Scenario Description: This setting is a newspaper printing office going about their daily routine. The editor-in-chief (the Chief) manages his secretary Tess and the newspaper staff. Tim is a new hire who has just joined the staff as a writer.
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| Role | Dialog |
| Narrator | This setting is a newspaper printing office going about their daily routine. The editor-in-chief (the Chief) manages his secretary Tess and the newspaper staff. Tim is a new hire who has just joined the staff as a writer. |
| Chief | Tess, this is Tim. He’s a new hire. Set him up with a desk and all the needed supplies, will you? |
| Tess | Right away, boss. Hi, Tim, I’m pleased to meet you. Follow me and I’ll find you an empty desk to settle into. |
| Tim | I’m right behind you. (Tim follows Tess.) |
| Tess | This will be your desk. It already has a computer connected to two monitors, a mouse and mouse pad, and a webcam for teleconferencing. The webcam has a built-in microphone and camera of course. I’ll need to get you some speakers though. It looks like the last occupant of this desk took them with him. He wasn’t supposed to remove them from this desk. They were assigned to this desk location. Now I’ll have to locate them and update their location in our inventory list. |
| Tim | Looks good. Is the computer already connected to the Internet? |
| Tess | Yes, it should be, but why don’t you check it out? |
| Tim | Okay. Turn computer on…wait for boot-up process to finish…open browser…see our home page…Yep! It’s connected. Lock computer with Logo-L key combination. Okay, check sat! (test satisfactory) |
| Tess | Good. Okay, follow me to the supply cabinet and I’ll get you some post-it notes, a stapler, a staple remover, some pens and pencils, some pushpins, rubber bands, and whatever other odds and ends you might need. |
| Tim | Sounds great. Add some yellow highlighters to the list, would you? |
| Narrator | After a visit to the supply cabinet, Tess and Tim return to Tim’s desk. |
| Tess | Okay, follow me…This is the fax machine. Instructions are posted here on the top. This is our common printer. Everyone on this floor prints to this printer. It’s a color Laserjet and should take care of your basic printing needs. Extra toner cartridges are stored in the bottom of the supply cabinet we just visited a few minutes ago. |
| Tim | Got it. Is there a breakroom and coffee mess? Also, where are the restrooms? I think I may have to go soon. |
| Tess | Ah, yes. The amenities. I almost forgot about those, didn’t I? Follow me…Here are the restrooms, men to the left because women are “always right”. (Tess winks at Tim to indicate she’s teasing him.) Here’s the breakroom. The coffee mess is over there. You pay $10 a month for membership and the company buys the coffee supplies with the members’ dues. |
| Tim | Sounds reasonable. I’ll easily drink that much coffee in a month. Hm, let’s see what other questions I have. Ah! Where do I get timesheets for my weekly time reporting? Is there a link on our home page to download a PDF copy? |
| Tess | Yes, there’s a link labeled “Administrative Forms”. Everything you need will be there: timesheets, expense reports, vacation request forms, etc. |
| Tim | Thanks, Tess. If I need anything else, I’ll give you a call or stop by your desk. |
| Tess | Sounds good. I’ll let you get to work. See you later. (Tess goes back to her desk.) |
| Tim | (talking to himself) Well, it’s almost lunch time. May as well get a cup of coffee…Okay, now to buy a sandwich from the vending machine…Hm, needs a credit card but I’ve got one right here, so… Okay, sandwich and coffee, so I’m ready to sit down and eat. |
| Roxie | (to Tim) Hi, I’m Roxie. You must be new. I haven’t seen you around here before. |
| Tim | Hi, Roxie. I’m Tim. Yes, I’m new. This is my first day on the job. |
| Roxie | I’m the mail girl, or mailperson if you prefer. I make the rounds a few times a day and deliver mail and packages to the staff. Where do you sit? I need to add you to my route. |
| Tim | I sit over there, in the third cubicle down from the Chief’s office. (Tim points towards his cubicle.) |
| Roxie | Ah, I see it. Okay, I’ve got you marked on my map so I’ll know where to bring your mail. Are you a story writer? |
| Tim | Yes, I’ll be writing for the Technology Today column. |
| Roxie | So if I need any tech support, now I know where to go. Oh, by the way, I’ll be the one ordering you a nameplate to hang on your cubicle wall. How would you like your name to appear? |
| Tim | Um, just make it say “Tim Burton”. Well, I’d better settle into my desk and start finding my way around the company’s website. It was nice talking to you. |
| Roxie | It was nice talking to you. Take care. See you around. |
| Tim | (to himself) Okay, sit at desk, log in with username and password, login failed, hm. Oh, Caps Lock key is on. Turn that off, log in again, it works—and I’m in! Typical-looking home page, links everywhere. There’s the “Administrative Forms” link that Tess mentioned. May as well download timesheet and expense report templates—done. Print one out so I can start tracking my time, print one copy to the printer,…go. Hm, “Printer Offline Error.” How can that be? Let me go check. (walks over to the printer) |
| Tess | Hi, Tim. Trying to print? You’ll have to wait. Printer’s offline while I replace the toner cartridge. It runs out of toner at the most inconvenient times, doesn’t it? Okay, there we go. (slams printer side panel closed and pushes the button to put the printer back online) |
| Tim | There comes my print job. (takes his timesheet from the printer and inspects it) Yep, that’s my print job. Oh, Tess, what department number and budget number do I put here on the timesheet? |
| Tess | We’re Department # 203, and our budget number is “AA203–44”. |
| Tim | Thanks. Do I turn timesheets in to you at the end of the week? |
| Tess | Normally, yes, but approved timesheets aren’t really due to me until Monday morning before 10:00 am. I have to submit them all to the Accounting Department by 12:00 pm. If you’re late, expect a dressing-down by the Chief. He doesn’t like tardiness in his staff. |
| Tim | A word to the wise is sufficient. Got it! |
| Roxie | Hi, Tim. Did you see some confidential papers in a stack over here? |
| Tim | (looks around) You mean this pile here labeled “Confidential Trash”? |
| Roxie | Yes, that’s it! One of my collateral duties is “confidential trash shredder”. I have to take that stack over to the shredder and feed them in 5 to 10 sheets at a time. It’s a boring, tedious job but I guess someone has to do it, like the lowest person on the totem pole. That would be me. (sighs) |
| Tim | Hey, Roxie. Where can I find a copy of the company’s employee handbook that lists all our benefits, like sick time, vacation time, personal days off – that kind of thing. |
| Roxie | There’s a link on the home page labeled “Employee Benefits”. You can download a PDF copy from there. |
| Tim | Great, thanks! One more thing. Is there a moving cart around so I can bring in a couple boxes of stuff from my car? I brought in some reference materials that might prove handy in my research. |
| Roxie | We have one, but for that, you’ll have to ask Tess. I’m not sure where we keep it. |
| Tim | Okay, thanks again. |
