Madam President

Navid, a 29-year-old industrial engineer, is hired by a private company after completing his military service. The CEO warns him that due to his advanced age and lack of experience, his new boss, a young 30-year-old manager named Ms. Shams, will initially oppose his employment and that he must try to win her approval. Ms. Shams, tall (180 cm) and of moderate weight (80 kg), is orderly, precise, and law-abiding, wearing a formal dress code that includes a hijab, coat, and black jeans.

At their first meeting, Ms. Shams treats Navid coldly and contemptuously, telling him that he will be working for six months on a trial basis without pay. Navid, who is in financial difficulty, the next day shyly asks Ms. Shams for financial assistance. Ms. Shams suggests that Navid do his personal work in addition to the company’s work and receive a salary in return. These tasks include driving her home, doing her shopping, and cleaning her house.

Navid is hesitant because, on the one hand, he needs the money and doesn’t want to lose his job opportunity, but on the other hand, he is worried about being humiliated and judged by his family. However, Ms. Shams’s strong personality and formal appearance have also impressed him. At the end of the first day, while Navid seems completely submissive and Ms. Shams seems dominant, the young boss asks him if he can handle the tasks and if he can be trusted. Navid eagerly answers in the affirmative.

The next few days were difficult for Navid. The stress of trying to please Ms. Shams and do her personal chores on the one hand, and the pressure of learning new tasks at work on the other, caused him to lose focus and make frequent mistakes.

Navid’s first big mistake was with filing documents. Ms. Shams had asked him to archive a batch of old contracts by date. Navid, who was still unfamiliar with the company’s filing system and was in a hurry to complete Ms. Shams’s personal tasks before she left, put many of the documents in the wrong folders. A few days later, when Ms. Shams needed one of those contracts, the administrative team wasted hours trying to find it, and Navid’s mistake was finally revealed.

Ms. Shams summoned Navid to her room with a flushed face.

_Mr. Navid! What kind of archiving is this? Didn’t I tell you how these documents should be archived? We’ve wasted a lot of our time because of your carelessness! What are you doing here?

Ms. Shams’s loud and harsh voice completely confused Navid. He stammered and tried to explain that he had made a mistake and promised not to do it again. But Ms. Shams said dismissively:

_Promising is not enough! I want action. If our time is going to be wasted every day because of your mistakes, I will say goodbye to you today.

This serious threat only increased Navid’s fear. He tried his best to be more careful in his subsequent tasks, but small mistakes still occurred. Once he sent an important email to the wrong address, another time he made a blatant spelling mistake in preparing a draft of a letter, and once he forgot an important appointment.

Every mistake, big or small, was followed by cold looks and direct reprimands from Ms. Shams. She made no effort to hide her displeasure and pointed out Navid’s mistakes in a biting tone each time.

In addition to this work pressure, Ms. Shams’s personal tasks were also challenging for Navid. He had to take Ms. Shams home after work, do her shopping, and try to tidy up her apartment in the short time he had. These tasks took up a lot of time and energy from Navid, making him tired and impatient, which also contributed to his increasing mistakes at work.

One day, after dropping off Ms. Shams and doing her heavy shopping, Navid returned to the company exhausted to do some backlogged work. While working on the copier, he accidentally pressed the wrong button, causing the paper to jam and the machine to break down. The loud noise of the machine and Navid’s fruitless attempts to fix the problem angered Ms. Shams, who was still at the company.

He rushed to the copier and, seeing its condition, shouted:

_Mr. Navid! You’re starting a riot! What’s going on? I don’t understand how you got an engineering degree with all this incompetence! You can’t even work with a simple photocopier!

This time, Ms. Shams’s humiliation was very heavy for Navid. She felt ashamed and helpless. She said in a choked voice:

_Sorry, ma’am… I’m really sorry.

_Sorry is not enough! You are hurting the company’s reputation and time. I told the CEO that you are not worth it, and every day I am becoming more sure that I did not make a mistake.

After this incident, the atmosphere at work became heavier for Navid. He felt like he was under a microscope and his every move was being carefully watched. The fear of making mistakes made him more anxious and therefore more prone to making mistakes. He knew he didn't have much time to prove himself and any mistake could cost him his only chance to enter the job market.

Navid hears in the office that Ms. Shams has called the CEO, dissatisfied with his performance and wants to terminate his cooperation. When Ms. Shams realizes that Navid has overheard the conversation, she tells him that she has decided to fire him due to his repeated mistakes and lack of progress. Navid begs and pleads with Ms. Shams to give him another chance and promises to do his best to make up for his mistakes, but Ms. Shams, in a firm tone and without any sign of pity, announces her decision as final and says that she is sorry but cannot sacrifice the company for his irresponsibility. Navid, having lost hope, remains silent.

Ms. Shams: There is a solution.