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Follow-Through Is The Key

, , , , , , | Working | April 6, 2020

Since we work with confidential material, our office is only accessible with a security pass. Which is fine… until one morning when I arrive at work and see several people waiting in front of the building. Our team leader, who always arrives first, tells us the system is apparently down, so the passes don’t work. In order to make them work again, the server has to be rebooted, but the server is inside the building. 

Of course, the company has a physical key to the building, as well. In fact, the director had passed it to the team leader for this reason. He also advised her to make copies, just in case, but she never got round to it. Now, where was this key? Well, before the team leader went on holiday, a few weeks ago, she passed it to the department manager, who would be opening those weeks. He then gave it to his manager, who asked for it in order to have copies of the key made… which he did not do. This senior manager also happens to live in a city that is about a one-hour drive from our office. To make his blunder complete, he didn’t even take the key home, but instead decided to lock it in the small safe where we have to put all the keys of our office cupboards. In other words, there is no normal way to open the door.

Finally, the department manager and his brother-in-law, who is also a coworker, arrive with a tool box and try to open several doors into the building with them. After some time, they realise this isn’t working, either. Seeing only one solution, the department manager takes his hammer and smashes the man-high window next to the front door, after which he carefully enters, shuts off the alarm, and opens the front door manually. In order to get to our department, the two men have to force another door open, this time without breaking anything, but still…

When I see the senior manager a few hours later, he is trying to laugh it off as “a little mistake.” I have always seen him as a typical “David Brent” style manager, who prefers being funny over being professional, while not being really funny, either. By now, I feel sure about this more than ever.

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