A birthday in the office always serves as a reminder that even the simplest celebration can be fraught with inter-office politics. To some, not signing the card or not getting a slice of cake can be more traumatic than not getting their annual bonus. Those who believe that smacks of over-reaction should remember the trials of Amanda Ross.
Who? Amanda, sister-in-law of Jonathan Ross, is the co-founder of Cactus TV - the company at the heart of the phone-in scandal on the Richard & Judy show earlier this year. She is also (in)famous for her reaction to being missed out of the loop for signing a member of staff’s birthday card. Her consequent internal memo to staff expressed her disgust and, thanks to the miracle of the Interweb, found its way to the PC of every television producer in the land.
A taster of the memo reveals her pain…
The Cactus birthday tradition is mine, and I effectively pay for it, so if you can’t make it happen that I get to sign the card, then I will stop it. You are not to circulate any cards before I have signed them. This 'sounds draconian' but you have forced me to be that way.
Those wishing to avoid the pitfalls of workplace celebrations would do well to read and take note of the whole sorry story.
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