£7million Spent on Consultants Who Advise Civil Servants to Put 'Black Tape on Desks'

This Is London ^ | 1/4/2007 | This Is London

[prov1813man]

Actually, I have never been a very good employee. For this reason, i might mistake "inactive fruit" to be one of the former hall monitors trying to implement the "efficiencies". Hard to say where I might stuff it (or him).

That being said, the most efficient way to measure the success of a new program like this is by it's acceptance and implementation in the work force. If it actually aids in productivity and focus, they will warmly receive it.

I somehow doubt this to be true in this particular case.

[muawiyah]

This is a satire ~ obviously so.

Now in the private sector they'd do it far different. Larry and Bobby Tisch actually used lasers to help align the desks at their insurance company perfectly.

Their rule was no paper on the desks overnight, so everyone had to put everything away.

Larry thought he could get away with that at USPS ~ just put all the mail away in the evening ~

Consultants and private sector geniuses are all like that.

[muawiyah]

Look, every office worker with a serious "paper flow" knows, sequentially, by date of aging, exactly where every single document is that he or she has to work.

Clearing the desk messes up the sort and leads to inefficiency as people search fruitlessly for lost documents.

If it's outa'sight it's outa'mind, and the work will never get done.

Consultants are another reason why the Second Amendment was devised and given such prominance in the Constitution.

[JesusBmyGod]

These folks should put tape around their butt hole to show them where they can shove all this.

LOL!!

[Mr J]

"and took the money."

LOL. Definitely a lesson for us all: Never argue with a paying client.

[Beagle8U]

"along with any 'inactive fruit'. "

The tape is a stupid idea, but I can see getting rid of the inactive fruits.

[NonValueAdded]

And repressed workers are supposed to be happy productive workers? Oh, I guess they taped over that too. Who did they hire, Monk?

[GrandEagle]

a lesson for us all:
LOL! Yep... As long as it's legal, safe, and ethical; If you pay for it, I'll do my best to accomplish it!

[Last Laugh]

ROFLOL!

Really!

And the employees don't mind being treated like idiots?

I would NOT make a good government employee.

[MilspecRob]

Same with mine, in addition, equipment that was used only occasionally went into storage and promptly disappeared forever.

[Calvin Locke]

If *that* is London, well, good luck to them.

[GretchenM]

An expensive exercise in trying to herd cats.

[Gorzaloon]

This obsession with clear desks belies my experience. I've known plenty of administrative workers whose offices are a complete mess, and know every scrap of paper in the room and get things done like gangbusters.

Same here. We had an anal-type who once at a meeting preached "A cluttered desk bespeaks a cluttered mind".

I asked, "What does an EMPTY desk indicate?"

I think the "rules" mentioned in the article are really an experiment in social psychology. They want to see how far the maze-running mice can be pushed before there is finally an indignant and righteous explosion with great loss of Life.

It MUST be some monsterous experiment- Spy cameras everywhere, fines for Improper Use of the Dustbin, ER employees not allowed to interrupt their lunch for emergencies, a sadistic and murderous National Health. I think I shall take a quick peek at one of the papers right now:

---

"Cllr Smith, above, said: "It gets its fair share of anti-social behaviour like the city is getting in general but the firebombing is a step up from the normal."

---

"He said: "What gives him the right to verbally abuse me and use my hair colour as an insult?"

---

"Almost 1,300 high-risk offenders are living in the community in bail and probation hostels in England and Wales, according to official figures."

---

"A THIEF has stolen a urinal from the toilets of a Southampton pub... The man thought to be responsible had casually enjoyed half a pint of Fosters before strolling into the men's toilets and removing the urinal.

---

I think our old friends and allies have finally gone bonkers. Maybe the Black Tape Rules will finally get them to start throwing tea into the Harbour!

[texas booster]

What do you want to bet that someone files for a civil disability claim, maybe for mental health issues or anxiety attacks, and then gets lifetime disability at 75% pay.

All because a neatnick busybody needed to collect a paycheck, and all of the administrators were too coward to tell them they had stupid ideas.

[c-b 1]

A tidy desk is the sign of a sick mind.

The bean counters would have a heart attack if they saw my desk.

[tang-soo]

I hear the voice of John Cleese while reading this.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Ah, yes, the Cubicle Police!

At one place I worked, mere workers could not have high-backed chairs (even though there were plenty to go around) because that type of chair was only for managers!

At another place, they regularly inspected cubicles for tidiness. They actually roped one cubicle off with "Do Not Cross" yellow tape, because it wasn't up to their standards!

[Lockbar]

[Petey139]

I'd would have suggested that for $1 Million US, saving Her Majesty $6.4 Million Pounds. Thats what I would have called efficiantcy.

[Radio_Silence]

Exactly - poor application and execution of a sound production philosophy.