Course Transcript

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[Nicole is being interviewed.] NICOLE: Transparency is important. When I’m looking into a company, I want to learn their culture, their beliefs. I want to ensure that I’m the right fit, that they’re the right fit for me. I‘ve been in spaces where I’ve been told to hide myself in order to be more “professional.” As if who I am naturally is a bit “too much” for the workplace.. I have to know I’ll be able to grow in an environment that understands and values me. All of me.

CUSTOMER: [The customer is being interviewed.] I do a deep dive when I choose my vendors. It isn’t just about the products, it’s about the people. I always ask myself, do I trust this company? Do I agree with how they operate, how they conduct business? It’s important that my company is aligned with the goals and codes of conduct of our vendors. That’s how we grow, that’s how we become more successful.

COURTNEY: [Courtney is being interviewed.] I want to feel safe in my workplace. Not just in job security, but truly physically, emotionally and mentally safe. The moment that sense of safety was violated, I reported my concerns to leadership. It was a breath of fresh air when they took a clear stand. I work for a company that cares about me.

LAWYER: [The lawyer is being interviewed.] Misconduct in the workplace is inexcusable, and people consistently learn the hard way that you will pay for it, literally. They can act like they’re uncertain of the intricacies of misconduct, they can continue under the guise of misunderstanding, they will continue to pay. And that’s what they deserve, and that’s also what the people who have been wronged deserve.

CEO: [The CEO is being interviewed.] When I built this company I wanted to be innovative and intentional. Along the way, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. At one point I found myself so overwhelmed with running a company that I missed important signs of trouble: unethical or inappropriate behavior. It wasn’t always malicious, but I wasn’t doing my job as a leader – I wasn’t setting the right examples. I found my way to righting those missteps. I made the conscious decision to manage and set expectations. It’s not just about protecting myself or my company. It’s about creating a strong ethical foundation. It’s protecting our people.

NICOLE: Understanding the code of conduct protects me, professionally.

COURTNEY: It establishes an environment that offers support and holds people accountable.

LAWYER: It sets a clear understanding which is imperative for growth.

CUSTOMER: It allows us to provide the best products, the best services, and do the best for our companies.

CEO: It’s the least we can do.

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[Delaney is being interviewed.] DELANEY: Sales is a dance…a slow, careful, beautiful dance…Most of these guys, they want to just rush through the sales cycle, convert as quickly as possible…and that’s fine for them…Let the rat race happen.

HANA: [Hana is being interviewed.] Delaney is the best sales rep we have. She’s a legend in the company. She’s a legend in the field in general. When I got the opportunity to bring her in on this lead I found. I was so excited to work with her.

DELANEY: Deals like this aren’t made in the board room. And I knew going in that I would have to pull out all the stops.

HANA: We do the meeting and I think it goes well but, they’re not jumping out of their seats or signing anything. We shake hands and as we’re leaving Delaney hits them with an invitation to dinner at Frondino’s. She somehow got a reservation for that Friday night.

DELANEY: Clients like to feel special; you need to engage in a ritual together. Break bread, have a glass, or two, or three. Loosen up a little.

HANA: You should have seen their eyes when she said Frondino.

DELANEY: People have their walls up, and I know how to make those walls crumble.

HANA: I think it was the second bar after dinner. She pulls out vouchers for two first class tickets to the Seychelles. She’s casually handing it out to the group, and they’re loving it. I’m doing the math in my head, and between dinner and the tickets we’re talking about…8 grand? Maybe more. This is all perfectly fine, but it must have been her entire discretionary budget for the quarter. I guess this is how it’s done?

DELANEY: The tickets, the dinner, the drinks, they’re all just tools that we use to make a connection. Because that’s really what we’re trying to do.

HANA: Right after the third round, Delaney pulls aside the decision maker, Kevin. They talk off on the side a little bit and shake hands. Delaney comes back with a smile on her face.

DELANEY: And just like that, we’re in!

HANA: She tells me that all Kevin wants is 5% of Delaney’s commission for the sale. And I’m sort of just stunned. Is this really how she does this? Is this even on the level?

DELANEY: Like I said. It’s a dance, and I like to go slow, and enjoy the process. Who’s in a rush anyway?

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[Farhan is being interviewed.] FARHAN: You know what the real scary thing is? … I actually wanted to do it. He was incredibly convincing: incredibly. I think about it a lot, actually. Hi, I’m Farhan, I’m a Senior Sales Associate, in the Midwest region with Investitech. The incident in question took place during an industry conference a couple months ago. Well, more specifically, the hotel bar where the conference was being held. I was eating dinner at the hotel bar, going through my emails on my phone, usual post-conference stuff. Lost in thought, and out of nowhere…this guy comes and sits down next to me.

MYSTERY MAN: [The Mystery Man is being interviewed with his identity concealed.] Yeah, I remember that night. I was trying to run into Farhan all day.

FARHAN: As soon as he sits down, he strikes up a conversation. Turns out he’s here for the conference, too. He even works in the same region as I do. And I remember, he pointed to his conference badge and said something like “Looks better on me.” And I just thought that was really funny.

MYSTERY MAN: Yeah, we’d banter, talk a little baseball, just trying to get to know each other. I was sizing him up before we got down to business. I mean we were really hitting it off, you know trading old “war stories”, talking about the conference. Nothing crazy.

FARHAN: But soon he gets into some touchy topics. He goes on talking about his company’s pricing, customers, and even sales strategies… It was weird…but he was nice enough, and we were hitting it off, so I decided to play along.

MYSTERY MAN: It was just like any other sales meeting. I could tell by his body language that there was interest. I knew I had him on the hook…

FARHAN: Then he went in for the hard sell. He was so smooth about it. Gotta give him credit. One second we’re laughing, cutting up…
…And then he leans back in his chair – and you could see his demeanor go from joking to dead serious. He looks at me, and then…

MYSTERY MAN: I remember I told him, I said, “You know, we both have those big RFPs due next month. The first one for your client, and the second one for mine. What if there is a way we could ‘ensure’ we both win?”

FARHAN: In all my years working as a Sales Exec, I’ve never had anyone approach me so brazenly. My gut was saying “No!” but my head was questioning “Why not?” I told him that I liked the sound of it, but the repercussions…may not make it worth it. He just started scribbling on a bar napkin.

MYSTERY MAN: I always say the same thing every time I’m giving this pitch. I told him there’s risk involved, but who ever got ahead without taking a few risks? I mean it’s a win-win situation for both of us and our companies. And the best part is: no one gets hurt. What’s not to like about it? I say that bit, then drop my “leave behind” and I make my exit. Works just about every time.

FARHAN: I still have that napkin, actually.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] What’s on it?

FARHAN: The amount of money we both could make with the “arrangement” he proposed. It adds up to…a lot of money.

DIRECTOR: So, what’re you gonna do with it?

FARHAN: [Farhan looks perplexed.] ...

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MASON: Weird stuff started happening. You’d be searching for a customer in the company database and things would look off. [Mason is being interviewed.] Nothing BAD, just weird returns on searches that morning. But then, all of a sudden everyone was locked out. Like, no one could access the system.

GRACE: [Grace is being interviewed.] From what we could determine, an outside party accessed the company’s intranet. This user had administrator access to the system. Ten minutes later, they changed everyone's credentials and logged out of the system.

MASON: For hours, we figured it was just a run-of the mill error on the software side. No one was worried, no one even considered the idea that it was something…as bad as it turned out to be.

GRACE: This user wasn’t just looking to cause havoc. Changing the password was a middle finger to the company. The real deed happened just BEFORE they changed all the passwords.

MASON: Grace came out on the floor and started talking. She said, they downloaded the entire customer database: names, addresses, dates of birth, passwords, credit card numbers, expiration dates, ALL OF IT! I felt like I’d been punched in the gut… That means hundreds… maybe even thousands of people—

GRACE: One million, three hundred, and twenty five, thousand users were affected by the breach. It was the largest breach this company has ever had… well, it was the only breach actually. It resulted in close to a million dollars in fines, and a still undetermined amount for clean-up costs… millions of dollars lost.

MASON: This would mean that the company would have to notify the users…Everyone was asking Grace the same question…How? Did they just hack in? I thought our system was supposed to be secure!

GRACE: …At first, management thought that I was the one who downloaded the data. After all, it was my user account that was logged in at the time.

MASON: That’s when she tells us…That assistant she fired a month ago, the temp she kept complaining about. She had given him her credentials, so he could write emails to customers.

GRACE: I just didn’t even think about it…. and I made a bad call. I only meant to give someone access to my email…It was such a stupid mistake…I didn’t think anything like this could even happen….

MASON: Grace is one of the most responsible people I know. This was a wake-up call for all of us.

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[Sloane is being interviewed.] SLOANE: My name is Sloane. I was the owner and CEO of SloDown Publishing. Shall we get started?

ROWAN: [Rowan is being interviewed.] I'm Rowan, Sloane's sister. I'm in grad school, getting my MFA… This is all my fault. Should I say that now, or just save it for later?

SLOANE: It was our mother's birthday, and my sister, Rowan, and I were tasked with shaping these chocolate decorations for a cake Dad was making.

ROWAN: Dad says he can't do it because his hands are always too hot, and always melt the chocolate, but we all know it's because he has sausage fingers.

SLOANE: I wasn't interested in the party, no. Our best-selling author just delayed her draft for the third time and I was losing more money than ever. But my family takes parties very seriously; and I didn't want to ruin anyone's evening.

ROWAN: Yeah, you'd think doctors would be dry, but my parents love parties. They invite, like, everybody they know.

SLOANE: I was hoping the chocolate decorations job would be enough to keep people away, but… well, obviously that was not the case.

ROWAN: Sloane was being super prickly because she was having trouble at work. I knew that, but it still kind of annoyed me. So when a friend of our dad's came over and started chatting her ear off, I was like, 'Ha! Serves you right.' Then he mentioned he heard Sloane's business was struggling, which was weird, and it got a little tense. Maybe he heard it from Dad or someone, but Sloane doesn't like being called out like that.

SLOANE: At first, he was just giving me a lot of advice that I didn't ask for. But when he said he worked in pharma, that put me on edge, like maybe he saw this as a back channel to doing business with my parents. I should've told him to, you know, get lost then.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Why didn't you?

SLOANE: I couldn't prove he was working an angle. and he was a family friend. I could see the headline "Rude Daughter Kills Mood; Ruins Mother's Birthday" in my mind's eye. Yeah. Thank you, but no.

ROWAN: He starts talking about pharmaceuticals –– Sloane publishes books, why does she care? — But then he says to her, 'I've got some info that I think could really help you out'. Like, with money and stuff.

SLOANE: 'As a favor to your father.'

ROWAN: I could tell Sloane was too proud to admit that she needed help, so I said 'Sure, she'd love to hear it!'

SLOANE: Rowan is… much smarter than she acts sometimes. I don't think she saw how shady the guy was, but no, she didn't speak up just for my benefit.

ROWAN: I was trying to help. And… I thought it would be fun to mess with her.

SLOANE: He tells me the stock at the company he just left is about to crash — some scandal with the CEO — but the news hasn't broken yet. He's planning to short it, and if I'm smart, I should do the same.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Did you know what that meant?

ROWAN: I studied ECON before I switched over, so yeah, I know what shorting is. And I know what insider dealing is. It's illegal to share confidential information about his company like that. It was surreal, him just saying it in the open, and acting like it was nothing. Then he just left. I immediately felt bad. I meanI didn't know he was going to suggest a crime! I could tell Sloane was upset. Or, well, I thought she was.

SLOANE: … You have to understand the pressure I was under. An infusion of capital like that would completely change my business. And no one would get hurt… I just thought… I don't know what I was thinking.

ROWAN: If I hadn't said anything, she would've told that guy to get lost. I have always looked up to Sloane so much. I never thought things could be that bad for her.

SLOANE: I keep telling Rowan it's not her fault. I made the choice and I'm living with the consequences. But honestly, letting my sister down is the worst part.

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[Lilliane is being interviewed.] LILLIANE: Hello, my name is Lilliane, I’m a Marketing Manager at Smithson, Lingley, and Crowe. I’ve been good friends with Jules for years. We came up together, our daughters play volleyball together. We’re the office pranksters, you could say. I guess that’s why this is so hard…yeah. As I recall, we were on a major all-hands meeting. Everyone’s calling in from all over the place, most of us were working from home at the time.

What was weird, though, a lot of our team takes the calls with their cameras off, Jules never does. Jules is always clowning – either he has on a goofy hat, or a wild costume or something. I don’t know, it just always cracks me up. It was weird…yeah, it was weird that he didn’t have his camera on, for sure. But anyways, the meeting went on as normal. We were in the middle of reviewing bids for a huge contract, so there was a lot to discuss. At one point our CMO calls on Jules to see what he thinks…

CMO: [An online meeting take place. The CMO has his cameera turned off.] Jules, what do you think about all this?

JULES: [jusles is speaking via the video call with his camera turned off. ] Sorry everyone, I’ve had terrible reception while I’ve been out of pocket! I think everyone’s presented great points, and I think there are pros and cons to most of the candidates. That said, based on the proposals we’ve received I think we can all agree that Crux and Co. aren’t the right fit for this project. Their work just seems a bit lackluster for what we’re looking for.

LILLIANE: At this point I’m seriously confused. Not only does Jules – the on-camera king – weirdly not have his camera on, but literally last week we had a one-on-one and he was banging the drum for Crux and Co. So we get through the rest of the call, and as we’re wrapping up I asked Jules for a 5 minute debrief offline…
[Lilliane and Jules are on a private call.] Jules! Are you ok?

JULES: Hey Lilly! I’m sorry I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to chime-in during that. How bad was it?

LILLIANE: Forget about that: where are you!

JULES: Well, I didn’t want to say anything on the call, but you know my side consulting work?

LILLIANE: Yeah, I remember you mentioning that at Sophie and Maya’s volleyball game, but that was two months ago…

JULES: Well, one of my clients is hosting an all vendors conference and they asked me to come meet the team. Thought it’d be good for when we talk through their Q3 strategy.

LILLIANE: So you went to a conference for an outside client in the middle of us reviewing the biggest bid of the year?

JULES: It’s not like I have the final say in the decision either way. Plus, the extra cash has been super helpful for Jen and I!

LILLIANE: Ok… I guess I can get that, but what about Crux and Company? Because you were in their corner as recently as last week.

JULES: Well, that one was actually sort of a favor for my client. They knew we were considering Crux and Co. for this project, but they really wanted to tap them to lead a campaign they have coming up in a month or so. And since there’d be a non-compete clause if they used our contract, I promised them I’d do what I could to shoot down Crux and Co. for this project. End of the day, though, they’ll still win: my client’s contract will be huge for them!

LILLIANE: …It’s funny, ‘cause it all worked out in the end ok. We went with a different agency who’s been a great partner so far, and Crux and Co. they’ll do just fine with whatever project Jules’s client throws their way. But still, OUR client could’ve really benefited from C&C’s expertise. Jules swears that there was no victim in this, but I wonder… is there?

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[Jessica is being interviewed.] JESSICA: At the beginning I was so excited to work at FRC. I mean I feel like everyone says that when they start a new job, but it was true. My husband got a great job here too, and our kids are just getting to school age, it really felt like the beginning of the rest of our lives, you know?
At the start, everything was fine. I started as a junior project manager and my team seemed great.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Were there any other women on the team?

JESSICA: No. That was the one thing; it was a boy's club, for sure. There were other women at FRC, of course, but my team was only guys. And I was ok with that. I mean everyone was really nice and I never caught anyone ogling me or acting inappropriate. I wouldn’t say that it lulled me into a false sense of security but… a month or so in, I was feeling confident about myself and the environment, and I was getting ready for my first big presentation.

THOMAS: [Thomas is being interviewed.] Yeah, I think it's fair to say our team is kind of a “boy’s club.” When Jessica joined the team, it definitely changed the dynamic. She's pretty quiet, so we weren't sure if she was comfortable with us or not. But by the time the presentation rolled around, everyone had seemed to be relaxed. Which is maybe not the best thing, in retrospect.

JESSICA: Before I even started, Alex was making comments about my top - how low-cut it was, that sort of thing.

THOMAS: Alex is one of our senior project managers. He's a goof, he makes fun of everyone. I think he kinda saw it more as hazing than anything – like, welcoming Jessica to the team. But he took it way too far.

JESSICA: After the presentation Alex was still making jokes. Saying “What presentation?” and things like that. And, all the other guys thought it was hilarious.

ALEX: [Alex is being interviewed.] Yeah, I mean… I certainly didn't intend to hurt her. It was her first presentation and sometimes people get really tense with that stuff. So, I make jokes to lighten the mood…

JESSICA: I was upset, yes. The presentation was a success, and I should've been on Cloud 9, but all anyone could focus on was the jokes. Alex called it my “lucky shirt” and told me to wear it to the next client meeting. It was like a switch had flipped and all of these guys who I'd grown to like, and respect started seeing me in this way… And it just got worse from there.

THOMAS: The shirt turned into a running gag. The thing was, she would laugh at the jokes too.

JESSICA: At first, I thought that: 'If I’d laugh, it would stop. If I’d laugh, then I'm in on the joke. I'm not the joke.' I thought that it would stop, but it just kept going. And after a while, coming in to work at all became exhausting. I mean, I would be late because I would try on two or three different outfits - trying to find the least-provocative thing to wear. I was constantly worried about what Alex would say.

THOMAS: One day at one of our team meetings, Alex made a crack about our profits on a project being almost as large as Jessica’s cup size. She was clearly upset. She just hurried out of the room.

JESSICA: I just, I had to get out of there. I didn’t know what else to do.

THOMAS: I'm ashamed to say that's what it took to wake me up. Alex's jokes and teasing have helped morale a lot in the past. But the stuff with Jessica was different and it felt off. It wasn't until that moment that I realized why. I pulled Alex aside and was like “What are you thinking, man? This is blatant harassment.”

ALEX: I thought that was a little dramatic. It wasn’t like I was groping her at all. I don't care that she's a woman; it’s not a sexual thing for me at all. I just… was just trying to make…

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Did you make jokes about your other team members' appearances?

ALEX: Sorry? I mean, no.

DIRECTOR: So why, when joking about Jessica, did you choose to target her physical appearance?

ALEX: I… I don't… I don't know. I really don't. I just thought Jessica would let me know if I was out of bounds.

THOMAS: As much as I tried, I couldn’t convince Alex that this was serious. So, I reported everything.

JESSICA: A couple days later, I got an email from HR, saying that they were aware of the problem and that Alex would be disciplined. And they also offered me counseling, which I've been doing.

ALEX: If I could go back and do it again… I should’ve known better. That’s the bottom line.

THOMAS: I don't feel like I deserve thanks, no. I'm glad Jessica’s doing better and I’m glad that she decided to stay with the company. Because she went through a lot of pain, and she didn't have to. If anything, I waited around way too long.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Were you aware that Thomas was the one who reported these incidents to HR?

JESSICA: I didn’t know that. I really appreciate it though. I know that it can be hard to stray away from the group, but it's really nice to know that someone was willing to stick up for me and see me as a person and not an object, or the butt of a joke. No one should ever have to experience that.

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[Marco is being interviewed.] MARCO: Nathaniel and I go way back. We both cut our teeth at Streft Advisors. We built that team from the ground up and saw some really great success over the years. We definitely felt the loss when he left to work for Dytton, but I understand - he had to do what was best for his family and career. They’re one of the largest consulting firms in our field and you just don’t pass up an opportunity like that.

NATHANIEL: [Nathaniel is being interviewed.] Marco’s always been a good friend. I knew that even after I left Streft Advisors we would still be close. We used to play basketball at least once a month until… well… It was just nice to have someone to confide in about my new position. I was happy at Dytton but adjusting was…tough.

MARCO: Nate and I were finishing up a basketball game when it happened. I could tell he was a little off, he seemed tired and a little distant. Finally I just flat out asked him what was wrong.

NATHANIEL: I was having trouble finding my footing and with the new baby I was barely getting any sleep. Things were looking better though. I told Marco I’d begun adapting some of our old training documents that we developed at Streft Advisors together. They were really helping me gain traction with my team. I was surprised by the reaction I got.

MARCO: I was floored when Nathaniel told me that he was using our old training documents at his new job. Yes, it was our team that created them and pushed for the research to be done, but that doesn’t change the fact that those documents are clearly Streft Advisors’ IP. I felt like he crossed over a line. He stole our work for Dytton’s benefit… But Nate wasn’t seeing it that way.

NATHANIEL: Yeah… I was upset. I thought Marco would understand that those documents were mine too! We’d put together all of that research, why wouldn’t I continue to put it to good use?

MARCO: Nate didn’t seem to understand that even if we did most of the work. Streft committed thousands into research and data collection to get those documents made. It wouldn’t be fair for a competitor to just benefit from all that work. He wasn’t hearing any of it though.

NATHANIEL: It got really heated. I was opening up to my friend about my problems and I felt like he was giving me a lecture. In the end it probably wasn’t a good idea to storm off like I did. When my boss at Dytton asked where my numbers were coming from, and found out that they were developed at my time at Streft, I was almost fired. I was told that using those documents could get Dytton sued. Marco was only looking out for me. I should have listened.

MARCO: Nate reached out to me a few weeks later and apologized. I felt terrible about the whole situation. I mean I know he was struggling, and I wish him the best, but he should have known that what he was doing wasn’t fair to the team that he left.

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[Paul is being interviewed.] PAUL: Chris and I go way back, even before we worked at Qenel. We have a great rapport…

CHRIS: Paul’s a big talker, it’s part of the reason why we get along so well. I’m a good listener, he’s a great story teller. [Chris is being interviewed.] So when he hit me up over text and asked if I wanted to ride-share to the airport, I was game.

PAUL: Usually I can tell Chris anything, He’s sharp and he’s given me some pretty sound business advice in the past, which is what made me think that he could help me. He's my friend.

CHRIS: We’re stuck in traffic and Paul is being quiet, so I know something’s off, out of nowhere he hits me with it.

PAUL: Sales in this industry is brutally competitive, so I’m not trying to throw stones here. But… My boss has started doing some pretty shady stuff to close accounts recently.

CHRIS: He tells me his boss is promising things that aren’t even remotely true. Timelines and ship dates that are simply…fabricated. He’s doctoring their lead-time reports to make it seem like we can get their product to them 6 months sooner than our most conservative estimates.

PAUL: I mean… he closes deals… it’s hard to argue with that. It’s just that… we’re in healthcare. The people who use our product need it. I don’t know if what he’s doing is legal, let alone right, customers will get the product eventually.

CHRIS: I called my boss the second I left the car. I panicked and I didn’t end up telling him, but I wanted to…I just didn’t know what to do.

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[Rosa is being interviewed.] ROSA: My name is Rosa, and I’m a Warehouse Technician with Plangents. Yeah, I remember that day perfectly, which is kinda honestly surprising given the circumstances… We were in the middle of the pre-holidays push – so a busy, busy time. It was a good day so everybody’s feeling solid coming off shift. Anyways, I’m getting ready to leave and that’s when I run into Mark and Olive.

MARK: [Mark is being interviewed.] At the time I’d only been a Warehouse Technician for about…six months? I was pretty green, but, like a lot of newbie employees, Olive took me under her wing.

ROSA: I’d definitely say Olive was a mentor to me when I first got to Plangents. She showed me the ropes, taught me how to assert myself on the floor…over time we became friends, I’d even say good friends. But – I don’t know – I could just tell that this new hire was uncomfortable around her.

MARK: I was thankful when Rosa showed up. I mean she just kinda strolled up and made some joke to Olive, which definitely defused the situation, I’d say.
After that we all made small talk, and then, you know Olive gave us both hugs, and then she left. And as soon as Olive was out the door, Rosa turned to me and gave me this look.

ROSA: I mean, I’m no idiot. I knew something was up. I just told him, “Hey man, look I know you’re new, but you’re still part of the team. Let me be a good team member - tell me what’s going on.”

MARK: I really, really didn’t want to say anything. I mean I just got this job, I Iove this job. I just don’t wanna cause any problems! But Rosa wasn’t having it. She said that whatever it was, I wasn’t gonna get in trouble. She said that I just needed to be honest and she’d take care of the rest. So…I told her everything.

ROSA: Mark launches into this whole story; apparently he arrived early that morning – wanting to get a head start on a few things. But when he gets there, he runs into Olive…

MARK: Olive was bringing a piece of equipment into the warehouse. But, the weird thing was, the equipment was clearly broken.

ROSA: When Mark approached her, Olive, to her credit, told him the truth. She’d brought the equipment home without permission, broke it, and now she was…returning it.

MARK: She mentioned that that equipment had been falling apart for years and that she had just had some bad luck using it. She didn’t see the sense in her having to pay for it. And she made me swear not to tell a soul about it. Said that she liked working with me and that she didn’t want to make my job hard. I told her that I have to think about it.

ROSA: And when I’d run into them just then, Olive was trying to “convince” him again. I could hardly believe it. I didn’t WANT to believe it. But the look on Mark’s face told me everything I needed to know.

MARK: I told Rosa I didn’t know what to do. I mean Olive had always been so nice to me, and I knew everyone, including Rosa, loved Olive. I also didn’t want to lose my job! I said that, you know If this ever got back to the higher ups that I knew and didn’t say anything, I’d be screwed. And after I got done saying all of that she just… she had this long pause.

ROSA: I froze a bit, not gonna lie. I mean…we’re talking about Olive. My good friend, my mentor: If Mark reported this, I knew she could – no, I knew she would get in trouble. Maybe worse. But…I also knew what she did was wrong.

MARK: The first thing Rosa said when she started talking again was… “You’re not gonna get in trouble. There won’t be any retaliation. You did the right thing.” I was beyond relieved.

ROSA: I’m not gonna lie and say it was easy, but in the end the decision comes down to one thing: principle. If you let one instance like this slide, even if it is a good friend, what’s next? How long until the place you love working at becomes a place where you don’t feel welcome – or worse - what if you don’t feel safe? I couldn’t take that chance. I couldn’t.

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[Yameena is being interviewed.] YAMEENA: It had been a really long week. We had finally crossed the finish line on releasing a new product and everyone was ready for the weekend. I was packing up to go home, but wanted to stop by and congratulate Lincoln. He was able to secure a rate with our materials supplier that was pivotal in helping our team stay on budget. So I get to Lincoln’s office and he looks…beat. Even though he looked like he needed some serious sleep, I could tell he was proud of himself…Then he showed me the watch.

LINCOLN: [Lincoln is being interviewed.] Yeah… it was definitely a tough week. It was only that morning when the contracts for the raw materials were finally sent over from our supplier Procordium. Some of the details got a little hairy, but I have a great relationship with our contact and everyone was able to walk away from the deal happy.

YAMEENA: Lincoln seemed really excited about the watch, but to be honest, seeing it deflated my cheery mood pretty quickly.

LINCOLN: In my conversations with the Procordium rep, I had mentioned I collect watches as a hobby. I didn’t think anything of it, but when the contracts were sent, the watch was there with a note. “Here’s to shipping on time”. This watch was something else. I’d seen it go for quite a lot on some collector sites. The gift was totally unnecessary, but I was…I don’t know, touched?

YAMEENA: I tried to explain that receiving gifts from our vendors goes against company policy. But he wouldn’t listen.

LINCOLN: I didn't think it was a big deal. It wasn’t like the watch was a factor in closing the deal with Procordium. Yameena said it was important that I return it, but I couldn’t just give it back. That relationship is important and saying, “Thanks but no thanks” would be a slap in the face, right?

YAMEENA: Lincoln was pretty adamant about not returning the watch. I told him I wouldn’t report him or anything. It was his responsibility to report the gift to our team lead, but in the end it didn’t matter. Two weeks later Lincoln was let go. Turns out someone else caught wind of the watch and reported it to our boss.

LINCOLN: I wish I could go back and change how I handled things. I always thought the things that I received from our vendors and clients were all part of a healthy business relationship. I never let these gestures affect my decisions in closing contracts, but that’s not the point.

YAMEENA: When they investigated further they found out Lincoln had been receiving these kinds of gifts for years. Dinners, golf clubs, even a few concert tickets. Always small, always under the radar. At the time I don't think Lincoln understood why what he was doing was wrong. It’s such a shame.

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[Janis is being interviewed.] JANIS: I've been at Kariys Architecture for 21 years this fall. Being a part of this company right from the beginning has been really special. That's what makes this so hard for me to reconcile. After the announcement and everything that happened the other night… I just feel lost.

PAT: It was my idea to take everyone out for the announcement. [Pat is being interviewed.] It was a morale booster. Something to get everyone excited about the future of the firm.

JANIS: The bar wasn't my scene, but it was nice to see everybody outside of work. And I was excited! I thought I was a shoo-in for the big promotion.

PAT: "Please give a warm welcome and a big cheer for our newest partner, Esther Brown!"

TIA: [Tia is being interviewed.] Our team is really tight, and everyone loves Esther. She's just a fresh voice you know – brilliant, charismatic; exactly the kind of vibe we're hoping to cultivate moving forward.

JANIS: I’ve had conversations with Pat and Tia about both my career and the future of Kariys. I've devoted most of my adult life to the firm. I thought we were on the same page, so going with Esther – someone who's extremely talented, but so much less experienced… I just wasn’t expecting it.

TIA: Janis... Janis is incredibly competent. She's kind and she is still sharp as a tack. She has been an amazing designer for us since the beginning, and she helped us get to this point. But looking at the long-term, we just don’t see her in a leadership position.

DIRECTOR: [The director is off-screen.] Did she ask you about it after the fact?

PAT: Yeah, she brought it up that night.

JANIS: Pat made this off-hand joke about my memory starting to go, and that's when it clicked for me.

PAT: I guess no one is happy when they don't get a promotion, but no. I don't think we were unfair to Janis. If anything, we did her a favor. She could do the work, yes, but I think our executive team would be too…

TIA: Energetic?

PAT: Yeah, sure – energetic.

JANIS: I started to realize: 'Oh, they think you're too old!' And then a million other comments they've made over the years snapped into focus.

PAT: You know, we go out after work. We get drinks, we stay up late, we take that time together to mesh, creatively. Janis would hate that. She'd feel out of place around a bunch of younger people. I didn't want to put her in that position.

JANIS: I was focused on my career for so much of my life, I didn't even notice I was older than everyone around me. I was thinking, 'We were all here to do our jobs.'

TIA: We're looking at the next 5, 10, 20 years of our company here. I mean what is Janis doing then? Taking her grandkids to the park? I mean I totally want her to have that chance; I'm sure it'd be lovely–

PAT: At the end of the day, none of our feelings matter. It just boils down to what is best for the firm.

JANIS: I'm not 'infirm', I'm not… dying! I'm not even really thinking about retirement – I love what I do! I wanted to spend the rest of my career at Kariys. Now it feels like they're just waiting to throw me away.

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[Rachel is being interviewed.] RACHEL: I’m Rachel. I’m the senior project coordinator at Gleeson Associates. My work involves managing vendors and building supplies using a few different computer programs. I spend most of my day in front of the computer, but I wouldn’t say I’m exactly tech savvy.

DEVON: [Devon is being interviewed.] So there’s a few of us working on a Saturday. We have a huge project due for one of our most important clients. And Rachel comes over with something weird.

RACHEL: I got this strange email from our boss. It was short, from his phone, asking me to proofread a file. I didn’t think twice, I just clicked on the link, but nothing happened. So I called Devon to ask him if he could help open the document.

DEVON: I didn’t really think anything of it, I was buried that day, and I just told Rachel to forward it on over. I figured I’d open it, resave it, and send it back to her.

RACHEL: I didn’t think anything of it, I thought it was just a problem with my phone. So I walked over to Devon’s office to see if he could get it open.

DEVON: I clicked the file without even looking at the email, I was in such a hurry… I don’t even know what happened after that.

RACHEL: A bunch of different windows just started popping up.

DEVON: Firewall prompts were being overridden automatically.

RACHEL: The mouse and keyboard froze.

DEVON: And my heart just… stopped beating. I don’t know what was happening exactly, but I knew it was really bad.

RACHEL: We panicked and we unplugged Devon’s computer - then we immediately thought about all the other computers, that were linked to the same office network.

DEVON: Rachel’s phone was working fine, but when we tried to login to the network portal… both of our passwords failed.

RACHEL: ALL of our data was on that network. All of our client info. All of our financial records. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that sick in my entire life.

DEVON: We were totally helpless at that point. All we could do was call Caleb, our IT specialist.

DIRETOR: [The director is off-screen.] So Caleb, what exactly happened?

CALEB: [Caleb is being interviewed.] Well, the email spoofed Rachel’s boss’ email address and had a document with malware in it, set to autorun. As soon as it had access to our network, it overrode the system controls and locked us out. It was “Ransomware” - one of the newer ones. It totally borked our system.

DEVON: So right against this super important deadline, here we were, locked out of all of our files.

RACHEL: And we couldn’t get them back in time for the meeting. Everything we had worked on for the past year was locked away. Then later that evening, we received an email from the person that made the ransomware. They want 10 bitcoin for giving us back access to our network. And they’re threatening to release confidential client information to the press.

CALEB: That’s just how these breaches happen a lot of the time. It’s not a system exploit or a faulty script. It’s just people who let their guard down.

DEVON: So you’re working on something for weeks or months, and then… everyone's work just vanishes in the blink of an eye.

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[Gregor holds a sticky note with his name on it. He enters a dark room and turns the lights on. The room is full of people welcoming him back.] GROUP: Surprise!

GREGOR: Oh. You guys are killin' me!

MARCUS: Man of the hour.

GREGOR: Ah. This is too much!

MARCUS: Good to have you back buddy. How's the back treating you?

GREGOR: Oh, it's good, it's good. Uh. Surgery went well and the physical therapy is helping a lot. I feel good as new.

CLARA: Well I'm happy to hear it. This place just wasn't the same without you.

MARCUS: Don't believe her Greg, she's just happy you're here to pick up her slack.

CLARA: Huh! Your words not mine! Welcome back bud.

[Clara is working in an office. Marcus enters.] You see these new gear requests? I swear every month they get more and more ridiculous.

MARCUS: What, did Caroline ask for her "candy apple soap" again? I told her we're stuck with the pink stuff they send us.

CLARA: No, I think we took care of that last time. Uh, Gregor put in for a new vacuum. Our vacuums are only like four years old!

MARCUS: Oof. That's a no go. He wants a standing vac? The backpacks are way more efficient.

CLARA: Well it doesn't matter anyway because we don't have room in the budget for purchases that big. So into the denied pile it goes.

MARCUS: [Marcus walks along a hallway. Gregor is using a backpack vacuum.] Hey! Gregor.

GREGOR: Hey Marcus.

MARCUS: How you holding up?

GREGOR: Ah, well, you know. Hanging in there. My back makes me move a little slower, but I know I'm still the best bet at you keeping this whole place clean.

MARCUS: Well let me know if there's anything we can do for you. Wouldn't want you to lose your number one custodian spot!

GREGOR: Well, now that you mention it. Uhm… that standing vacuum that I requested sure could save me a lot of trouble. Uhm, Doc says that I need to try and lose weight off my back for now, and, well, these backpacks, they make me feel like I'm being squished.

MARCUS: The budget's tight, but I promise you, Clara and I will give your request another look.

GREGOR: I know. I, I, I'll manage. I better hop back to it. I'll see ya Marcus!

MARCUS: Yeah… See ya.

CLARA: [Marcus is working in the office. Clara enters.] Wow you're here early for once. What you working on? The procurement requests? I thought we were done with those.

MARCUS: I wanted to talk to you about Gregor's request for the standing vac.

CLARA: What about it? Our vacuums work just fine, we can't afford it, end of story.

MARCUS: I don't know Clara. I saw Gregor struggling with the backpack vacuum yesterday. Seems like since his surgery those things are really tough on his back.

CLARA: I mean I hate that for him, but we can't just magically make room in the budget.

MARCUS: I think we should direct this to HR for guidance. It's clear that Gregor might have a valid accommodation request. He's had surgery, a new vacuum could be what Gregor needs to perform his job more effectively. We should make the company aware of this.

CLARA: Well, why didn't Gregor bring up the disability accommodation when he filed the request?

MARCUS: Maybe he didn't know he needed to. It's our responsibility to make sure that our people can continue to work safely and for Gregor, this vacuum is part of that.

CLARA: Yeah! I hear you. I think you're right. I'll talk to Gregor and see if we can get the paperwork started by the end of the day.

MARCUS: Thanks Clara, I know it's gonna mean a lot to him. [Gregor holds a sticky note with his name on it. It was attached to a lightweight standing vacuum.]

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[Thalia is being interviewed.] THALIA: Hi, my name's Thalia and I'm the executive assistant at the Managec Group. As the executive assistant, part of my job is doing supply runs – just making sure we have all the little things that keep the office moving. I'm talking things like – papers, pens, binders… Oh! And I buy a surprising amount of staplers, sticky notes, which isn't all that surprising, and envelopes… among other things. Because of how hard I work and how much I work… sometimes it feels like my runs are the only time I have to go to the store, you know? Sometimes I have to grab a few things for myself at the same time I'm buying things for the office.

CAROLINE: [Caroline is being interviewed.] Hello, my name is Caroline, I'm the office manager at Managec Group…Thalia is my direct-report. How would I describe Thalia? I'd say she is… industrious, quick-witted, and a self-starter. Yes, we put a lot on her. I know firsthand, actually – I was an executive assistant here, too, before I got promoted. I remember it being tough then, and we ask arguably even more of our EAs now.

THALIA: Yeah, the supply runs are just a small piece of the job. There's more menial tasks like: restocking supply areas, coordinating schedules, planning executive meetings, that sort of thing. But, one of the big reasons why I took this job is just how dedicated Managec is to internal promotion. During my interview I mentioned I was interested in working in PR. So, in the last few months I've had the opportunity to work on some projects with the PR team, which has been awesome!

CAROLINE: Thalia works hard. I knew she'd be an asset to the PR team. She remained as diligent as ever with her executive assistant responsibilities. In some ways, she was doubling her work. And it was around this time that I really started to notice some… abnormalities around Thalia's credit card statements.

THALIA (VO): I remember I'd been working late all week helping the PR team draft a major presentation for a company-wide campaign. Huge opportunity – felt like a "prove yourself" moment. Even so, I made sure to let Caroline know my card statement was ready for review, same as always.

CAROLINE: Usually, I just give the statements a cursory glance, mostly to make sure the costs stay under the $25 limit we set for receipt requirements. But this time, I noticed Thalia had been on more supply runs than normal, and they're all just a few cents short of $25. Some even on the same day. I dug deeper. All of Thalia's expenses over the last few months – really since she started assisting the PR team – were toeing that $25 line. That was a red flag.

THALIA: I got a ping from Caroline on our messaging system asking if I could swing by her office.

CAROLINE (VO): I asked her point blank if she could explain herself. Why were all her expenses so close to the limit? And why so many charges this past week? Did she even realize what she was doing?

THALIA: Yeah, I'd say I was hurt. Like I said – I barely had time to go home, much less go grocery shopping. It was all stuff I needed, and I was keeping it all under the limit… is that really so bad?

CAROLINE: I get where Thalia's coming from. I remember going on those runs. Having those same thoughts. BUT, if she'd asked rather than taking it upon herself to solve the problem with some loophole accounting, we could've helped her. I could have helped her. Worked out a bonus, an after-hours stipend, working meals at least. I don't know…

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[Gretta is sitting at a desk in an office, opening mail. Then she video calls Tim.] GRETTA: Hey Tim. I just got the payment from the deal you closed earlier this week with Zoflina.

TIM: [Tim is in a home office.] Already? Amazing! That was fast.

GRETTA: Yeah, congratulations on the deal, it's a big one!

TIM: Thanks. It completely fell in my lap, I only pitched them last week.

GRETTA: And the client's name is Zoflina, right? That's who's being billed on our invoice. They're in California.

TIM: That's right.

GRETTA: This is why I'm calling. I have a check here from a company called Gleeson Associates. It's the right amount to match our Zoflina invoice, but it's not a check from Zoflina. It's a third-party international check.

TIM: So what? Are you worried it's going to bounce or something?

GRETTA: I'm not worried per-se, but this is highly irregular, Tim, especially for such a big amount of money. I'm gonna have to explain the source of funds to the bank.

TIM: I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry for closing a huge deal…

GRETTA: You're seeing dollar signs, but I'm seeing so many red flags, I feel like I'm on a bad first date.

TIM: Why are you so worried, can you just get us paid please?

GRETTA: I'm worried this is a scam to launder money. If I'm right, we can be in trouble, if I'm wrong… Let's just see what Linda thinks. [Gretta phones Linda.]

TIM: She's off today, her kid has a thing.

GRETTA: I don't care, and she won't either.

LINDA: [Linda is in her car.] Hey, what do you need?

GRETTA: Linda, it's me and Tim. We've got a check here for the deal Tim just closed, paid for by an out-of-the-country third party paying company. They verified the amount on the check, it just feels weird to me, and I wanted to get your take on this.

LINDA: What does the client say about this?

TIM: Nothing yet, I haven't spoken to them since we signed the deal yesterday.

LINDA: Tim, take two seconds and give them a call, this is a big account. I'll hold the line, I have a few minutes.

TIM: Fine.

LINDA: I'm waiting in line at carpool.

TIM: Why do you both hate money?

[Tim calls Leon.] Hey, Leon, it's Tim. How are you?

LEON: [Leon is at a desk in a dark room.] I'm good, thanks. How can I help you? Uhm, I'm sort of in the middle of something.

TIM: I won't keep you long, accounting is giving me grief because your invoice got paid by a different company, some place called Gleeson Associates. Do you know anything about this?

LEON: Oh, oh sure, they're our sister-company. They're one of our business partners. They owe us a good bit of money, so, so we're just settling up this way. Was there a problem with the check they sent? Please tell me it went through okay?

TIM: No, there's not a problem, we haven't even actually processed the payment yet. It set off so many red flags our bean counters felt like they were at a matador convention…

LEON: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Understood. Uhm, this doesn't present any delays, does it?

TIM: Not at all, we'll get that payment processing today! [Gretta and Linda shake their heads incredulously.]

LEON: Great. Great, thank you.

TIM: See there's an easy explanation for this!

GRETTA: The relationship between these companies is very confusing, Tim. If we can get them to provide our paperwork, and provide a legit source of funds, we can be sure that nothing illegal is happening here.

LINDA: Guys, I have to run, I'm up next in carpool. Gretta, I appreciate the diligence and you're right…nothing happens until we get the documents we need. But once we have them, please get us paid.

GRETTA: Sorry Tim, but when it comes to red flags, I'm practically the world record holder in the sport of noticing them!

TIM: My matador joke was better than both of yours. So it looks like I need to awkwardly call the client back that I just hung up with…

GRETTA: Just get the paperwork signed and we can move on with no red flags to worry about.

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MRS. GLEESON: We've got the meeting with Fambic coming up next month. [Cary, Matthew, Riley, and Gianna are seated in a conference room with laptops in front of them. They are listening to Mrs. Gleeson, who's leading a team meeting.] So, that's gonna be Cary, Matthew, Ri–

Actually, I'm sorry. That's not Riley. It's gonna be Gianna. I may join you, I may not. It really depends on… [Cary types a message in the group chat: Are we still on for drinks later? The game starts at 7. Matthew types: Yep. Then he types: Riley, why aren't you in the Fambic meeting?? Riley types: No idea. She's been doing this a LOT lately. Gonna talk to her after this.]

[A new group chat starts with Riley typing: I'm out, y'all. Gleeson fired me. Cary types two question marks. Matthew types: What?! Riley types: She said I wasn't showing enough initiative. I told her that was nonsense – she's just favoring Gianna because they have the same alma mater. Then he types: So yeah. Didn't take long after that. Matthew types: Dude, that's crazy…. Then he types: Glad you stood up for yourself. Cary types: You deserve so much better. Then he types: Can't believe you're going! Riley types: LOL and inserts an eye-roll emoji. Then he types: Agreed. TBH, I've been shopping around other places anyway. My cousin at Domtech says they're hiring. Matthew types: Ha! That'd show em. Just don't "steal" any of our clients! Cary & I still gotta eat. Riley responds with a fingers-crossed emoji.]

[Three weeks later, Riley types a message in the group chat: Hey hey here we go. Then he types: Domtech Day 1 baby! Cary types: Go get 'em! BTW, game is at 8 tonight. We good for drinks? Matthew types: Yep. Then he types: You got this R! Cary types: Matt, have you heard any news on the Inter-Swift thing? Closing soon, right? Matthew types: Last I heard, they were still deciding between us, Dytton, and those lowlifes over at Domtech. He inserts a smirk emoji. Riley types: Haha, you two sure you want to be talking about this with me here? Me being the competition and all… LOL. Matthew types: Apparently it's just down to cost – lowest number wins. Cary types: Sweet. Riley types: I guess I can't stop you… Cary types: What are we at? Matthew types: Like $1.7 mil, I think. Any insider info you wanna share, R? Riley types: Dude, I just got here. I don't know anything! Cary types: Sure, you don't, LOL.]

[Three days later, Matthew types a message in the group chat: Yo, R. Did you tell people what we talked about? Riley types: About how our defense is the worst in the league? LOL. I mentioned it to a few people, yeah. Why? Matthew types: Don't joke. I mean about the Inter-Swift contract. Domtech's offer was lower by a hair. Did you tell your bosses what our offer was so you could beat it? Then he types: ANSWER in all caps. Riley types: I mean, yeah. You gave me the info. Cary types: That's messed up, Riley. Riley types: What? Then he types: I even asked if you were cool with talking about it in this chat and you ignored me. Twice! He continues typing: If it was your firm, I'd get why you're upset, but you guys hate it there anyway. Why do you care?? Matthew types: That's not the point!!! We said that stuff in confidence! Riley types: I'm not sure you know what that means…. Cary types: Just because we don't like Gleeson herself doesn't mean we want to get fired. Riley types: Fired??? Wait, what? Matthew types: You JUST left. Who do you think they suspect of leaking info to Domtech so you could close the deal? Riley types: Oh no, that's not what I wanted. Matthew types: Not a lot we can do about it now!!!! Then he types: Ugh, message from the boss to meet in her office in 10. Cary types: I got it too. Matthew types: I hope you're happy, R. Riley types: Guys…. Then he types: No, not happy.]

[The scene switches to Matthew looking at his phone, then putting it in his pocket and walking towards Cary.]

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[Colin is being interviewed.] COLIN: My name is Colin, and I am a sales associate for Flurtal. I interface with clients directly; ensuring that their needs are met and making sure that they're happy with our work. I recently received an inquiry from a potential client, but the only way that they were going to go under contract was if I sent them some samples of our new GPS software in one business day… and they were insistent.

JANET: [Janet the shipping employee is being interviewed.] Oh I've known Colin over three years, he comes down to shipping often. On the day in question, I noticed something was a little off.

COLIN: I ran down to shipping a bit stressed, if I'm being honest. I didn't think I was going to be able to swing it and get it out on time. But I was going to do everything in my power not to lose this client.

JANET (VO): When I processed the package, I noticed that the shipping label had Colin's personal account on it, instead of the company's. So, I asked him if there had been an internal review for this client.

COLIN: I didn't have time for an internal global trades review. And I didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal, I mean, I… we've never found anything on those reviews before.

JANET: This particular sample is on that review list, meaning I cannot ship it until I have Trade team's approval. This kind of go around just puts us at risk on so many levels. So, I scanned the label and submitted it for review. I told him we'd hold on to the package and ship it out as soon as approval came through.

COLIN: I understand…yes, that the rules are the rules, but I figured we could bend them for the client just this once.

JANET (VO): He kept pushing, but I'm not going to lose my job over a missed step. I've seen these things go wrong before, so I insisted that we needed to wait. When Colin finally conceded I notified the global trade team of the account and the incident.

COLIN: I found myself in a little bit of hot water with my supervisor for attempting to bypass company protocol. Be that as it may, I am glad that it got refused. If that shipment had gone through it actually would have been much, much worse.

JANET: After the official review, we found out that this "new client" of Colin's was actually a shell company trying to buy for a company on the restricted list.

COLIN: I had no idea something of this magnitude could happen, I don't know what I would've done if I were held responsible for such a thing. So I got lucky… this time.

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[A hard drive is plugged into a server. Someone wearing gloves removes the hardrive from the server. CJ is home and getting ready for work.] CJ: Hey everyone, so sorry for the poor audio quality… No, that's not it. So sorry folks: I am not at my desk yet…No, I gotta be more friendly than that.

Yeah, so I had a chance review the latest sales report, and from what I can tell…yada…yada…yada.

Of course! I'd be happy to do…Nope. Of course. Of course, I'd be happy to connect with Kathy after our bi-weeklys…would there be bi-weeklys? Quarterly? Maybe quarterly. . . Of course, I'd be happy to connect with Kathy after our quarterly meetings. Absolutely!

[CJ is busy driving to work with coffee cups on his front seat.] Due to the latest sales report, from what I can tell performance is at a 2 year best, which is a little weird, right? This means that we're off by a couple of quarterly KPI's. And yep. Yep, I've had a chance to review the monthly sales projection meetings. [CJ parks and waits for someone else to arrive and then follows them to the door.]

Team performance was at a 2 year best. Even though we were off by a couple of quarterly KPI's. Which is a little weird, right? [CJ is on the phone and holding a tray with cups of coffee in his other hand. CJ asks Fred for help.]

Hey bud, could you get the door? Hands are a little full. Thanks.

[Fred uses his keycard to open the door. CJ enters the building.] Of course, I'd be happy to meet with Kathy after the monthly sales projection meeting tomorrow.

TABITHA: [Tabitha passes CJ in the hallway.] Morning!

CJ: Morning. [CJ checks his watch and then places the coffee in the trash. He then puts gloves on and enters the server room. Tabitha spots him leaving the server room and then notices the coffee in the trash. She follows after him.]

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[Interview participant is seated at a table facing the camera. The screen text states the purpose of the interview — Security Protocol Breach, the date, and the interviewee — Myers, Jalen.] JALEN MYERS: Trust me, I'm just as committed as you are to finding out who's responsible for this mess. Where should we start?

KELSEY LISLE: [Footage of the next interview participant — Lisle, Kelsey.] Yeah, of course. I'll tell you everything I know.

SHAUNA SEAVER: [Footage of Seaver, Shauna.] I take protocol, security, and organization very seriously. I wanna be clear. I have done nothing wrong.

JALEN MYERS: You really want from all the way back there? Why? We all know where this trouble started. Alright, you know what, we'll start from the top! The move has been a nightmare. I mean, you've got the desks, the file cabinets, the motivational posters, the knick-knacks… Oh yeah, and the confidential customer information. [Security footage of Kelsey entering a storage room filled with boxes of paperwork.] It's not exactly the kind of thing you can ask your friends for help with in exchange for pizza. So, you know, I had to settle for Kelsey and Shauna. Still, I was organizing, so all they had to do was follow directions.

I was packing up my own office when Kelsey came to me with a folder. He said he found it, along with a bunch of other documents, in some boxes that were moved to a spare room and forgotten about. I read through it. It was old customer information—a blueprint for a proprietary part that we manufactured for them.
I went over to check out the rest. When I got there, I looked through another folder: invoices, credit card details... All stuff that needs to be protected. You know, I didn't have time to actually look through everything—so I told Kelsey to have it all shredded. Just to be safe.

"Having it shredded" means that you use the disposal service. You see we… In each of the copy rooms we have these blue bins for 'secure shredding.' Anything of a sensitive nature goes into the bins. As opposed to throwing away in the regular trash which goes to a dumpster and anyone could fish it out.

Kelsey and Shauna said they would handle it. And that's the last I heard of it.

KELSEY LISLE: Jalen came down, looked at one folder, and told us to take 'em all down to the blue bins for secure shredding. I asked him how did he know that all the files were designated for shredding without, you know, looking at 'em. He just rolled his eyes at me. Told me to 'just do it.' Okay! So Shauna and I loaded the boxes on handtrucks and dumped 'em all. End of story.

SHAUNA SEAVER: Ok, I don't know what Kelsey and Jalen told you. I doubt that they've given you a clear account of what happened. You know that Kelsey found those files first, but did you know what he did? He started going through all of them! And then he started throwing them around the room. So by the time I got his text and got there, there were files everywhere. I might not have known the proper disposal method, but I knew to be careful with stuff like that.

Hmm, wait! Kelsey said he asked Jalen…!? I asked Jalen how he knew exactly that all those files were designated to be shredded. By the time we were done, Kelsey said he was late for his dinner reservation, so then I tried to do the job alone. And I say "tried" because by the time I got to the blue bins, guess who was there but Jalen! And do you know what he was doing? He just put another load of the files into the blue bins. Completely filled them up. And then he made some comment about Kelsey and I being slow. And then he left. So there I was with the last load of boxes and nowhere to put them.

I spent the next 20 minutes pushing down on the contents of those bins, trying to make room wherever I could, and I did. I don't know how it ended up looking the way it did.

JALEN MYERS: Oh that's right! I did see Shauna at the end of the day. You know I had a few other things to shred, but the bins were pretty full. That's when I threw away that other file. That's why you didn't see it in my hand in the security footage.

You, uh… I'm so sorry. It just… Must've slipped my mind!

KELSEY LISLE: Yeah, OK. You got me. I slipped out a little bit early. But that still doesn't make me responsible for a breach in protocol. I wasn't even there!

SHAUNA SEAVER: Yes, I've seen the photos, and I know some of the files are unaccounted for. [Photos showing the blue bins with spilled and overflowing paper display.] All I know is, those bins were full, but clean and secured when I left. So believe me or don't. Your choice.

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[Rina is being interviewed.] RINA: Data is everything in business. Gut feelings are great; data validates them. And sure, everything is digital these days…but isn't it just nice to sometimes hold the charts in your hands? To thumb through the spreadsheets? I used to swear by it. Now?

Hi, my name is Rina and I'm an Accounts Payable Manager at Docu-sentry. Or maybe I should say I was? I'm not exactly sure…

Obviously as an AP Manager I handle a ton of paperwork – from vendors, from legal, you name it.

And I keep it all neatly organized on my desk with folders for contracts under review, bank accounts, tax documentation for the current fiscal year, & credit card bills.

INTERVIEWER: [The interviewer is off-screen.] Is that normal? Keeping physical copies so readily available?

RINA: No. No it's not. Technically, you're supposed to shred them, but like I said uhm – the actual paper copies make a difference for me.

When I was working in an office we had a team that would tackle all the shredding... but working from my home office? I was pretty confident no one was gonna go through my files, so I could just shred them when I was fully done with them.

So – to the incident. One of my former mentees – Gael – reached out to me asking for some advice. So, I invited him over so we could chat.

GAEL: [Gael is being interviewed.] Hi, my name is Gael and I'm an Accounts Payable Manager at Diallonics, recently promoted.

I'd describe Rina as…analytical. Good with numbers, great with seeing patterns – a born accountant.

INTERVIEWER: So, you and Gael worked together before?

RINA: We did! Yeah, almost forgot to mention… We met at Diallonics – one of Docu-sentry's biggest competitors, where I started my career.

INTERVIEWER: And why'd you leave? Were you poached?

RINA: No, uhm, Docu-sentry just offered to let me work fully remote, which, uhm, with my dad being in-and-out of memory care and my mom needing help and…well, you get it.

GAEL: I asked to meet up with Rina because I was feeling stuck in my position at work. I liked my job. I wanted to do more. But I just couldn't take that next step. I thought Rina could help.

RINA: I remember I told him – urgh, I'm such an idiot – I told him: "The best thing you can do is find more data, maybe even use some unorthodox metrics to impress them."

Yeah, he found some unorthodox metrics alright.

GAEL: In the middle of our chat, Rina gets a call from her mom. She says she has to take it – tells me to make myself at home.

RINA: The call took longer than I expected, and I didn't have eyes on Gael, but here's what I imagine happened: After a while he gets bored, decides to start poking around. Eventually he finds himself behind my desk. And from that point of view it's pretty obvious what's in those folders. He gets curious; he can't help himself. He opens up a few of those folders and sees, plain as day, the current state of our finances. The deals I've negotiated with vendors. Our current bank statements. He sees it all.

He takes a few quick photos and scrambles back to his chair, acting like he never looked up from his phone.

And… I get off my call and return, but the damage is already done.

GAEL: Yeah. No comment.

RINA: A month after I talked with Gael, the competitive edge we had on Diallonics was gone. Somehow, they were able to negotiate better terms with their vendors, and that ultimately drove their price point down and brought us dead-even in terms of market share.

And did I mention – Gael got a promotion. That can't be a coincidence, right?

I really thought it wasn't that big of a deal, but then things started to click and... I'd never thought that something as basic as records management could be so catastrophic, but…here we are.

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KORI (ON VIDEO): I felt really cute today with my new nails, so I wore this top. [Someone is scrolling through social media videos on a mobile phone. The first video shows Kori wearing a stylish business top and showing off her fingernails.]

Today, lunch was really simple. [The next video shows a salad with strawberries.]

Hey guys, today I'm wearing some of the new pieces I showed off in last week's video. [The last video shows Kori showing off her new business clothes in front of a monitor, which displays a business chart. Kori is revealed as the person who's scrolling through the videos.]

KORI: It usually takes me like 15 minutes on my lunch break. I talk about what I'm wearing and what I'm having for lunch. I try to make it funny or cute, but usually they're pretty simple. People seem to like them. [Kori is seated at her desk and talking about her social media videos with Monica.]

MONICA: Wow! That's pretty amazing. I don't know why you didn't tell me, I would've followed you! You always look so cute in the office, now I know why. How many followers do you have?

KORI: Uh, that's the crazy part. I've been doing this for a few months with a few views here and there, but this week one of my posts blew up. Look. [Kori passes her phone to Monica.]

MONICA: Oh! I remember this outfit. That jacket is amazing. [Monica looks at the video displayed on the phone.]

KORI: Thanks.

MONICA: Wait, five-hundred thousand views? Kori, that's insane!

KORI: I know, right? I don't know why this one in particular is taking off, but… I've tripled my subscriber count in the last few days.

MONICA: Wow, look at you! You're gonna leave us to be some kind of fashion influencer or something.

Uh… hey Kori. [Monica notices something concerning in the video.]

KORI: What? What is it?

MONICA: In your last video, you can see your monitor in the background. Is that the Hudson deck? [Monica passes the phone back to Kori.]

KORI: Uh, no way? I forgot to turn my screen off.

MONICA: You can see the whole product rollout on that slide. Most of that stuff is under NDA.

KORI: No-one's gonna notice it though, right? And if they did, could they tie it back to Hudson?

MONICA: I don't know, you said this video is going viral. It isn't hard for someone to learn more about you or the company, based on your social media profile. If someone recognizes what's on that screen, you could be in a lot of trouble. I hate to say this, but I think you should take it down.

KORI: It's social media, Monica! People will move on and forget about this post in a week. Maybe another one of my posts will be able to keep up with these numbers, but you can't expect me to delete the one post that's actively taking off. I've been working to build up my followers for almost a year.

MONICA: I don't know, Kori. What if those dates are leaked? You and the company could be in serious trouble if Hudson found out you leaked those dates. If I were you, I would take it down, even report it to legal just to be safe.

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[Tori is seated in an interview room. She looks nervous as the film crew adds finishing touches to her makeup.] DIRECTOR (VO): Whenever you're ready.

TORI: Hi, I'm Tori. I'm a Project Manager at Brocadero. We're a contract manufacturing company. We… um… well… manufacture, for lack of a better word, electronic circuit boards for large OEMs. Should I go ahead and jump in?

It started at the top of the week. I saw one of the guys on my team walking away from an electrical panel. As I walked up, I noticed that the "Do Not Operate" tag on the door panel was partially removed, as if someone had gone into it. I was just worried. I've seen people disregard safety precautions at client sites before, and last year that resulted in a nearly fatal incident for one of my teammates. I wanted to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. I didn't want anyone to get hurt.

CHRIS: [Chris, the Executive Project Manager, is seated in the same interview room.] Tori came right to me and told me what she'd seen. She said it looked like someone had disregarded a tag on an off-limits panel and that she'd seen a teammate leaving from the area in question. This being a major safety violation, I had to take action. I took notes and reported it to HR, per company policy.

TORI: When the investigations concluded, no violations had been found.

CHRIS: Of course I don't know the intricacies of the investigation, but I trust our internal team and know that they took the necessary steps. In the end, I wasn't notified of any wrong-doings that needed to be corrected.

I appreciate her diligence in reporting concerns, but I didn't want there to be any hard feelings within the team, you know? To be proactive, I switched Tori to a different team. To be clear, she did exactly what we ask of all our staff. In this line of work, safety must be a high priority.

TORI: I was relieved no violations were found, um, everyone was safe and really that's all that matters. I figured the team would speculate who made the report, which is on par for the course, but I didn't need to be transferred. I like my team, I wasn't trying to get anyone in trouble. I was just doing my job.

CHRIS: It was nothing against Tori, truly. She is, and has been, an asset to our company and her team. Clients always sing her praises, she never misses a deadline, and I know she'll bring a high level of passion to any team she's on.

TORI: The team I was switched to is essentially a demotion. On my last team, I was leading several projects, projects I had put in time to earn, clients I built rapport with. And now it's all gone.

My current role is more like support. And since this team has completely different projects and processes, I'm playing catch up. And it feels like I'm… I'm starting over from scratch.

CHRIS: I think it was overall a good decision for everyone involved.

TORI: I did nothing wrong… but it feels like I'm being retaliated against.

DIRECTOR (VO): Tori mentioned that this felt like retaliation.

CHRIS: Hey, retaliation? I was looking out for her! I didn't want there to be any backlash from her team! I… I… I had no idea Tori felt that way.

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[Jia, the Team Lead, is seated in an interview room.] JIA: Anjay was brought on to help spread out some of the work involved in building out the initial codebase for the Centro project. We discovered late into the process that we needed some extra hands, so we hired some temporary help just to serve in a supporting role for our core team. Not fancy work, but Anjay was a real godsend. He was pivotal to getting the project launched on time. So yeah, we were very happy to have him on our team.

ANJAY: [Anjay is seated in the same interview room. Anjay's face is obscured and his name has been altered for anonymity.] Jia and I have only spoken a handful of times, but she has always been kind and professional with me.

One night after work, I was heading out of the office and I bump into her.

JIA: We had another large project coming down the pike and wanted to avoid making the same mistake that we did with Centro. Anjay's name had been thrown around to join the team full time, so I mentioned to him that he should apply. I definitely wasn't expecting him to respond the way that he did.

ANJAY: I was flattered when Jia suggested I apply for a full-time position. The company I was with has a uniquely fluid Software Engineering team and it's been a pleasure to work as a part of it. Unfortunately, seeking a full-time position was not an option for me.

JIA: The full-time position would mean a stable salary and a sizable pay increase, so I pressed a little as to why he wouldn't be interested. He said that it had something to do with his recruiter, that there were apparently stipulations in his contract that made it impossible for him to get out of it.

ANJAY: My contract with the recruitment company that helped me secure my job required me to stay with them for two years in order to pay back the recruitment fees and legal costs to get me into the country. I was only one year in and not even close to finishing on those payments.

JIA: It didn't sit right with me. These staffing agencies normally don't have the power to keep their recruits from finding long-term employment. I asked Anjay if he wanted me to take this to HR, see if they could things sorted out. And that's when it looked like Anjay was starting to get a little bit nervous.

ANJAY: Working in this country has changed my life. I'm able to provide for my family and I hope that one day I can bring them here permanently. I can't risk losing it all by making trouble with the sponsor of my visa.

JIA: I felt sick to my stomach. We had been using *Beep* to help us fill in temporary gaps in our staffing for years. And now I was hearing that they were essentially holding people hostage, lording their visas over their heads, and threatening them with deportation if they didn't comply. I wasn't sure what to do.

ANJAY: I know my situation isn't ideal. It was hard enough to get into this country in the first place. But now I just feel trapped.

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[The video opens with a close up of a female hand holding a pen over a sheet of paper.] Person off-screen: Are you ready to sign Charlie? [It cuts to a newspaper headline that reads: SONICAL SET TO GO PUBLIC! EXPERTS WONDER IF YOUNG COMPANY WILL BE READY Excerpts from the article appear onscreen that read: CEO "Charlie" expressed confidence this afternoon that her small microchip company was ready for the big time, questions remain about the scalability of her operation, a lot of people are asking, 'Are we ready to go IPO?'] Are you ready to sign…sign Charlie?

[Sara, Charlie, and Justin are seated at a table in a bar.] Sara: So where do you guys think we'll be this time next year?

Charlie: Why not here? I like this place.

Sara: Charlie, that is a boring answer and you know it. Justin?

Justin: I don't know. Somewhere like this place… but with better wings.

Sara: Come on! We raised $300 million dollars. We have investors breaking down our door; we made our IPO. Where's your imagination?

Justin: Having an imagination is yours and Charlie's job. I'm just a nerd in a lab.

Charlie: Hey, I'm not the one who got all those investors to believe in us. So you tell us Ms. CFO Sara – what is your vision for the future?

Sara: And that's why I believe we can handle anything that comes our way. And this is just the beginning. Mark my words, you guys – the future is microchips and cash as far as the eye can see.

Justin: Now I get why you're so popular with the investors. You paint a lovely picture.

Sara: 'Cos I believe in us! And y'all's revolutionary technology, of course.

Charlie: I'll cheers to that.

Financial News Host: [The scene cuts to a breaking news headline that reads: YOU KNOW IT WON'T BE EASY before a news host appears onscreen.] The Sonical company was touted to be the 'new hot thing.' But six months after founder and CEO Charlene Strath and her team went public, it's showing signs of trouble. We get it, scaling a company rapidly is hard but most CFOs would, I don't know, prepare for that.

Not so, for Sonical's first timer, Sara McQueen. Consistent cash flow has been an issue from the get-go. Now ex-employees are alleging that McQueen's made some questionable choices to fill in the gaps. One even went so far to accuse McQueen of insider trading.

Justin: [The scene cuts back to the bar. Justin is talking.] Maybe a quick prayer to the supply chain gods while you're at it.

Charlie: What do you mean? I thought the situation was improving.

Justin: Oh, it is. I mean I talked to a new raw material supplier last week and they seem confident. So that's one improvement at least.

Financial News Host: [The news host appears onscreen.] Folks, prices are still high for the raw materials used to make microchips. Yes, the global supply chain is struggling. Still is that a good reason to make a deal with the devil? Our friends at the Sonical company certainly thought so. One of their suppliers is in hot water for some questionable labor practices with their CFO under fire too. I guess they just thought they would just use the cheapest option and ask as few questions as possible.

Justin: [The scene cuts back to the bar.] I'm sure it'll sort itself out.

Charlie: It better.

Sara: Whoa! What's the deal, snappy-pants?

Charlie: I'm sorry. We're celebrating. I don't mean to be negative.

Also, "snappy-pants?"

Sara: It's been a long night.

Justin: Don't change the subject.

Charlie: It's nothing.

Sara: It's Decker, isn't it?

Justin: Who's Decker?

Sara: Her old mentor. CEO at Rawnsford.

Justin: Charlie, that's who you should be worried about acquiring us!

Charlie: Decker wouldn't do that to me. Besides Rawnsford has been nothing but helpful to us. Remember that loan 3 years ago?

Sara: Loans get paid back, Charlie. And if I was Decker, I'd be looking at your shiny new IPO and thinking it's time to get paid back with interest.

Financial News Host: [The scene cuts to a couple of newspaper headlines that read: SONICAL GAINS SUPPORT OF RAWNSFORD INDUSTRIES and SONICAL'S CEO ATTRIBUTES SUCCESS TO SUPPORTIVE MENTOR. Then the news host appears onscreen.] The long suffering Sonical company sold today, the buyer? Rawnsford Industries of course. Sources say Charlene Strath has been indebted to Rawnsford for years and since her company started struggling, she's been a puppet to Rawnsford CEO, Decker Strickland.

Well! Today the puppet master showed his hand and brought the hammer down. Strickland announced all Sonical employees and management will be laid off effective immediately. Better luck next time Charlene.

Person off-screen: Are you ready Charlie? Are you ready to sign Charlie?

Sara: [The scene cuts to the opening scene, the close up of Charlie’s hand about to sign. She drops the pen and gets up quickly.] Charlie? You ok?

Charlie: We shouldn't do this. I know we worked really hard for it, but… we're not ready.

Justin: Yeah, OK.

Sara: Whatever you say, boss.

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[Dark, turbulent clouds.] Hayden: I mean, yeah, you know like I said: I've still got a few other vendors to interview over the next few days. [PJ is in a hallway on her phone.] But you guys are right there!

PJ: That's great, Hayden. Is there anything else I can do to help solidify…

Hayden: Oh, hey, listen, PJ. I'm getting another call, I gotta go. You stay safe with that storm rolling in this weekend!

PJ: Thanks. We are not getting the gig.

Campbell: [Strong winds blow palm trees.] …the brunt of the storm, it looks like it's gonna hit tomorrow between… [PJ walks into the conference room. Campbell is speaking to the others who are already seated.] Is everything okay, PJ?

PJ: [PJ walks to her chair and sits down.] Yep, sure. All good.

Campbell: Right. So! Like I was saying, it looks like the brunt of the storm is gonna hit this area tomorrow around 7am. [PJ taps her fingers on the table distractedly, picks up her phone, and brings it under the table.] That means winds between 50-80 miles per hour, up to .4 inches of rain per hour, and most likely a tornado warning. [PJ tries to read an email on her phone.] So in other words, it's gonna be bad. [The email displays. The header is, "Email. New Business Inquiry from…" The email says, "I hope this email finds you well. We've been impressed by the success achieved in your sector and believe there's an exciting opportunity…"] Okay. Now, I just received word from Corporate that we are gonna be partnering with a local hotel to help provide shelter for our locals. [PJ types a response. Her response is, "Hey, thanks for reaching out! Are you available for a quick call?] This building will remain open and serve as a place for our employees and their families for shelter. But, we do still need help with the logistics. [PJ gets up from her seat.] So that's gonna be setup, necessity distribution… Is there a problem, PJ?

PJ: Yeah, I'm sorry. It's a sales thing; I gotta take it.

Campbell: Oh, okay. So I'm not in the business of telling anyone how to do their job, and I appreciate the work that you do…

PJ: Cool, that's really nice of you. Be back in 5! [PJ starts walking out of the conference room.]

Campbell: Wait! [PJ pauses.] I am so sorry. Would you guys mind giving us the room for a moment? It'd be quick, I promise. [Everyone gets up and exits the conference room. Only PJ and Campbell remain.]

PJ: Look, it's not that I don't care about this stuff, but I need…

Campbell: Listen… I get it, okay. It's never a good time for something like this to happen. And we're not trying to force you to do anything, but if I'm telling the truth… we need you.

PJ: Need me? For what? It seems like you've got it all under control.

Campbell: Under control? PJ, we are facing down a natural disaster. People are gonna get hurt. And you know just as well as I do that this company, from the top to the bottom, has always prioritized the care of their employees and the community. Not because it's fun or profitable—but because it's serious!

PJ: I get it. I just… Like, if I'm not selling, then I'm not doing my job. I don't even know what to do in a situation like this!

Campbell: I… Listen, I get that it's tough. But our CEO and all the executives canceled their meetings today to be on-site with us to help for set up.
You are the most organized person I know, and a big motivation to others… when you want to be.

PJ: I'm sorry… I just can't be everything to everyone. I don't wanna let you down.

Campbell: It's okay. You haven't let me down, PJ. But I do have to let the others back in. So… [Campbell walks to the door, opens it, and talks to the people outside.] Hey guys, so sorry about that. [People enter the conference room and PJ exits. Campbell appears annoyed. Then she smiles and turns back to the people assembled in the room.] So, um, yeah, we are gonna still need a lot of help. So if you guys don't mind reaching out to your teams and letting them know that any assistance would be… [PJ reenters the room holding a notebook.] …greatly appreciated.

PJ: Sorry. I just ran to grab my notebook. Hope I didn't miss too much. [PJ takes her seat.]

Campbell: Not at all. Now! While we do want the help, please, please, please, make sure you let everyone know that their help is not required in order for them to take shelter here or at the hotel.

Teenage Girl: [A news report displays. A teenage girl is being interviewed after the storm has passed. The headline reads, "Community rallies in storm's wake".]
I mean, yeah, we've got a long way to go, but it's been really cool to see people help out and get together in the aftermath. And all the outside help we've gotten too. I mean… [The scene shifts to PJ sitting in her office watching the news report.] I didn't know private companies helped out in situations like this, but, the second the storm was over, we had food, water, and help with cleanup and…

PJ: [PJ's phone rings, she pauses the news report and answers the phone.] Hello? Oh, hey Hayden. Yeah. Yes, I'm glad we did too. Well, what can I do for you?Oh really? Really? That's amazing! Yeah, I'll start finalizing the paperwork now and I'll have everything to you by tonight… [Campbell approaches PJ's open office door, notices PJ is on the phone, and leaves.] Uhm, actually, does tomorrow work? I've still have got a lot of work to do on the relief effort. Sounds great! Thanks so much.

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[Brenda is speaking to an interviewer off camera.] BRENDA: Manufacturing a product can feel a little like a juggling act. A lot of balls in the air at one time! When everything is going well, and all the balls are flying, it's one of the most satisfying feelings. But even I couldn't keep the balls flying on this one...

SCOTT: [Scott is speaking to an interviewer off camera.] So Brenda comes into my office one afternoon. She's not overly concerned, but she wants my opinion. She received an email from one of our vendors – Gymbol. They make a small, but important component that goes into three of our best-selling products.

BRENDA: So I got an email from my contact at Gymbol, Huy. The email was super brief. All it said is that there would be a delay on shipment this week, nothing about when the shipment would arrive, or why the delay was happening. And no response when I emailed him questions. So I asked Scott what he thought the best thing to do here is.

SCOTT: I told her to call Huy directly, which she did right from my office. No answer. We called the main line for Gymbol.

BRENDA: No answer. We couldn't get in touch with anyone. I was losing it at this point and calling any number I had at Gymbol.

SCOTT: So while Brenda's making phone calls, I'm online doing some digging. I see something happened recently at Gymbol. I kept seeing one name over and over again – Cassidy Tran. Her email was linked to most of the articles, so I figured –why not, I reached out. She got back to me fast.
And her response? Well, it blew the lid off the whole thing.

CASSIDY: [Cassidy is sitting at her desk, looking at an interviewer off camera.] Hi, my name is Cassidy Tran, I'm an independent journalist working out of Hanoi. I'm the one who broke the story on Gymbol manufacturing.

I first learned about Gymbol a year ago; my cousin worked for them. After she was injured and then fired, I started researching my story. I started out small, just talking to employees, getting as many details as I could about the facility and how it's run.

I already knew it was bad on the factory floor, I just needed the evidence to prove it. So I got a job there myself. I worked there for two days to get the lay of the land, and on the third day I snuck in with my camera. It took me a single day to get all the evidence I needed. A lot of the companies that work with Gymbol have been reaching out to me. I send them everything I have.

SCOTT: I sat down with Brenda to go over everything that Cassidy gave us. We had a lot of questions.

BRENDA: What type of labor violations are we talking about here? What type of safety violations? Are we even sure that this is a temporary shut-down? But Scott just didn't know. [A news headline displays – GYMBOL FACTORY CLOSED INDEFINITELY.] So we started really digging into what she has sent us.

SCOTT: We learned that this was definitely NOT a new thing for Gymbol. Dozens of complaints were filed against the company over the years, but any time inspections came around, somehow they managed to pass. They look clean… at least from a distance.

BRENDA: [More news headlines display – GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATES GYMBOL FACTORY, INHUMANE WORKING CONDITIONS, and GYMBOL SUSPECTED IN COVER-UP.] It was sobering to say the least. The one thing that stuck with me was Cassidy's cousin, the one that worked at Gymbol.

CASSIDY: …Until she was hospitalized and then fired…the heat in the factory was so bad that afternoon that it hurt to keep her eyes open…She almost died.

SCOTT: Heat stroke, exposure to materials without proper safety protection, age violations, this is the company we have been working with for years at this point. Brenda and I both felt sick.

BRENDA: It was unconscionable. I didn't care if the juggling act had to stop for a week…or two…or three. This was more important than saving a few bucks per unit.

SCOTT: We started putting together a formal vetting process for all vendors going forward. For us, it's about choosing a partner that treats people like humans.

BRENDA: Scott had legal work up a letter to give to Gymbol. We ended the relationship entirely, and immediately started looking for a new vendor. In fact, he's flying to Vietnam, China, and Mexico next month to personally vet our new vendor.

SCOTT: New protocols require, among other things, site visits to new manufacturing partners. I wanted to go myself, I felt like I needed to…

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[Interview participant facing the camera.] NADINE: Hi, I'm Nadine Sanders, I'm director of IT for Brylt and I'm the one who figured out how this whole thing went down.

JOSEPH: [Scene shifts to another interview participant.] Hi I'm Joseph Cole, I'm head of marketing here at BryIt, and this whole thing, all of it is, uhm, it's my fault…But please just hear me out.

AUBREY: [A new interview participant.] I'm Aubrey Kline, CEO of BryIt. I became aware of the data leak one morning after I read the news. Not a great way to wake up.

NADINE: So I got a 6am phone call from Aubrey. I've never heard her like this. She's…apoplectic… I can't make out a word she's saying, but she keeps yelling the words "data leak."

AUBREY: As I remember it, I calmly explained to Nadine that secure customer data had somehow leaked to the public. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. I needed to find out how this happened right away.

NADINE: So now I'm a detective with a deadline. The first thing I did was figure out what type of data was leaked. Yep, it was definitely customer purchase and demographic data. Knowing that helped me narrow down the list of suspects significantly. I had a lead now.

JOSEPH: Well, I'd just dropped my kids off at school when I got a call from Nadine. I had no idea about the data leak, but she filled me in on the details.

NADINE: So I talked to him about the specific types of data that were leaked. It was customer data pertaining to a very specific project and Joseph was spearheading said project and developing a new sales pitch. And the pitch used a very specific type of data.

JOSEPH: Nadine laid it out. Step-by-step. But she didn't need to. As soon as she told me what data we were talking about, I knew where this was going. My laptop.

NADINE: His laptop! You see just last week Joseph was flying home from a trip to New York, and he…

AUBREY: Lost his laptop. But no big deal right, laptop is insured, and all our data is stored on a server in the cloud that the employees can access remotely. Right? Not really.

JOSEPH: Nadine issued me a new laptop, to replace the one that I lost. And I remember her asking me all these questions about the old one.

NADINE: I followed the standard operating procedures for a lost or stolen computer. I locked it, and disabled it, and asked Joseph if there was anything unusual on the laptop…and he told me…

JOSEPH: No. Uhm, but in retrospect, that wasn't entirely true. See, I wanted to get some work done while I was traveling, so instead of working in the company's online shared drive, I copied all of my files onto my laptop. See I… I wanted to work uninterrupted without slow or spotty internet while I was traveling. It was a stupid, short-sighted decision.

AUBREY: Our data is only as secure as our weakest link. In this case, some sensitive data fell into the hands of someone savvy enough to make this info go viral. It was a catastrophe.

NADINE: Who knows who got the laptop. At this point I'm not sure it even matters. The data's out there, the damage is done.

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[The video opens in a bar, with a close up of a beer being placed on the bar counter.] JULIAN: Guys, one second, I'm going to see if Lindsey is planning on coming.

LINDSEY: [Lindsey is washing dishes in a kitchen, then he answers his mobile phone.] Hey, Julian, everything okay?

JULIAN: Hey Linds, are you, uh, planning on coming to the company's happy hour tonight?

LINDSEY: Uh, I wish I could. My hands are kind of full at the moment.

JULIAN: Last month you said you'd come to this one. I'm representing the whole Marketing team by myself.

LINDSEY: Yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to make that. These events they always start at 5:30, and I gotta pick up the kids at daycare before it closes at 6:00.

JULIAN: Yeah, I mean that makes sense, I get it. Um, I was just hoping to have a drink with you, you know, especially after we pulled out all the stops on the pitch this week.

LINDSEY: I know, I really could use that drink. Uh, hang on a second, that's my other line. [Lindsey looks at his phone, then answers the call. Jo is the caller.] Oh, it's Jo! Hello?

JO: Lindsey! Did you get Julian's text about the happy hour?

LINDSEY: Uh, he called. Actually, he's on the other line.

JO: I am so tired of this happy hour thing! I talked to Jim last month and I said we should…mix it up, but clearly he didn't listen.

LINDSEY: Yeah, I was telling Julian that these events are always on the weekday and always at this time. I'm never going to make it.

JO: Exactly! You've got the kids, I've got class, there are so many team members that can't get together right after work. Why don't we try like a morning social? Maybe a weekend thing? I'll even take lunch!

LINDSEY: That'd be nice. I'll mention that to Julian too, speaking of, let me click back over.

JO: No problem, I need to finish studying for this exam anyway. Tell him I said hi, and to stop texting me unless it's about a brunch and not a happy hour.

LINDSEY: Got it. I'll see you at work. [Lindsey ends the call with Jo and switches to the call with Julian.] Julian?

JULIAN: Yeah still here. Hey, is Jo planning on coming to the happy hour?

LINDSEY: No, she's got class.

JULIAN: Right. Yeah, I forgot she's going for her Masters.

LINDSEY: Yeah, but she makes a good point. Why do have to have a happy hour every month? We should try switching it up, give the rest of us a fighting chance to come hang out.

JULIAN: Yeah fair. Um… you know hold on one sec, my other line is beeping. Chelsea, hey! Please tell me you're coming to represent the Marketing team with me. Linds has the kids, so he's out– you know what he's actually on the other line. Hold on one second, Iet me merge you. Chelsea, Lindsey, you both there? [Chelsea, Lindsey, and Julian are on the call together.]

CHELSEA: Yeah.

LINDSEY: Yeah I'm here.

JULIAN: Great! Lindsey, I was just telling Chelsea how you bailed. Chelsea please, tell me you're coming out tonight?

CHELSEA: Actually, I was calling because I got your text, but I'm a no-go.

JULIAN: Nooo! Not you too!

CHELSEA: Julian, you know I don't drink because of my religion. Why do we the same thing every month.

LINDSEY: That's what Jo and I were saying. Maybe brunch or lunch…

CHELSEA: Or dinner! I'd prefer to chat with everyone over a meal. Although that doesn't help the people who aren't available in the evening.

LINDSEY: True, but I don't have to be at every event. I just want to be at some of them.

CHELSEA: Same here, I just wish it wasn't always at a bar. Some of us don't go to bars.

LINDSEY: Some of us can't go to bars… at least not without shelling out money for a sitter.

JULIAN: Sorry guys, I guess I always wondered why it's always the same people.

LINDSEY: You're on the Morale Committee, right?

CHELSEA: Bring it up at the next meeting.

JULIAN: Yeah, yeah, I'll get it added to the agenda.

LINDSEY: Anyways, I'm really sorry I can't make it, but I'm really going to have to get off the phone soon–the kids have been awfully quiet…

LINDSEY: [The kids start yelling offscreen, Lindsey looks up with concern.] Oh, no nononono–I'll see you Monday!

CHELSEA: Traffic is getting crazy, I need to zone in. Bye!

JULIAN: Okay see you next week.

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[Tamara is writing an email. She narrates the content of the email.] TAMARA: Returning to work as a nursing mother after my maternity leave was challenging, even though everyone was very supportive, I quickly realized while I may have their support, the office wasn't accommodating to pumping.

I was in a cubicle and without a designated pumping space I had to get…creative. [Tamara enters a bathroom stall.] I found a space that provided some privacy. And it even had a couple of options of where I could settle in. But ultimately it lacked some important necessities. [Tamara looks for a power outlet in the bathroom stall.]

When I mentioned my initial struggles to management, they offered me one of the small conference rooms. [The conference room has floor-to-ceiling windows with no blinds and people outside can see in.] It was a very nice gesture… it had a lot of natural light, but they clearly hadn't taken certain logistics into account.

It started to feel like a hopeless pursuit. [Tamara enters a room with a lot of equipment.] An age-old tale of a working mother. A lightbulb went off. [The lights in the room turn off.] And my body began to hum with the hope of a new ending to this treacherous journey.

I will say that when I initially reached out to you, I wasn't hopeful that I'd be able to bring this to fruition. However, I was pleasantly surprised by your attentiveness to this need.

I'm reaching out today to thank you and everyone who's been a part of this process. Thank you for not only hearing me out, but also for helping me set this plan into action.

I speak for myself, newly nursing mothers, and those who may need this space in the future, when I say it's been a long walk for a bottle of milk. [Tamara and another woman enter a nursing room.]

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[Interview participant facing the camera.] RICHARD: My name is Richard Klein. [Procurement officer at Fambic, Inc.]

JESSICA: Jessica Stewart.

TAMMY: My name is Tammy Jones.

RICHARD: I'm a Procurement Officer.

JESSICA: A Data Scientist at Mathmetrics.

TAMMY: I'm a Product Development Specialist at Procordium.

RICHARD: It was a normal day at Fambic, like any other day that you uncover evidence of embezzlement by highly ranked people in the company. We're talking about…

JESSICA: …manipulating data points before releasing them to the public. I mean, people's lives, people's health. I…I couldn't believe it. I felt…

TAMMY: …heavy all of a sudden, like I'm wearing a backpack full of bricks. A new round of investor funding was in the works, meetings were happening, but there was no product to invest in. The product wasn't going to work. The idea was a bust, so why are they still looking for investors?

RICHARD: Because he's too busy to do it himself, my boss asked me to prep a report for the quarter. As soon as I got into the numbers, the anomaly stood out to me right away. It wasn't even hidden, which tells me it wasn't a secret from the top, just from the bottom. No one knew.

JESSICA: My boss was folding to external requests and making decisions that weren't right. I mean, you can't hide this from people, they have a right to know. And I'm the only one who can get the info out there. Ugh! I mean when that hit me…

TAMMY: …I knew I had to get out of there and I told my boss that I was feeling sick, and I left for the rest of the day. As soon as I left, I called my partner and I was a complete mess, and I asked: "What should I do?"

RICHARD: I knew what I needed to do, but I didn't want to do it. I was scared. It's a big company, and I'd worked there for over ten years. I didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

JESSICA: I didn't want to lose my job.

TAMMY: I didn't want to be the first person to take action, but more than anything else, I didn't want to sit and do nothing and allow this company to commit fraud, to pull in more investors, and continue…

RICHARD: …stealing – from our own customers. She didn't want to believe me, but I ran her through all of it. Our company was choosing to not pay out rebates. I didn't know what would happen next, my boss has been at this company for…

JESSICA: ...fifteen months… of falsified data points and placed them in a public report. A report people that people would use to make decisions about their health. I mean everyone was stunned. The room was completely…

TAMMY: …silent, but I refused to be. So I told my boss what I knew about the product, about the pending investors, all of it. Without missing a beat, he told me the first order of business was to make sure…

RICHARD: …I was protected every step of the way. From any kind of retribution or retaliation. In fact, they were grateful that I brought this to light.

JESSICA: They actually thanked me.

TAMMY: It was so hard to do, but in the end, I feel like it was the right move.

RICHARD: A company that values truth and transparency feels like a safe place to be.

JESSICA: I guess this…

TAMMY: …kind of thing could happen…

RICHARD: …anywhere.

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[Angela walks nervously down the hallway while talking on the cellphone.] Angela: Yeah…I'm almost done. Just one little feedback session with Christie.
I'm a little nervous about how she'll respond, but I know I need help to get this pitch right. Come on Brad, there's no way it'll be that bad. Alright I'll talk to you soon…wish me luck! [Angela sighs, opens the office door, and enters.]

Christie 1: [Title: The Critic. Christie sits at the desk reading a file and shaking her head. She looks stern. She drops the file onto the desk in exasperation.] This is some sloppy work, Angela. I really don't know why you thought this was ready for me to see. I would be embarrassed to present this to Phlogistix as is.
You know we would be laughed out of their office if they saw this right? [Scene returns to outside the office. Angela sighs, smiles, opens the office door, and enters.]

Christie 2: [Title: The Coddler. An alternate Christie sits at the desk sipping from a mug. She appears to be friendly.] Angela, I'm sure the pitch is great! Mmm. Oh, I hope you didn't spend too much time on it. I mean, I know you can handle something like this.

Angela: I figured it'd be a good idea to get your opinion on this draft before moving forward. Is there anything in particular that you feel needs more work?

Christie 1: [Scene returns to the stern looking Christie. She seems flustered and is flipping through the folder.] Frankly? All of it! The pitch isn't exciting, your analysis of the projections is weak and misses the point…

Christie 2: [Scene returns to the friendly looking Christie.] You have been working on this for a while and you know far more about it than I do. I'm sure Phlogistix will be absolutely over the moon about it!

Christie 1: [Scene returns to the stern looking Christie.] You are a grown woman Angela, I shouldn't have to tell you how to do your job, but since you've blocked this meeting out for an hour let's start with the title page. [Christie looks at the report.] Oh good grief, this font.

Christie 2: [Scene returns to the friendly looking Christie.] You are so talented! Oh, I'd hate for you to think I was micromanaging you. I mean because after all, we are not robots around here.

Christie 1: [Scene returns to the stern looking Christie. She snorts and then crosses out content in the document.] And this sentence! "blah blah blah!"
Angela please! How many words do you need to make your point?

Christie 2: [Scene returns to the friendly looking Christie.] Are we done here? [Angela appears bewildered. Scene returns to the hallway. Angela opens the office door.]

Christie 3: [ Title: The Mentor. Scene shifts to a third version of Christie, who seems balanced and professional.] Angela, this is a really solid start but I think it can use another pass. I mean, you have hit all the major points in your pitch, but the slides highlighting the projections could use some tweaks to have more impact.

Angela: Thank you for your feedback. I was kind of nervous to share the presentation with you. I knew I needed some work but wasn't entirely sure where to focus.

Christie 3: Well, let's shift focus a little and take another look at what the numbers are telling you because I really think you're close to selling this. How about this? I know your pitch is next week, so I will compile all of my notes and I will get them to you before the end of the day. And that way we can meet on Monday and take another look.

Angela: That sounds great. And I have plenty of time this week to take another crack at it.

Christie 3: Good.

Angela: Thanks again Christie. Your notes will be a huge help and I really wanna nail this.

Christie 3: Take a breath Angela. I would have been shocked if your presentation were perfect after one draft. You're on the right track and I'm supremely confident that you can close this deal.

Angela: Great, thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing your notes.

Christie 3: Anytime. [Angela exits the office with a smile on her face.]

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