Professional defeat

"They suddenly started to call me by my first name again. From 'you' back to 'you'." Melina (name changed by editor) recalls the moment, which happened a few months ago. Even if she had had a premonition, she says, one can't really be prepared for that moment. But let's start from the beginning.

Melina has worked a lot abroad in marketing and communication until she comes back to Luxembourg at the end of 2019. Her path leads her to a foundation, where she was responsible for setting up the communications department. "There were three of us – the director, another staff member who took care of project coordination and me. We got along great." Melina also describes the relationship with the board of directors as positive. She emphasises this good relationship several times, as it is relevant to the course of the story.

"And I think at that moment everything went wrong"

The pandemic makes her job more difficult, and she is relieved when the situation slowly subsides. "We discussed that after Covid, we wanted more media coverage. So I contacted all the media in the country and we were present. Through one media, we even came to the attention of a big private sponsor, and we applied to get a grant."

In autumn 2021, various dates are planned in some schools in the country to present the work of the foundation. Overnight, Melina gets a stomach flu. "I immediately called it in, so someone could step in – and I think that's when everything went wrong." The director and her colleague called Melina independently and said that everything went well, "but the president was upset that he wasn't invited to the appointment beforehand – regardless of the sickness … From then on, I had a bad feeling." Melina takes it upon herself to write an email to explain the situation and come to the defence of her colleague because she is getting all the criticism.