Why we need '˜Bring Your Paddling Pool to work' Day

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, you get to meet lots of interesting people with great stories to tell.

But there’s a part of you deep inside that just sinks when you sit in an office and catch a glimpse of the sunshine outside, the lush green leaves on the trees swaying gently in the warm breeze. The branches freshly refurbished by the late arrival of Spring.

Outside the sound of a family chatting as they lazily stroll by the office. I can’t see them, but I bet that kid’s got an ice cream. I want an ice cream, we should all have ice creams. Why can’t we have Summer in the office?

We’ve all been in this situation, we long to be outdoors knowing full well that by the time the weekend comes around it’s going to be pouring it down.

Surely, with all the marvels of wifi hotpots and laptops, we could still get on with work even if we’re outside?

And that’s when it hits me; why can’t we have a Bring Your Paddling Pool To Work Day?

I know, I know, it doesn’t sound like the most sensible of ideas, but hear me out.

People come into work at Christmas in all sorts of hideous attire, woolly jumpers from discount stores with crude snowmen on them, flashing antlers – I even saw a Santa mankini last year, it wasn’t pretty.

Between that, the secret Santas and office parties, we really go all out every December. In fact, you’ll get marked as a wrong-un if you don’t get involved; “Where’s your Christmas Spirit?”

And we do all this in the name of fun, getting into the spirit of Christmas, and all that yuletide joy. And we have a great time. But how do we celebrate Summer at work? The more you think about it, it seems weird that we DON’T do anything to mark the arrival of the warmer months.

So let’s give this a try.

Picture the scene: you arrive at work as normal, the shirt and tie left at home in favour of shorts and T-shirt – the more garish the better. Let’s have a Summer work day that’s so tacky it puts Christmas clothing to shame.

With a spring in your step you strut all the way up the stairs to the office, tipping a straw hat to your similarly poorly-attired colleagues, you pick up a frosty drink from the ice bucket and continue on to your desk (or sun lounger if you brought it).

Looking around by midmorning it’s all getting a bit much, you retire to the break room to dip your feet in the paddling pool, maybe enjoy a cocktail or two (non-alcoholic, you’re still at work, mind) instead of the usual cuppa.

Wait, you brought sandwiches for lunch again? What were you thinking? There’s a bbq in the car park, let’s go!

And by the time you leave it’ll hardly have felt like work at all. And yes, somewhere inbetween all that, we’ll fit some work in. We always manage to get through the to-do pile at Christmas, so surely we can spare another day for jovial festivities. So why aren’t we doing this? Where’s your Summer spirit?