Gold sticker fiasco prompts reintroduction of Jobsworth Award.
If, like me, you were growing up or living in the UK during the 1970s and 80s, you may well remember a TV programme called That’s Life. Hosted by Esther Rantzen (and her teeth), the magazine-style programme was a forerunner of the consumer protection format we see today, interspersed with photos of unusually-shaped vegetables and dogs that could say “sausages”.
But the programme was also responsible for introducing the term Jobsworth (as in “it’s more than my job’s worth”) into the English language to describe companies and authorities that had implemented obscure regulations and policies that caused more grievances than they aimed to correct.
And now, having just seen a new Twitter post from our good friend Rob Kulinski about a demolition contractor who lost a contract because they had the wrong kind of seal on their financial documentation (no, REALLY) we have decided to reintroduce the Jobsworth Award.
And our inaugural winner of the (slightly less than coveted) Jobsworth Mug award is David Tincher, head of West Virginia’s Division of Purchasing, for “officiousness in the face of overwhelming reason”.
Sadly, we’re unable to send the physical award to Mr Tincher for fear of using the wrong kind of packaging, postage stamp etc.
However, if there’s anyone out there that you believe deserves to be “honoured” in this way, please let us know.
