Meanwhile, in the HR office, a middle‑aged man of about fifty was reading through the data of all the hospital employees.
His eyes were fixed sharply on the computer in front of him, occasionally cross‑checking the figures with the papers he held.
This was Hendri Aryanto, the new Head of HR at Derisa Hospital, who had only been in post for three weeks.
Hendri was indeed an experienced HR professional. Before being entrusted with the role at Derisa Hospital, he had served as HR manager at a finance company.
With his extensive experience, Hendri was fond of changing policies. Even matters concerning staff salaries could be altered at his discretion.
This time, Hendri had been appointed by the hospital's director, Widodo Permana, aged fifty‑six, to take charge of HR. Yet, what surprised Hendri was a special clause in his contract which read, "Under no circumstances must anything be said that relates to Doctor Z!"
Hendri considered himself more experienced and superior. In his mind, he was the Head of HR, and the figure mentioned in the contract clause was unclear.
He did not know who Doctor Z actually was. Even after three weeks of working at Derisa Hospital, he had never met the person referred to as Doctor Z.
With his position as Head of HR, Hendri introduced new policies, one of which was to extend staff working hours.
Previously, the shifts for nurses, midwives, pharmacists, medical records staff, cashiers, and registration clerks were:
• Morning: 07.00–14.00
• Afternoon: 14.00–21.00
• Night: 21.00–07.00 the following day
Hendri changed them to:
• Morning: 06.00–15.00
• Afternoon: 15.00–22.00
• Night: 22.00–06.00 the following day
Only the shifts for doctors, security staff, and nutrition staff remained unchanged.
With these changes, all employees naturally protested, but Hendri acted as though he did not hear them at all.
His next policy was to abolish overtime pay. Even if employees worked beyond their scheduled hours, their wages would remain the same.
In his view, this was already part of their duty and a demonstration of loyalty to the organisation.
He even cut the wages of the cleaning staff, reducing them from the usual 3–3.5 million Rupiah per month to 2–2.5 million.
There were also several other policies affecting doctors and administrative staff, though these were less significant.
Zein was aware of all this. Quietly, he grew very angry and contacted the hospital's director, Widodo, to explain the situation.
Widodo understood Zein's character well, knowing he was someone who strongly upheld the truth. However, the decisions had already been made by the Head of HR.
Widodo advised that if Zein wished to change the policies, he was free to do so himself, and by whatever means he chose.
Zein, fully grasping the meaning of Widodo's words, immediately smiled knowingly. At that very moment, he resolved to confront Hendri.
*
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The sound of knocking on the HR office door made Hendri, who was focused on employee data, pause for a moment.
He removed his glasses, straightened his hair and clothes, then said, "Please come in!"
CLACK!
The door opened, and a tall man in a doctor's coat entered the room. The man was, of course, Zein Al‑Ghifari.
"Good afternoon, Mr Hendri!" Zein greeted warmly, then walked towards the desk and extended his right hand.
With a charming smile, Zein waited for Hendri to shake his hand, while Hendri was taken aback by the young doctor's striking appearance.
Fortunately, Hendri was a man, otherwise, he would surely have fallen for the young doctor at once.
Hendri quickly accepted the handshake and said, "Please sit down, Doctor!" he replied with a friendly smile.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Doctor?" Hendri asked.
"Um, how should I put this?" Zein said, pretending to be uncertain.
Hendri laughed, thinking the young doctor was nervous in front of him. He said, "Haha! Doctor, you don't need to be afraid of me! Just relax!" he added confidently.
Zein looked at Hendri strangely. In his mind, he thought, "Afraid?! Me, afraid of you?! My fear nerve snapped decades ago!"
As Zein sat silently, appearing lost in thought, Hendri waved his hand in front of Zein's face.
"Doctor! Hello! What's the matter, Doctor?" Hendri asked again.
Zein snapped out of it and cleared his throat, "Ummm!"
He continued, "This is the situation, Mr Hendri! I'm here representing all the staff at Derisa Hospital! We are asking you to reverse the policies that are burdening everyone! Please restore them to how they were before, because the staff, including the doctors, are under immense pressure!" he explained.
Hendri paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. He replied, "Hahaha! I wondered what it was about, but it turns out to be nothing more than complaints about my policies! Let me tell you, Doctor, you don't need to trouble yourself representing all the staff, because I will not withdraw those policies!" he insisted.
Zein pleaded slightly, "Sir, please, have pity on the staff! They are already exhausted! If you were raising their wages, that would be different, but instead you have increased their hours, cut their pay, and abolished overtime. They are suffering, Sir!" he said again.
"You're not the first to come here about these policies, Doctor! I will stand by my decision!" Hendri replied confidently.
He continued, "Even Mr Widodo, the director of Derisa Hospital, said the same thing, but the result was no different! I will not change these policies!" he declared firmly.
Zein was taken aback, "What?! Mr Widodo also discussed this with you?!" he asked, surprised.
"That's right! Just two days ago, in fact!" Hendri answered briefly.
In his mind, Hendri grew more certain. If, even the director was powerless, then this young man before him, merely a doctor, would surely be no match.
But then something unexpected happened. Hendri saw with his own eyes that Zein was smiling broadly.
Zein fixed Hendri with a piercing gaze, his hazel‑brown eyes strikingly unique, and Hendri himself felt a slight shiver.
Hendri asked, "Why are you smiling like that, Doctor?! Have you finally agreed with my policies?!"
Zein calmly replied, "Mr Hendri, you're mistaken! I'm simply pleased because very soon I'll be enjoying some exercise!" he said lightly.
"Exercise?! What do you mean?!" Hendri asked curiously.
Zein did not answer, but instead said briefly, "I'm leaving now, Mr Hendri! Good afternoon! Hahaha!" he declared, turning away and laughing loudly.
Hendri stared at Zein in bewilderment. He thought to himself, "Why is this young doctor laughing to himself?! Has he gone mad because he failed to change my policies?!"
At last, Hendri sighed and said, "Very well, Doctor, good afternoon to you too, and all the best with your work!"
Then, he remembered that he did not yet know the doctor's name. He stopped Zein for a moment to ask, "By the way, we haven't been introduced, Doctor! I've forgotten to ask your name!"
Doctor Zein paused, then turned slightly towards Hendri, "My name?! Are you sure you want to know my name?!" he said, then continued, "My name is Zein Youssef Al‑Ghifari, and for you, just call me Doctor Z!" With that, he swiftly left the HR office.
CRACK!
Hendri felt as though lightning had struck him upon hearing the name Doctor Z. Trembling, he muttered quietly, "So ..., that doctor is the one mentioned in my contract clause?! He's the one they call Doctor Z?!"
He murmured further, "I refused his request to change my policies! Does this mean ..., I've truly crossed Doctor Z?!" He stared blankly at the door through which Zein had just departed.