Here's one question to really get an Internationista's knickers in a twist: Why do we always have to wait around for the maintenance man to arrive?
Whatever country I've lived in the situation with the plumber, electrician or general "Mr Fix It" is always the same. They never give an exact estimated time of arrival. Instead it's usually something like "any time between 8 and 12 or 2 and 5 - either way it's half a day off work.
While most professions require time management with exact timings scheduled for appointments and meetings: team meeting 9am; copy deadline 2pm; international conference call 4pm; for some unexplainable reason the Mr Fix Its around the world have been made exempt from having to adhere to meeting exact set timings.
I can imagine it now. Two older wise looking fellows in flowy white robes and hair, perhaps one with the aged face of Simon Cowell and the other Piers Morgan, flipping over one profession card after another and separating them into piles of those who have to keep exact time and those who don't: "lawyers - yes; cleaners - yes; journalists - yes; politicians - yes; butchers - yes"... and the yes list gets bigger and bigger until...
"Doctors?" Piers pauses and turns to Simon.
"Look, to be completely honest with you", starts Simon, "we can't be seen to be playing favourite so Doctors should also be expected to keep exact timed appointments."
"Absolutely", nods Piers in agreement before placing Doctors into the "yes" pile and turning over the "Mr Fix It" card. Piers shakes his head.
Simon nods in agreement, "that's a 100 per cent "no" from me too Piers". And down goes Mr Fix It - the only card sitting in the "No" pile.
So while everyone else has to keep exact time Mr Fix it does not. Aside from the ruling of Simon and Piers why is this so?
Surely, the cost of keeping some people out of work for the time they have to wait around for Mr Fix It would in some cases outweigh the entire costs of the job. So from a global economic perspective this exemption doesn't seem to make much sense. Why do we all allow this loss of productivity for Mr Fix It but for no one else?
I appreciate that some maintanence jobs may run longer than others and things may have to be prioritised and rescheduled, just like all jobs and just as happens now with Mr Fix It when he is unable to make his "anytime between 8 and 12" appointment. But this still doesn't explain why they can't start off with an exact scheduled time like everyone else.
As I wait for my Mr Fix It to arrive sometime between 2pm and 4pm today(after he rescheduled his first appointment, spent 5 minutes on the second before letting me know he'd have to go and get a spare part but wouldn't be able to come back until the following week) I realise I have spent 1.5 days away from work. It seems the only one working hard is Mr Fix It - if only he could fix his time management then so could the rest of us.
Whatever country I've lived in the situation with the plumber, electrician or general "Mr Fix It" is always the same. They never give an exact estimated time of arrival. Instead it's usually something like "any time between 8 and 12 or 2 and 5 - either way it's half a day off work.
While most professions require time management with exact timings scheduled for appointments and meetings: team meeting 9am; copy deadline 2pm; international conference call 4pm; for some unexplainable reason the Mr Fix Its around the world have been made exempt from having to adhere to meeting exact set timings.
I can imagine it now. Two older wise looking fellows in flowy white robes and hair, perhaps one with the aged face of Simon Cowell and the other Piers Morgan, flipping over one profession card after another and separating them into piles of those who have to keep exact time and those who don't: "lawyers - yes; cleaners - yes; journalists - yes; politicians - yes; butchers - yes"... and the yes list gets bigger and bigger until...
"Doctors?" Piers pauses and turns to Simon.
"Look, to be completely honest with you", starts Simon, "we can't be seen to be playing favourite so Doctors should also be expected to keep exact timed appointments."
"Absolutely", nods Piers in agreement before placing Doctors into the "yes" pile and turning over the "Mr Fix It" card. Piers shakes his head.
Simon nods in agreement, "that's a 100 per cent "no" from me too Piers". And down goes Mr Fix It - the only card sitting in the "No" pile.
So while everyone else has to keep exact time Mr Fix it does not. Aside from the ruling of Simon and Piers why is this so?
Surely, the cost of keeping some people out of work for the time they have to wait around for Mr Fix It would in some cases outweigh the entire costs of the job. So from a global economic perspective this exemption doesn't seem to make much sense. Why do we all allow this loss of productivity for Mr Fix It but for no one else?
I appreciate that some maintanence jobs may run longer than others and things may have to be prioritised and rescheduled, just like all jobs and just as happens now with Mr Fix It when he is unable to make his "anytime between 8 and 12" appointment. But this still doesn't explain why they can't start off with an exact scheduled time like everyone else.
As I wait for my Mr Fix It to arrive sometime between 2pm and 4pm today(after he rescheduled his first appointment, spent 5 minutes on the second before letting me know he'd have to go and get a spare part but wouldn't be able to come back until the following week) I realise I have spent 1.5 days away from work. It seems the only one working hard is Mr Fix It - if only he could fix his time management then so could the rest of us.
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