It is important in business, as it is in life, to read the small print. This is also true when you are signing employment agreements.
I say this to lead into a public apology that I feel obligated to make following the Cottage Kindergarten’s disco and fish and chip night.*
And so it began
The whanau arrived at this event, and husband advised me, (as he had read the invitation) that fish and chips were supplied. I entered the Kindergarten and immediately worked my way down a long narrow table taking hot chips from the various newspaper parcels strewn along the table as I went. Along the tables were seated families, and on occasion, I reached between people to get at the food.
And then it starts going downhill
After being in court all day I was really hungry and grabbed a handful of chips from each packet. As a woman next to me went to (I thought) close her package up and throw the chips out I proceeded to grab the package advising her that “I’ll take those”. I was confused when she looked at me slightly off put and said that she was only closing the packet to move along and make room.
But wait! It gets worse
Undaunted I then proceeded to eat those chips and also look longingly around at other parcels where pieces of fish had yet to be eaten. It was only after I had undertaken this kamikaze-like assault on the fish and chips that it became apparent to me that people coming in were carrying their own packages. What my husband had failed to read was that it was a BYO fish and chip night.
I have been traumatised by this event. The only way that I can think that I can save my name from becoming known around the Kindergarten as a cheapskate and a rude person is by publicly apologising to all those whom I leaned over and grabbed their food and particularly to the lady whose entire parcel of food I stole.
I blame my husband entirely.This event is only slightly worse than the occasion that we took our newborn baby to Wellington only to find out that he had not read the invitation properly. We arrived a day late for the wedding.
Moral of the Story
Read agreements.
Do not rely on other people reading your employment agreements and telling you what they say - other people may not read important clauses (like bring your own fish and chips and the wedding is on FRIDAY). If you don’t read your agreement and sign it anyway you don’t get the opportunity like I did to blame your husband - you just end up looking stupid.
