Coaching Your Human Is A Valuable Soft Skill

20260319

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“Alright. From the top…”
Tess took a deep breath and visualised her Script. Act 1, Scene 1, our heroine enters the office with her loyal therapy dog. “We get in. I clock in. We go straight to the manager’s office. I tell him I need to talk about my work situation. And that you are my advocate. And if he objects, which he shouldn’t…”
“Because I’ll be wearing my uniform, and you are legally entitled to an advocate.” Barnaby nuzzled her arm with a reassuring wuff.
“And if he does object, that’s what I tell him. And you start reciting legal paragraphs.”
“Which I’ll probably end up doing anyway.” Barnaby put his ears down in the same false-contrition pose he used after getting caught sneaking butter from the dish. “It’s a terrible habit of mine, invoking the law whenever people aren’t providing required accommodations.”
“Uh-huh.” Tess hugged him and planted a kiss on top of his head. “Either way, he has to let us - both of us - in his office and hear us out.”
“And first point you raise is…”
Act 1, Scene 2. The heroine facing her manager. “That coming into the office five days a week is causing me too much stress, negatively impacting my health, and I’d like to go to three days working from home.”
“As-”
“As was described in the job listing I applied to.”
“Which you have screenshots of, because we knew we might need them.”
“More like because you nagged me into it.” Tess scoffed with a wry smile. “Thankfully.”
“Either way, we’ve got the advert and relevant email chains saved. Both the ad and initial emails describe it as a hybrid role, and in that early email exchange your boss said you were only in the office full time to make onboarding easier. Cut and dry.”
“Cut and dry.” Tess repeated to herself. It was a reassuringly authoritative statement.
“Now, remember, the company’s obligated to give you all the equipment you need to work from home.”
“Which thankfully is just a laptop with a webcam.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t matter. What matters if he can’t suggest you use your own devices.”
“Right. I’m going to insist on a separate work machine. And I’m going to warn him that it’ll only be on during work hours, just like my work phone is.”
“That’s right!” Barnaby wagged his tail and gave her an approving nose-boop to the shoulder.
“And I point out that, since working from home most of the time was listed in the job advert, it’s automatically a ‘reasonable accommodation’.”
“And then I spit the book at him!”
Tess cringed. “Only if we need to. I’d… really rather not turn it into a, a confrontation…”
“Alright, alright.” Barnaby licked her cheek. “And it might not be necessary. He doesn’t seem a bad sort. But if we need to…”
“Yeah.” Tess set her jaw in a determined smile. “I’ll bring the tablet, with your handbooks ready, in case you need to read sections off to him.”
“Excellent idea!” Barnaby rested a paw on her knee. “You know, you’ve come such a long way since we first met. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Tess squeezed his paw, then added “And thank you for not saying ‘good human’.”
Barnaby’s tongue lolled out in a cheeky grin. “I mean, I’d consider that praise of the highest order. But I’m aware you don’t.”

Prompt was “Write a story where an animal trains their human companion.”