This morning in London

[caddyman]

We have a theoretical clear desk policy at work. I generally ignore it, and about every six months to a year, I get a note from security telling me that I have contravened the policy, but there have been no security breaches. (One of then perks of my grade is to summarily declassify papers marked confidential and below, hence no security breach!).

I have been known in the past to hide papers under the accumulated security inspection notes.

Anyway, it now seems that the Director of Housing has taken a personal interest in the division's observance of the clear desk policy. This has resulted in an email suggesting¹ that we all tidy up. This, of course, results in two observations:

• When a Grade 3 Senior Civil Servant emails around, telling everyone to tidy up, you tidy up; and
• What the f*** is the Department paying you in excess of £60,000 a year for, if you have time to email people about clear desk policy?

I suggested that I could just dump the stuff on my desk under my desk, as no-one ever looks under there, but I guess that I'll just end up shoving stuff in the bin - or File 13 as it's known around here.

In other news, I am bored, and have decided to spend the rest of today where I left off yesterday: Schpeaking like Mardin Yol (Martin Jol), the Dotch manadcher of Toddenham Hodschpurs votball clob. It'sh quide hardt to do widout goink Afrikaans half-way trough.


¹In this context, 'suggest' has a more imperative definition than the standard dictionary version.

Comments

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

What was Footnote 1 about?

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Oops. Lost in the cut-and-paste from word. I've added it back, for what it's worth.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

• What the f*** is the Department paying you in excess of £60,000 a year for, if you have time to email people about clear desk policy?

If it's anything like anywhere I've worked; that's not what's happened.

The people responsible for security inspections report to their line manager on the number of notices they have issued each month.

Their line manager reports to his line manager etc. onwards and upwards.

At some point, in a Directorate level meeting, the Director notices this ever increasing number and quizzes the Head of Security.

On finding out the reason, Director issues an email and that's that.

Total time; 5 minutes for him.

Rinse, Lather, Repeat in about 6 months time.

[irdm.livejournal.com]

I've never understood this "clear desk" thing.
You put stuff somewhere else so that when no one is there, your desk looks tidy, then when you get in you take all the stuff and through it on the desk so it looks a mess while people are there...???

When hassled about such at one company, the spend a fortune to get a huge cabinet with (amongst other usefull bits) a large flat shelf, so I did literally just rotate the contents of the desk onto the shelf on departure and rotate it back upon arrival. Sometime I shout the cupboard door overnight.
(it was too big for the lift and my office was on the 3rd? floor.
They sent out for 6 burly blokes from Catch22? to hump it up all the stairs.
That alone must have cost a fortune.

Offices as show pieces?? Hah! w4nk3rz