A promotion rewards a capable employee, but the evening rota conflicts with responsibilities at home. Each possible adjustment places a cost on someone.
01Read the Arabic story
تَرْقِيَةٌ بِثَمَنٍ غَيْرِ مُتَوَقَّعٍ
حِينَ أَصْبَحْتُ مُشْرِفَةً عَلَى فَرِيقِ خِدْمَةِ الزَّبَائِنِ، شَعَرْتُ أَنَّ سَنَوَاتِ عَمَلِي لَمْ تَضِعْ. هَنَّأَتْنِي زَمِيلَاتِي، وَكَتَبْتُ لِأُمِّي أَنَّ رَاتِبِي سَيَرْتَفِعُ. لَكِنَّ جَدْوَلَ الشَّهْرِ الْجَدِيدِ أَظْهَرَ ثَلَاثَ مُنَاوَبَاتٍ مَسَائِيَّةٍ كُلَّ أُسْبُوعٍ. كَانَتْ أُمِّي، الَّتِي تَجِدُ صُعُوبَةً فِي الْحَرَكَةِ، تَعْتَمِدُ عَلَيَّ فِي إِعْدَادِ الْعَشَاءِ وَمُسَاعَدَتِهَا عَلَى صُعُودِ الدَّرَجِ. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَاكَ قَرِيبٌ يَسْتَطِيعُ الْحُضُورَ بِانْتِظَامٍ فِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَاتِ.
سَأَلْتُ الْمُدِيرَةَ عَنْ سَبَبِ تَغْيِيرِ وَقْتِ عَمَلِي. أَشَارَتْ إِلَى عِبَارَةِ «سَاعَاتٍ مَرِنَةٍ» فِي وَصْفِ الْمَنْصِبِ، وَشَرَحَتْ أَنَّ الْمُشْرِفَاتِ يَتَنَاوَبْنَ عَلَى الْإِغْلَاقِ. كُنْتُ قَدْ قَرَأْتُ الْعِبَارَةَ، لَكِنَّنِي فَهِمْتُهَا عَلَى أَنَّهَا تُتِيحُ لِي اخْتِيَارَ سَاعَاتِي. شَعَرْتُ بِالْخَيْبَةِ، وَاعْتَرَفْتُ أَنَّنِي لَمْ أَسْأَلْ عَنِ التَّفَاصِيلِ قَبْلَ قَبُولِ التَّرْقِيَةِ.
اقْتَرَحْتُ تَبَادُلَ بَعْضِ الْمُنَاوَبَاتِ مَعَ زَمِيلَةٍ. اعْتَذَرَتْ لِأَنَّ لَدَيْهَا طِفْلَيْنِ، فَلَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ أَطْلُبَ مِنْهَا تَحَمُّلَ مُشْكِلَتِي. وَبَحَثْتُ عَنْ مُسَاعِدَةٍ مَدْفُوعَةِ الْأَجْرِ لِأُمِّي، لَكِنَّ التَّكْلِفَةَ كَانَتْ تَسْتَهْلِكُ مُعْظَمَ الزِّيَادَةِ. لَمْ يَكُنِ الْمَالُ وَحْدَهُ هُوَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ؛ كَانَتْ أُمِّي تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى وَقْتٍ لِتَعْتَادَ مُسَاعَدَةَ شَخْصٍ جَدِيدٍ.
طَلَبْتُ تَجْرِبَةَ تَوْزِيعٍ آخَرَ لِلْمَهَامِّ، أَتَوَلَّى فِيهِ التَّنْسِيقَ صَبَاحًا فَقَطْ. قَالَتِ الْمُدِيرَةُ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ سَيَزِيدُ الْعِبْءَ عَلَى بَقِيَّةِ الْمُشْرِفَاتِ، وَرَفَضَتِ الطَّلَبَ. وَكُنْتُ أُدْرِكُ أَنَّ رَفْضَهَا لَيْسَ شَخْصِيًّا. بَعْدَ لَيْلَتَيْنِ مِنَ التَّفْكِيرِ، طَلَبْتُ الْعَوْدَةَ إِلَى وَظِيفَتِي السَّابِقَةِ. وَافَقَتْ، لَكِنَّهَا لَمْ تَضْمَنْ لِي فُرْصَةَ تَرْقِيَةٍ أُخْرَى. خَرَجْتُ مِنَ الْمَكْتَبِ مُرْتَاحَةً وَحَزِينَةً فِي الْوَقْتِ نَفْسِهِ.
فِي الشَّهْرِ التَّالِي، عُدْتُ إِلَى رَاتِبِي الْقَدِيمِ وَسَاعَاتِي السَّابِقَةِ. سَأَلَتْنِي أُمِّي إِنْ كَانَتْ قَدْ حَرَمَتْنِي مِنْ فُرْصَتِي، فَقُلْتُ إِنَّنِي اتَّخَذْتُ الْقَرَارَ بِنَفْسِي. وَحِينَ طَلَبَتِ الْمُشْرِفَةُ الْجَدِيدَةُ رَأْيِي فِي دَلِيلِ الْعَمَلِ، أَحْضَرْتُ مُلَاحَظَاتِي بِسُرْعَةٍ. لَمْ أُحِبَّ خَسَارَةَ الْمَنْصِبِ، وَلَمْ أُرِدْ أَنْ أَتَصَرَّفَ كَأَنَّ خِبْرَتِي خَسِرَتْ قِيمَتَهَا مَعَهُ.
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When I became the customer-service team supervisor, I felt that my years of work had not been wasted. My colleagues congratulated me, and I wrote to my mother that my salary would rise. But the new month’s rota showed three evening shifts every week. My mother, who had difficulty moving, depended on me to prepare dinner and help her climb the stairs. No relative could come regularly at those times.
I asked the manager why my working hours had changed. She pointed to “flexible hours” in the job description and explained that the supervisors took turns closing. I had read the phrase, but understood it to mean that I could choose my hours. I felt disappointed and admitted that I had not asked about the details before accepting the promotion.
I suggested exchanging some shifts with a colleague. She apologised because she had two children, so I could not ask her to take on my problem. I looked for paid help for my mother, but the cost would consume most of the increase. Money was not the only issue; my mother needed time to get used to help from someone new.
I asked to try another distribution of duties, in which I would handle coordination only in the morning. The manager said this would increase the burden on the other supervisors and refused the request. I understood that her refusal was not personal. After two nights of thought, I asked to return to my previous job. She agreed, but did not guarantee another promotion opportunity. I left the office feeling relieved and sad at the same time.
The following month, I returned to my old salary and previous hours. My mother asked whether she had deprived me of my opportunity, and I said that I had made the decision myself. When the new supervisor asked for my opinion on the work manual, I quickly brought my notes. I disliked losing the position and did not want to act as though my experience had lost its value along with it.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مُشْرِفَةً | a supervisor |
| مُنَاوَبَاتٍ مَسَائِيَّةٍ | evening shifts |
| سَاعَاتٍ مَرِنَةٍ | flexible hours |
| يَتَنَاوَبْنَ | they take turns; a female group |
| بِالْخَيْبَةِ | disappointed |
| تَحَمُّلَ | taking on; bearing |
| مُسَاعِدَةٍ مَدْفُوعَةِ الْأَجْرِ | paid help |
| تَسْتَهْلِكُ | consumes; uses up |
| التَّنْسِيقَ | coordination |
| حَرَمَتْنِي | deprived me |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the story to distinguish what is stated from what the details suggest. Open the English support if you need help with a question.
What to remember
- A workable choice can still involve regret and a real financial or professional cost.
- The narrator’s assumption about flexible hours differs from the duties described by her manager.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ جَدْوَلَ الشَّهْرِ الْجَدِيدِ
Follow how lakinna introduces the rota as a contrast to the expected benefits of promotion.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ لَدَيْهَا طِفْلَيْنِ
Identify the colleague’s own responsibilities in the reason clause after lianna.
