Probity

In the world of office politics, Katie was a nobody. Nobody to include in whispered conversations, or private emails, or fun group lunches. Katie sat in a cube that everyone passed but no one visited. She was part of the company but not of the team. She was monitored but not included. She was used, but miserable.

At first she thought her integrity might have been intimidating. But the truth is, she was no better or worse than anyone else there. Everyone took an extra couple minutes at lunch, made personal phone calls now and then, and called in sick when they really just needed some me-time. She may have hid it better than they did, but that was to keep the peace with her bosses, not her coworkers.

So why was she treated as a foreigner, an alien?

She simply didn't know.