There's One in Every Office

ST LUKE'S: This is genuine. Names have been changed to protect the petty.

Dear Mr ********,

I am an ******** ******** on the second floor. I'm sorry to bother you with the most trivial of matters, but I've been advised to write to you by Mr ********. I'm in the habit of (once or twice per day) collecting a coffee from the first floor and taking it upstairs to drink at my desk (well away from the keyboard may I add). The reason for this is quite simply that the coffee is drinkable, unlike the godawful stuff on the second floor. Mr ******** says I must drink the coffee on the first floor before returning upstairs.

I've said that I'm unwilling to do this, that his attitude is somewhat over-officious (health and safety concerns). I consider this a waste of time I need to be working and in any case I am careful in drinking the coffee at my workstation. He in turn advised me to bring it up with you. Could you please rule on this? If, as I suspect, you agree with him, could I ask that eventually we might have equivalent coffee-making facililities upstairs? Again, sorry to detain you with something so apparently trivial.

Yours sincerely,

***************