measurements
For 12 of the my last 14 years at work I managed a small team dedicated to handling appeals against benefit decisions my department as a whole had made.
This involved looking at all the facts and evidence used to make the decision, applying the correct law and coming to a conclusion whether my department was right or had cocked up.
Usually, if we had made the correct decision the case proceeded to an independent tribunal, and we had to prepare a (sometimes lengthy - but not if I could help it) submission detailing the case. These of course then had to be stored somewhere.
So one day I decided we needed a new lockable and secure cabinet to store these submissions. Something about 6 feet high with 4 or 5 internal shelves should do the trick so I got our office furniture catalogue, ordered the cabinet and waited patiently for its arrival.
About 2 days later there was a knock on our office door and outside was a man from the furniture company. "I've got your new cupboard" he announced. I asked him if he needed any help to get it from the van and whether the door space was adequate to fit the cupboard through.
He looked down.
I looked down.
There, sitting miserably on the corridor floor was the smallest cabinet imaginable to mankind. Barely knee high it was good for next to nothing.
I'd got my centimetres and inches mixed up while looking at the catalogue.
Ushering the man inside with my new cupboard resulted in howls of laughter from my team. My head of department, who's office was next door rushed out to see what was causing the commotion and joined in with the laughter.
We kept the cupboard - it was just the right height for a kettle and our mugs, and big enough to store tea bags and coffee.
We had to order another cupboard.
I wasn't allowed to do it.
This involved looking at all the facts and evidence used to make the decision, applying the correct law and coming to a conclusion whether my department was right or had cocked up.
Usually, if we had made the correct decision the case proceeded to an independent tribunal, and we had to prepare a (sometimes lengthy - but not if I could help it) submission detailing the case. These of course then had to be stored somewhere.
So one day I decided we needed a new lockable and secure cabinet to store these submissions. Something about 6 feet high with 4 or 5 internal shelves should do the trick so I got our office furniture catalogue, ordered the cabinet and waited patiently for its arrival.
About 2 days later there was a knock on our office door and outside was a man from the furniture company. "I've got your new cupboard" he announced. I asked him if he needed any help to get it from the van and whether the door space was adequate to fit the cupboard through.
He looked down.
I looked down.
There, sitting miserably on the corridor floor was the smallest cabinet imaginable to mankind. Barely knee high it was good for next to nothing.
I'd got my centimetres and inches mixed up while looking at the catalogue.
Ushering the man inside with my new cupboard resulted in howls of laughter from my team. My head of department, who's office was next door rushed out to see what was causing the commotion and joined in with the laughter.
We kept the cupboard - it was just the right height for a kettle and our mugs, and big enough to store tea bags and coffee.
We had to order another cupboard.
I wasn't allowed to do it.
LOL 'I wasn't allowed to do it'! Perfect! (reminds me of our city who spent 700K for iPads for elections and found out AFTER they were NOT compatible with the voting software! And now the woman who ordered them wants to order new android ones, They won't let her either!!!)
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