Office musings

Note: these fluffy toys are stunt doubles

At work, the electronic lock to open the door from the lift lobby is at about waist height, and operated by a card key. Some people have the key dangling around their neck, and bend down to get the key to touch the lock. Fair enough.

But some people leave them attached to their belt (near the front) by a clip, and open the door by moving their waist next to the lock to get the card key to touch it. Which, frankly, looks rather bizarre, and a little disturbing.

I find it amusing how many fluffy toys make it into the workplace. Some people (particularly women) that you might think are hard-bitten ruthless business types can still have a row of teddy bears lined up on the shelf above their desks, and no one bats an eyelid. In one colleague’s case, there is a row of half a dozen small ceramic animals of various types along the top of the computer monitor, waving a constant welcome to her whenever she sits down.

Yonder by the window another person’s desk is replete with fluffy toys – a floppy-eared rabbit, a gorilla and two bears, sitting close to pictures of family, corporate training certificates and long service awards.

It would be a laugh to get a clipboard one day, go around and do a fluffy toy audit of the building.

Blokes’ desks seem much more utilitarian: some have the pictures and certificates and awards, but mostly just a plethora of papers, with maybe a messy coffee cup thrown in for good measure.

In fact, maybe it’s time I tidied my desk.