A Slice of Office Life

To give you a true idea of what life in the cube farm as an admin is really like, I've decided to give you a minute by minute account of my time in the office. I've chosen Tuesday, because that's supposedly the most productive day of the week. I was going to do a whole day, but that would be too boring. So here's just one hour, as it unfolded:


10:00 Nico is in front of her work station. A cow-orker has just placed three courier bags full of files for her to log on her desk. She's opened one, and will open the others as soon as she checks her email.

10:02 Checks her email. There's nothing new. Figures she'll check the Necro forums too. Nothing there either.

10:05 Opens the other courier bags. Checks through files, removing a few that need to be sent interstate and placing them in the appropriate out box. Sorts through the rest.

10:08 Attempts to open database needed to track files. It has logged Nico out. Halfway through logging back in, the bell at the unattended reception rings; it's a customer who, disgruntled with trying to call the national company query line and not getting anywhere, has decided to visit the office. Nico explains that we simply cannot handle the enquiry here, and gives the customer another number to call (the number they should have been calling, which was clearly printed on the unread paperwork). A brief verbal altercation ensures; eventually the customer leaves.


10:20 Nico returns to her desk. She can't remember what she was meant to be doing, so checks email again.


10:25 Sees the piles of files, resumes logging into database.

10:27 Takes phone call from lazy sales rep, wanting to be put through to the Melbourne office rather than calling themselves.


10:30 Nico commences logging the work. Many of the files are incomplete; other databases are brought into play to fix things up.


10:40 One file has totally incomprehensible handwritten instructions in the notes. Nico wants to help, but is confused as how to: sf5!gsfb ~yjdf89.T.fcse Decides to send file to self in internal mail, buying a few days time whilst she works out what to do.


10:48 Irresistible sugar cravings send Nico to the kitchen for cookies.


10:52 Back at desk. Phone again. Wrong number.


10:58 Nico is almost finished her work now. As she doesn't leave for another six hours, she puts the last two files aside and commences a free-cell challenge (Best of 25 games).

~~~~~
And this is my life, yes!

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