a full plate of chicken chilly, four
egg rolls and two coffees for us.”
The medical representative once again
said, “Sir, I can have coffee if you insist. But I am not going to eat
chickens. I love non-vegetarian food but I usually take a non-vegetarian meal
once or twice in a week.”
The manager said, “Don’t worry mate.
Your old colleague has got a promotion now. I am on the actual, so I no longer
need to worry about the bills.”
After finishing their work, they came
back to the hotel at half past nine. While the medical representative was busy
preparing his daily report, the manager asked, “Hey, what about dinner? Let me
order for the dinner. Would you like to have a couple of beer as well?”
The medical representative said, “Sir,
beer would be fine. But please don’t order too many items for dinner.”
The manager once again called the
reception counter and said, “Please send four naans, a full plate of plain
rice, a full plate of mutton curry, one plate chicken chilly and a plate of
fish fry. Yeah, we will have some finger chips for snacks.”
The medical representative had had
enough of it. He said, “Sir, I already told you that I don’t want to eat so
much. You can order whatever you wish for you. But please spare me from the
torture of shoving so much into my stomach.”
The manager once again said, “I am on
the actual, ……………..”
The representative interrupted him and
said, “So what if you are on the actual? Why are you making your tummy a
graveyard for all the dead chickens and fish? It is understandable that the bill
is going to be reimbursed by the company. Does it necessitate that you go on
eating everything in the name of getting the reimbursement?”
But the manager did not pay heed to
his colleague’s advice. Instead, he gorged on everything which he had ordered. He
emanated a loud burp after the meal and said good night to the representative.
When the medical representative went
to the hotel on the next morning, he found the room door ajar. While he sat on
the sofa; waiting for his boss, he could hear the rumbling sound from the
bathroom. Within a few moments, the manager came out of the bathroom. He appeared
highly exhausted. He said, “I am suffering from diarrhea since night. Can you
bring some ORS for me? I have planned to observe a fast for today. But you can
order whatever you wish for breakfast. In fact, I am on the actual.”
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