MORE WORK
We had a meeting up in London - it makes a change. We were told that NHS Blood and Transplant are going to be 'managing fridges' in hospitals. I might apply - my managerial skills aren't up to much, but surely even I could manage a fridge. They tend to just get on with things anyway, don't they?
No meeting would be complete without an innuendo nobody else notices, so when a colleague said (of some report or other) that he had 'pulled it off after last Thursday's meeting' I was satisfied, except to note that it would have been even more effective if he had said 'I pulled one off after last Thursday's meeting.' As he could so easily have done.
It has been noted, in fact, that my 'notes' at these meetings tend to consist entirely of doodles, mainly of faces, fanged and slavering. At this meeting, it was even suggested that I was drawing my assembled colleagues, though nothing could have been further from my mind. I'm not that engaged with my immediate surroundings.
Although at least I am physically present. We keep having to field calls for a guy whose PA works in our office, but who is on holiday at the moment. We have absolutely no idea where this man is at any particular time, and it is a little embarrassing to have to keep telling people this. We are getting to the point of just making things up out of sheer frustration - 'Oh, he's auditioning for X-Factor.' 'Oh, he's in the fridge right now.' 'Oh, he's juggling turnips.' My Customer Service assessor would not approve.
Talking of customer service, I got a haircut. They are almost ridiculously obliging at my barber's. They usually offer me a tea or coffee (I always decline) but on this occasion one of them was going to Marks and Spencers and asked if anyone wanted anything. It took me a while to realise that this was not just aimed at his colleagues, but included me as well. It was as though I might have produced a shopping list - 'Oh, and two dozen eggs, six parsnips, and one of those Dine In For £10 offers - you choose.' This is what my Customer Service workbook calls 'extending the service offer.'
No meeting would be complete without an innuendo nobody else notices, so when a colleague said (of some report or other) that he had 'pulled it off after last Thursday's meeting' I was satisfied, except to note that it would have been even more effective if he had said 'I pulled one off after last Thursday's meeting.' As he could so easily have done.
It has been noted, in fact, that my 'notes' at these meetings tend to consist entirely of doodles, mainly of faces, fanged and slavering. At this meeting, it was even suggested that I was drawing my assembled colleagues, though nothing could have been further from my mind. I'm not that engaged with my immediate surroundings.
Although at least I am physically present. We keep having to field calls for a guy whose PA works in our office, but who is on holiday at the moment. We have absolutely no idea where this man is at any particular time, and it is a little embarrassing to have to keep telling people this. We are getting to the point of just making things up out of sheer frustration - 'Oh, he's auditioning for X-Factor.' 'Oh, he's in the fridge right now.' 'Oh, he's juggling turnips.' My Customer Service assessor would not approve.
Talking of customer service, I got a haircut. They are almost ridiculously obliging at my barber's. They usually offer me a tea or coffee (I always decline) but on this occasion one of them was going to Marks and Spencers and asked if anyone wanted anything. It took me a while to realise that this was not just aimed at his colleagues, but included me as well. It was as though I might have produced a shopping list - 'Oh, and two dozen eggs, six parsnips, and one of those Dine In For £10 offers - you choose.' This is what my Customer Service workbook calls 'extending the service offer.'
posted by martin at 1:27 PM
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