by 
HR manager Simone Williams was today silently and immediately judged by her colleagues during a Zoom call in which she appeared to sit in front of a bookcase filled with trashy novels by Mills & Boon.
The monthly management team meeting usually takes place in the conference room of a building in a nondescript Thames Valley office park, but today it is taking place on the Internet thanks to the continued lockdown.
However, Williams has placed her laptop in front of her bookcase, as people tend to do these days, leading to unasked questions from her colleagues.
IT manager Derek Matthews told us, “I don’t want to criticise people for reading books, because obviously that’s a good thing, but Jesus Christ Simone.
“She’s sat there trying to tell us about her new 360-degree employee feedback programme, and I can’t help but notice a book called ‘Romance Goes Tenting’ over her right shoulder.
“How can I listen to her when that book goes completely unmentioned?
Sales manager Trevor Lee told us, “I can hear the words she’s saying, and I recognise that she is asking us all to think about how we can engage our employees to add shareholder value, but I just want to ask her about the plot to ‘Rapture of the Desert’ and ‘Apollo’s seed’.
“I can’t see the covers, but I’m guessing swarthy man with no shirt embracing blonde fainting lady?”
At the conclusion of the call, Williams told us that of course she wasn’t worried about her book collection, because what sort of arsehole would judge someone by the contents of their bookshelf.
