The Wrong Lunch

For months, the two teams on the third floor had argued about the shared meeting room. The designers wanted it for discussions; the accountants wanted somewhere quiet to make calls. Messages about bookings became shorter and less friendly.

One Tuesday, two takeaway lunches arrived at the same time. Clara from design picked up the bag with her name on it. Upstairs, she discovered a meal she had not ordered. The label on the container said Colin.

She went across the corridor to exchange lunches. Colin was standing beside his desk, looking equally confused. They laughed and decided to eat together in the kitchen.

Clara mentioned that her team rarely needed the meeting room before eleven. Colin explained that most of his calls were early because his clients worked in a different time zone.

"Why didn't we say that in the messages?" Clara asked.

They drew up a simple timetable on a napkin. It did not solve every booking problem, but it gave both teams a useful starting point.

The next week, the lunch orders were correct. Clara still walked across the corridor to ask Colin if he was ready to eat.