Runny Noses, Not A Tissue In Sight

This is a typical long winded story of mine, you may find it boring, but oh well...it makes me smirk all the same:

At my old work, it was mid-winter, and everyone had the sniffles because they were catching colds/flues. I emailed the Admin Manager asking her for tissues, and was shocked to see a reply of, "Sorry, our company does not supply employees with tissues". I was very angry at this point, and could not believe what I was reading (although I later found out it is quite common for organisations not to supply tissues). I emailed the HR Manager then, forwarding on the Admin Manager’s reply, and adding, "Isn’t it common courtesy to supply us with tissues, as you would toilet paper, computer paper, etc?" It is a common necessity. Anyway, the HR Manager replied, "No, sorry, we do not supply tissues to employees; you will have to bring your own in".

I couldn't believe what I was reading, and as this process was occurring, I let all of my colleagues know what was going on. They were annoyed, but happy to bring in their own tissues at this point. Because I was going on-and-on about this (okay, I was at a point in my career where I didn't want to be in that company any more!), my colleagues started a Tissue Fund for me, and they passed around a large envelope for all staff in our department to contribute some coins to go towards purchasing my team some tissues. The outcome was that they presented me with a tissue box, and I couldn't stop laughing at the situation, at their kindness especially; yet could not believe our employer could be so inconsiderate to the needs of their employees.

The story doesn't end.

I started a new job just recently, and noticed that I needed a tissue. I asked my colleague for one of his tissues, and he said, "Oh, I'll get you your own box...they have heaps of them somewhere around. I'll just go find you a box..". With that simple comment, it made my day. A company that FINALLY supplies its employees with tissue boxes. I contacted my ex-Team Leader and told him the joyous news, as he was the one to organise the Tissue Fund for me in my previous job. He was happy to hear this, but disappointed that his new job does not supply him with tissues!!

The outcome: My nose is happy. I am happy. I go to work with a smile on my face as I have learnt to appreciate the simple things in life (even if it is a box of tissues!).