STORIES

These stories are designed to encourage thinking and discussion about Public Service values and standards. They are illustrative stories only and not intended to describe or identify real people in particular situations that have occurred.

CAN YOU HELP ME OUT?

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David prides himself on his new role as a front-line staff member for the department in the provincial town where he grew up. He knows what it's like to be on the other side of his desk - if it weren't for some night classes, he would still be sitting in the waiting area. David values this opportunity and is determined to do well.

One day, David's aunty pops in just before lunchtime. Mary works at the community early childhood education centre. She tells David that she is late with the weekly newsletter and hasn't time to go to the library to photocopy it. She asks David if he can quickly run off 60 copies on the photocopier in his office. If he does this for her, she will then have time to take him to lunch.

SUNDAY ROAST

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Lunch at Judy's is always fun and, as usual, she has assembled an interesting bunch. Jan finds herself sitting next to an enthusiastic commentator who appears to be very well informed about a policy project that Jan is currently working on.

"I understand you're an economic analyst in the department's tax unit," says Ana, a reporter - Jan discovers - for the Economic Weekly Review. "I've heard the Minister's announcing some major changes tomorrow - that's right, isn't it? They'll directly affect regional and small businesses, won't they? It's OK, I already know the details."

It's clear that Ana has received some fairly accurate information from somewhere - but the announcement isn't until the day after next. On the other hand, Jan doesn't want to lie or mislead her.

YOU MIGHT THINK THAT...

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Alan's second piece of toast is arrested on the way to his plate as Morning Report's Geoff Robinson quotes the Minister as saying his error was due to poor advice from ministry staff.

Suddenly, that strawberry jam's lost its appeal. Alan and his team had disagreed with the Minister's proposed course of action, based on their extensive research and experience. They had strongly advised the Minister to redirect this policy. Now, as they had predicted, the Minister's decision has been disastrous, ineffective and costly. Opposition MPs and the media are making a real meal of the issue.

However, now it seems Alan and his staff have been publicly denounced as incompetent and unreliable in their field of expertise.

Alan considered his next course of action carefully as he tipped his coffee down the sink.

AND THE WINNER IS...

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Sandy heaved a sigh of relief - she'd made the airport in time. It had certainly been a rush. She was pleased that she would now have time to look over her notes for the presentation one more time before the flight. Being a member of the Koru Club made this easy with the quiet environment and office resources. Yet again, she was grateful that the organisation paid for her membership. 'Lately, I seem to be spending more time working in Koru Lounges than I do in the office', she thought wryly.

After handing in her luggage and ticket, Sandy dropped her business card into the monthly draw jar. She could win a bottle of wine when the draw is made. Maybe her card will win the six-monthly prize of the weekend trip for two to Sydney. She wondered if she should mention it at work or not if she won.

Sandy checked her watch - her partner Steve was due at the airport in a few minutes. He was on the same flight. Steve, not being a member of the Koru Club, had asked Sandy if she could give him one of her 'visitor' cards so that he could meet her in there. Sandy's employer, in paying for her membership of the club had also paid for the limited number of 'visitor' cards available to members.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

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Dan frowned at the memo from Jane, his manager. 'OK, this really was awkward', he thought. Last week he'd been asked to collect quotes from local contractors and present a shortlist with his recommendation for the job. Now, Jane had returned the shortlist, rejecting Dan's recommendation.

All right, it wasn't the cheapest quote he had recommended - but the one with the most value for money. The contractor he'd highlighted was the best one for the job, offering extra benefits at an overall lower rate than the others. But this wasn't what was bothering Dan. The trouble was that he now knew that Jane's choice was a company owned and operated by her brother-in-law.

'What am I going to do now?' he sighed.

THE OLD BOYS

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"Mate! How's it going?" Dave called out. Gary hadn't seen Dave in a month or so - not since Dave had resigned and taken a job in the private sector. When they used to work together, they not only saw each other daily, but had socialised together outside office hours as well.

"Flat out, flat out. You know how it is." Gary shook Dave's hand.

Talk over lunch centred largely on gossip about old acquaintances and colleagues, but as the meal was ending, Dave asked Gary about the Internet project Gary had started just before his resignation.

"You know, mate, I'm trying to secure a bit of the flow-on work from that at the moment, so it's going to be pretty significant to me which way you lot decide to go on this."

Gary carefully concentrated on finding his credit card. One minute he's enjoying a catch up with an old mate and now he's not sure what to say.

Dave quickly grabbed the bill just as Gary leaned across the table to pick it up. "Hey, mate, put your wallet back - this one's on me, OK?"

SCHOOL'S OUT

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"What's wrong?" asked Pania, as Leanne threw a stack of papers down on her desk and sighed.

"Oh, it's just these recommendations for school closures. I know what our policy is and the

Minister's approach, but it's just that..."

"Just that what?"

Leanne sighed again. "Well, one of the schools I may have to recommend for closure is where my nephews go to school. It just doesn't seem fair. They really love it there."

"Oh, I see. Do you have to recommend closure for that one?" asked Pania.

Leanne frowned. "Well, all the information's pointing to that but I'll have to think about what to do, I guess."

GREAT DAY FOR A GRILLING

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"Perfect weather for a barbecue, Hugh," said David. "Did you requisition it?"

Hugh laughed. It was great weather - and Heather's new job meant that they had a really interesting mix of people invited. He knew that Heather was very nervous about how this evening would go - she was very keen to impress her new boss, David, and her new co-workers. He'd told her not to worry and that he would help keep the conversation flowing.

However, Hugh hadn't counted on her colleagues being so interested in the recent media debate between his Minister and the Opposition MPs. Suddenly, it was dominating the conversation and everyone seemed to be taking an interest. Hugh decided to turn his attention to cooking the steaks and hoped no one would include him. This particular debate was over an issue in his department with many possible legal implications. What was more - Heather's new boss seemed to be strongly supportive of the Opposition's views on the matter.

"Hey, Hugh," called David, "he's your Minister, isn't he? What's the story? Come on, don't hold out on us - everyone's talking about it."

CAN I QUOTE YOU ON THAT?

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Kerry answered the incoming call in her usual chirpy way and listened carefully to the caller's explanation and enquiry.

"OK," she responded, "so you're with which newspaper? Let me get this straight, you're wanting a comment on how the recently announced policy will impact on our region?"

Kerry paused. She knew it was standard practice to refer all media enquiries to the communications unit in the head office or her regional manager Rhea. She also knew Rhea was away until the next day.

"When do you need the comment? Oh, today - are you sure? By midday? And you're sure you want my opinion - a comment directly from me?"

This was getting tricky. The reporter seemed very nice and Kerry could see the possibilities for

a really positive local story about the department. Lately, it seemed like there was only bad news published about the department. This looked like a great opportunity to finally get some good news out there on this issue, but it wasn't standard policy for her to comment.

"Yes, I'm still here." Kerry made up her mind. "Well, the thing is..."

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

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Maggie slowly chewed her mouthful of cereal. She was deep in thought. Last night's meeting of the school's Board of Trustees had been pretty standard. Still, she had been surprised when Fiona, the Chairperson, had asked her to consider being a member of an education advocacy group.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Joe, Maggie's husband.

"About the advocacy group? Think about it, I guess," she said.

"Will you have time to fit it in, with the hours you're working at the department and then the Board of Trustees - not to mention all the running around you do for the kids?"

"I don't know. If I take it on, I'll have to be more - I don't know - sort of public. You know what I mean? I've never had to make overt political statements while I've been on the Board. Joining this group would mean advocating their position on a number of issues. They won't all fit in with current government policy, either."

"Have you got long to decide?" Joe asked.

"Not long enough, I think."

FAMILY PRIDE

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Howard read his niece's e-mail again. It was great that she was doing so well - he made a mental note to send a quick e-mail to his sister to congratulate her on her daughter's success. Howard had quite a soft spot for Huia and he was really pleased that she had chosen to study public administration - his area of expertise. Howard was keen to help her with her studies.

Fond of her or not, though - he wasn't sure if he could help. Huia's e-mail was asking for information to support a piece on the latest policy developments in his department. Well, that was easy enough, but the trouble was the deadline. The really useful information for her paper was about to be released, but he wasn't sure when - it could be weeks away. Huia had to hand in her paper in a fortnight.

It is going to be public anyway, Howard thought, but, then again, that doesn't make it public now.

Howard hit the 'reply' button on the e-mail and started to type.

SIT DOWN, YOU'RE ROCKING THE BOAT

(Illustrated story here - PDF )

"What do you think?" asked Helena.

"It doesn't matter what we think," said Rob, agitatedly. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm for an easy life. You know that," said Colin.

Rob and Helena glared at him.

"I'm just being honest," said Colin defensively. "And realistic. He's made it very clear that he's not going to change it. He is our senior manager, you know."

"Look," said Helena, "we all know that the proposal contains false assumptions. We've all tried to talk to him about it. I just want to know what we're going to do."

"Well, we've done our best. It's not our problem now," said Colin. "You can rest easy that you've done all you can and we can just get on with our lives. OK?"

"I'm not so sure, Colin," said Rob. "I think maybe we should challenge the paper."

"OK. Fine. Do what you like - but I'm not forgetting his little reminder about the staff reviews next month. That's all I'm saying."

HANG ON A MINUTE...

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"Sam, I've read through Kate's memo and your draft response" said John flicking through a three-page paper, from Kate, a senior manager, "and I agree with you that we just can't endorse this. It would be completely inappropriate - you've identified the reasons why. So, I'm comfortable with this approach."

"OK." Sam nodded - she was quietly pleased that Kate didn't get her own way this time as she usually managed to, and that she had her manager's support. She took the memo off John's hands and set off down the stairs to Kate's office. 'Yes', thought Sam, I'm sure she'll live with it - it's not like this place has money to burn.'

Kate was sitting reading at her desk when Sam walked in. "Sam! What can I do for you?" Kate smiled and motioned for Sam to take a seat.

"Hi Kate. Well..." Sam explained the situation, choosing her words carefully. As she spoke, she noticed Kate's face drop, then turn red. Finally, she shouted "I am totally astounded at you people - I can't believe it! Hang on a minute." Suddenly, Kate stood up, stormed across the room towards her door and motioned for others working outside to come in. The next minute, five of Kate's staff entered the office.

"Now, Sam," said Kate in a stern voice, "I want you to explain to my team why you aren't going to agree with my proposal. You tell them why their project won't get funding!"

Sam looked around. Everyone in the room had their arms folded and was glaring at her - obviously waiting for her to answer. Sam felt very uneasy as she struggled to find the right words with which to respond...

CHEERS!

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Murray sat at his computer, going through and deleting his e-mails. 'Finally', he sighed, 'I can relax a bit. We've had so many clients through over the last two weeks, but it feels like we are on top of things now. It's about time we were shown a bit of appreciation around here though', he thought. It was only through our hard work we managed to get through them all.

As Murray pulled out a file, in preparation for his first client meeting of the day, he heard a familiar voice in the background. He looked up to see Max, a fairly regular client, breeze past the people sitting in reception.

"I'll just be a sec, love", yelled out Max - ignoring Tanya, the receptionist, who was motioning in vain for Max to wait at reception. She glared at Max as he rushed over towards Murray's desk.

"Murray - mate! How are ya?" yelled Max. Everyone in the office knew Max. He was a bit of a character in the local community. Some of the others in the office looked up and smiled at Murray.

"Hi Max. I'm a bit pushed at present - got a meeting in a minute. But is there something I can help you with?" asked Murray.

"No, no. Just stopped in to give you this." Max reached into his plastic shopping bag, pulled out a bottle of sparkling wine and shoved it in Murray's face. "Just to say, you know, thanks for putting through that thing of mine so quick. It helped me out a lot - you've got no idea."

Murray was touched. 'What a nice gesture', he thought. Suddenly, Murray was conscious of everyone sitting in reception watching with great interest...

THE BARGAIN

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Being the end of the financial year, it had been a very busy time for Peter lately, having to process last minute invoices, prepare financial reports, as well plan the department's budgets for next year. It was nice to relax over a few beers with his neighbour, Simon at their local pub. He'd just finished telling Simon about the latest of many problems he was having with his home computer.

"Anyway, it's going to cost hundreds to fix. I'm thinking I might as well get a new one, but I'm not sure I can really afford it right now." Peter sighed.

"See that guy over there?" said Simon, looking across the bar, "my brother got a really good deal on a used laptop from him the other day." Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'd say it's best not to ask too many questions," Simon continued. "Just go and have a chat - can't hurt". After a bit of gentle persuasion by Simon, Peter duly wandered over and introduced himself to Bob.

Bob was keen to talk and explained to Peter how he could get him exactly want he wanted at a fraction of the cost in the stores. He had just sold a laptop worth $4,000 for $500. It wasn't brand new and it didn't come with any licences or warranties - but it was the next best thing for the price. All Peter had to do was write down exactly what he wanted and Bob would get it. Bob also offered that if Peter found a buyer for a second laptop, he'd give him a cut.

'What a bargain', thought Peter. He was also sure he could convince Jim at work to buy the second laptop. Peter wrote down on a scrap of paper the details of the type of laptop he had seen at work that he'd quite like, his name and daytime telephone number. Bob said he'd be in touch...

One evening, a few weeks later, Peter was surfing the Internet on his new laptop when an e-mail arrived. It was from Simon. Bob had been arrested yesterday for stealing computer hardware from an office building downtown.