Our resident corporate Agony Uncle, CEO Ken Cheng, tackles business challenges – so you don’t have to
Dear Ken Cheng,
There are too many flies in my office. Our boss won’t invest in flytraps or anything to deal with them. Would you go against his wishes and set up your own flytraps?
– Red, Worcestershire
Ken Cheng:
If your boss wants flies in the office, then that’s how it goes.
The office is much like the boss’s home. You don’t turn up to someone’s house and say things like “this furniture is ugly,” “your bathroom needs cleaning” or “I think I saw a rat”.
No. This is unacceptable, even when it’s obvious this is what your guests are thinking.
Yes, I have a rat problem. Yes, I don’t have time to clean my own bathroom, but it will get dirty anyway, so why clean it. And yes, I got all my furniture from a site that recycles old office chairs and sells them for cheap.
My point is, you have no right to tell someone how to organise their home, and the same applies to the office.
Our office once had a massive ant and cockroach problem. I’m talking hundreds of them, crawling maniacally everywhere. Did we hire pest control?
No, because shutting down the office for pest control would cost us millions. Every decision, from what furniture you buy (seriously, use old office furniture) to whether you want to be working an infested zone is a pure business decision.
Is it ideal to be surrounded by swarms of pests? No. But it is the only profitable way.
To have your business issues addressed or to book Ken Cheng for your event: [email protected]
