Routine is part of office life. All of us, at one time or another, have developed our own rituals, both big and small, that carry us through our working day in the office. And, even though we sometimes get a bit bored of them, we feel comfortable with the security our routines bring.
The morning I want to tell you about began just like that, running through the sequence of rituals which, repeated every single morning, make up the rhythm of my daily working life. Coffee from the espresso machine, a double shot please. A quick look at the front pages of the newspapers, to keep myself up-to-date. Then I opened my e-mail and started work.
Everything was going smoothly. Nothing seemed likely to disturb the status quo. Or so I thought until the phone rang. I picked up the receiver. It was Gerhard Tratter, the owner of the company, on the line.
With a hint of concern in his voice he told me: “a film crew from RAI is about to pay us a visit and they want to do an investigative piece on the company. I can’t get back for an hour, so make sure everything is in order.”
I put the phone down and, for a few seconds, I went blank. A RAI crew was coming to the company premises and I had to make sure that everything was in order. Easy enough to say, but what exactly did he mean by “make sure that everything is in order?”
After taking a deep breath, I got down to work. I left my office and started knocking on my colleagues’ doors. I needed help: there were desks to tidy up, samples to select, ashtrays to empty and a thousand other details to take care of.
There was no way I could have done it on my own. Thank goodness for my colleagues. They helped to calm me down and clear my head. If we all worked together we could get everything done.
So we got organised and, very quickly, managed to sort everything out. Just as we were adding the final touches, the crew knocked on the door.
Gerhard was with them but, fortunately, everything was perfect. In the end the report turned out really well. Would you like to see it?
Then click here!
