Don't buy 4 cookies for 15 people
My best friend at work told me a tragic story this week: her boss brought in a treat for the team, but not nearly enough treat. The boss went to a local cookie joint and purchased 4 cookies for the team, and then excitedly emailed the staff about these cookies. The only problem? There are 15 people on staff.
We discussed if the boss might be fat shaming. Is this some sort of test to see who would eat the scarce sweet? We decided, ultimately, that the manager meant well, but it didn’t matter. The end result was tearing people apart. Who would/should go first? Could we split the cookies? They are larger than normal, but it’s weird to split a treat in Covid times, and even if they did, it still wouldn’t create enough sugary matter for 15 people. Covid aside, no one wants to be caught in a Judgement of Solomon-moment with a professional colleague over a cookie.
Don’t buy 4 cookies for 15 people and consider it a triumph. In close consultation with colleagues, we agreed that you can bring in “leftovers” of insufficient amounts—as long as you state up front they are leftovers—because it presents a totally random opportunity of indulgence. But you can’t profess to be a generous giver if you knowingly purchase insufficient quanitities. Honestly, it’s better to do nothing at all.
At the water cooler
The Boston Celtics have taken a 3-0 lead in their 7 game series over the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. This is worth chatter because many thought the Nets—lead by arguably the greatest basketball player on the planet, Kevin Durant—would win the series. It’s also worth chatter because we all know way too many people who are fans of Boston teams.