Another useful Managerial strategy for grabbing a few quiet, deep-breathing moments at one’s desk is Task Allocation for Company Excursions.

Our company fish tank has a sadly high turnover rate,  and the CEO has been after me for weeks now to recruit a new team of fish. Taking a new hire and two-year employee on one’s own to the pet store, though, may *seem* like a good idea in theory, since there are so many interesting things to look at, but it is not.

The CEO says, What, it’s pretty much a field trip! Right? CEO’s can be so naive, the poor dears. I suggested that if it was so easy, why didn’t the CEO take over this excursion.

Ultimately, perhaps after realizing the word-eating potential of the proposed mission, the CEO opted to take just one employee to the pet store. But in many ways, it was still a win-win decision for the entire company. At the pet store, K.Lo assisted in selecting a new team of fish, and also participated in a pet store-wide scavenger hunt, with a mission to find: The snakes! The birds! Lizards! Spiders! Frogs! Rats! Chinchillas! Ferrets! Rabbits!

On second thought, maybe the pet store is a great field trip for a two-year employee. However, with a new hire under one’s supervision as well, all a Manager can see in the pet store are: Glass tanks! Puppy puddles! The Canine Cookie Bar! Among other potential hazards.

Back at the office, The Manager assisted both the Kitchen and Housekeeping staffs in a whirlwind tour, cooking and straightening at a speed simply not possible with both employees underfoot. N.Lo played happily on the floor with a pile of Company Kitchen supplies, while I completed a stack of paperwork. After about an hour, K.Lo and the CEO returned from their excursion, which was deemed a success.

The only question remaining is for the Scheduling Department: can we do this again soon?