Neonc Technologies' chief executive has moved into the company's research laboratory, where he says he will remain until the firm's share price recovers. Staff were told on Monday that a cot had been installed beside the centrifuge, and that the executive would take all meetings from a stool placed next to the sample refrigerators.
The decision has forced a reorganisation of the building. The cafeteria has been converted into a second boardroom, and the car park now serves as a dispatch bay for the executive's laundry, which is collected twice daily by a courier service contracted for the purpose. Facilities managers confirmed that the lab's ventilation system has been reset to accommodate a human being who breathes at all hours.
Analysts say the move has already produced results of a kind. Three researchers have requested transfers to the company's warehouse in the north of the country, and the human resources department has opened a waiting list for those wishing to share the executive's floor. A spokesperson said the board regards the arrangement as « a demonstration of total commitment to the work, and a sign that nobody here is leaving before the results come in».
Asked how long the arrangement would last, the chief executive reportedly replied that he would leave the laboratory once the company had something to show for it, adding that he had already drafted a timetable for the first quarter of next year. The timetable has been pinned to the notice board beside the fire exit.