As any cubicle-dweller knows, the first thing you do when you return from a vacation is to run through the checklist:
- Delete all phone messages. If it’s important they’ll talk to you in person.
- Check how many unread e-mails you have.
- Delete unread e-mails.
- Check for mould on the bottom of your coffee mug.
- Wash mug and get caffeinated.
- Check for mould on the lunch that you left in the fridge before you left. If there’s mould, put someone else’s initials on it; otherwise, have breakfast.
- Check the contents of your drawers — er — desk drawers. Some items may have wandered off.
- Catch up on important events around the water cooler. If the water cooler is in an inconvenient spot, stand around a different object, like the photocopier or the coffee machine.
- Make sure the penguins are arranged nicely. Sometimes coworkers may play with your things when you’re gone. You may not appreciate their artistic composition.
