Other Side of the Mirror: Dedication of the sticky sort

Visualize this scene, it isn’t difficult, you have been there. Five of you sitting around chewing the fat in office, sort of taking a short break from the grind. Suddenly this joker gets up, all energy and light and says, got to be off, lots of things to do, no time to waste.
Makes you look silly, sort of diminished, as if you were all goofing off and he’s the only conscientious twit in the office.
Guys like that can really cause aggro. You stop by their desk to ask a favor and the odds are you’ll be told, snowed under a mountain of work, can’t even find time to think. Great, super, except five minutes later they are at the water cooler gabbing away.
These spoilers as I like to call them are actually experts in timing. They will always crack up an office lunch or coffee break by suddenly getting pious on you and spraying work scruples.
Sorry chaps, gotta go, can’t stay, things to do, rivers to cross, no rest for the wicked...as if all of us were spare tires or something.
Meet them first thing in the morning and you will be told, haven’t slept two hours last night, was here in office till past ten then was at the report till early morning.
Well ,why didn’t you do it earlier, why did you wait till the last minute, this isn’t hard work brother, this is as phony as it gets.
See this tribe at a company meeting. In first, carrying maximum files, guaranteeing their mobile phone will go off mid-meeting and it will always be a VIP, they will drop names, laugh loudest at the chief’s silly jokes and project this image of total dedication.
If they can upstage you into looking bad thy will do it with this nasty little timing trick they have.
If you are mentioning a movie you want to see or a new eating spot in town or a party they’ll say, sorry, cannot do, work, too much work piled up, can’t make it.
And all the better if the boss is listening.
This plastic dedication bit makes you want to say, if your work is piling up it is because you are inept, you twit, you need twice the time.
They do it to you just when you are settled in at the conference room. The boss is about to call the meeting to order, there is some friendly banter going around and the company creep will say loud enough for all to hear, so how was the party, good fun, too bad I missed it, was busy with the annual report, you know, just couldn’t get away, believe it went on till the early hours.
He might as well have said, so you waster, carousing till dawn while I was working, see what the boss thinks of that.
In case you haven’t recognized this specimen in your office here are three quick giveaway hints.
He is the one who won’t look up from his work when the boss is passing by his office. Then, suddenly he’ll jerk his head up and look flustered, apologize for not having noticed the boss was there.
Such rot. But the aim; to show how he was so immersed in his work.
He’ll also make sure he coincides his departure with the boss especially if it is after hours. Aim: to show he stays in late.
He’ll make it a point to go to office on holidays. Aim: to show he is wedded to the company.
Beware such men are dangerous, they plot too much for comfort.
You know the sad part: A lot of bosses never see through it.