After confirming with the CIO that the new security architect had officially accepted the position, the HR VP scheduled a meeting with the CFO. There were a few upcoming costs to be discussed including retaining an outside firm to manage the internal breach communications, paying the outside recruiter, and of course, the CIO would be a topic of conversation.
The CFO walked into the HR VP’s office towards the end of the workday. He looked tired and carried a coffee cup even though the day was ending for most other employees. He looked at her and smiled. “I hope you only have good news for me.”
She smiled back and said “I’ve got a proposal from the PR firm the CEO requested to handle staff and public breach communications. Then there’s the cost associated with our new security hire.”
They discussed both, but in fact, there was no room for negotiation for either of them when it came to these two expenses. On the other hand,…
The HR VP said “The CIO seems to have promised two employees that they were going to be promoted. He doesn’t have any extra budget, especially after this breach. What are your thoughts?”
The CFO said, “I’ve got less than no budget. Unless he comes up with some major reductions, there’s no money for this.”
The HR VP’s look hardened. “If he hadn’t wasted all that money going outside, he might have had some money.
We’ve got half a dozen specialty talent requests at any given moment. It’s just not possible to fill those without a senior resource. There is more than enough need for a senior recruiter for three years now. Every time we go to these outside firms, we hand them fat checks instead of building our own in-house capability.”
The CFO looked at her kindly. “We’ve discussed this, and the CEO has had some interest, but your timing is not good. Our priority is cost reduction, not enhancement.” And with that, he stood up and walked down the hall to work a few more hours.
Next up – Getting things in order
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