Unfiltered Story #241207

I am a project manager in charge of designing and organizing all of our company’s new office fitouts. I have just returned from completing a brand-new state-of-the-art office, carefully designed to be flexible and easy to use, when I receive a FaceTime video call from a colleague who has traveled to the new office with a senior sales manager to deliver some sort of internal staff training course:

– COLLEAGUE #1 (loudly, and without pause or introduction): “<My Name>, I’m in <new office> and going to pass you on to <Colleague #2> right now!!”
– ME: “OK, but what…”
– (Cue screen image of said Colleague 2, a grey-haired male senior sales manager in suit & tie, apparently rolling around under a table)
– COLLEAGUE #2: “I CAN’T PLUG IN!!!”
– ME, confused: “Sorry, what are you trying to…”
– COLLEAGUE #2: “CAN YOU SEE THAT! CAN YOU SEE IT??”
(All I can see is his face as he has the rear camera on)
– ME: “Um, no sorry, all I can see is you. I’m not sure what the problem is?”
(Cue long rant, accompanied by various scuffing noises and blurry video footage, about how he can’t plug his cable in as there is a rail in the way and this is a terrible design and why did they put the power there etc etc etc. I finally get a word in:
– ME: “Look, sorry, but why don’t you just plug into the table-top access point?”
– COLLEAGUE #2, loudly, “<COLLEAGUE #1 SAYS THERE ISN’T ONE!!!”
– ME: “Um. There is though. Have you looked under the big silver flap? Literally in the centre of the table?”
Looooooooong silence follows.
– COLLEAGUE #1: “Oh. Yes. No. Here it is.”

An even longer silence ensues, followed by somewhat nervous giggling from <Colleague #1>, followed by the call being cut off.

Still not sure why they felt the need, in a brand-new office, to go straight into full rolling-on-the-floor trying to jam in a power cable mode instead of looking for the more obvious design solution!