I always found Vignesh extremely annoying. There’s no polite way to say it. I haven’t changed his name here to protect anyone because, frankly, Vignesh shouldn’t get any protection. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of “characters” in every workplace, but he was special. Vignesh and I both led marketing for different denim brands in the same company, which meant that my workdays came with a side order of frequent sightings of the patron saint of corporate enthusiasm.
He was the human equivalent of a motivational poster, permanently in your face, always smiling and utterly unavoidable. The kind of person who clapped first in meetings, laughed the loudest at the CEO’s jokes and could recite the company’s mission statement like it was holy scripture. If HR organised a “compulsory fun” activity, he was first in line. At the annual town hall, he was the emcee, talking about how we were one family. Yuck.
In every group photo, there he was: front row, victory sign, annoying grin. Even the toughest-to-please leaders at the company would shake their heads and mutter, “Vignesh, such a good boy”. And yet, despite his overwhelming charm offensive, I found him deeply and profoundly insufferable.
Then, one fine day, Vignesh...
