to ask if you have people in senior positions at work who come up with policies but don't think about the practicalities

[cakeorwine]

They come up with a suggestion but they aren't very detailed orientated. It always falls to someone to point out the potential issues.

It's so easy to come up with a suggestion when you are a senior leader who doesn't have to actually to implement it at the chalk face.

*Not at all related to anything that's been announced recently

Best one was 25 years ago, when computers were networked with cables and took forever to update.

Some bright spark in head office decided it was time to "go green" and therefore all power had to go off at night. Including the 1,000 or so desktop PCs.

We advised against it (with reasoning) but no, ideology trumped reality.

3 weeks in, and everyone was taking about 2 hours to log in, as 1,000 PCs hammered a server for updates and security credentials etc. Sounds fun, but imagine getting in at 9 and not starting till 11. With the same amount of work.

Plus a sudden spate of PC failures as power supplies started popping on startup.

No one ever worked out the saving, but the cost was into tens of thousands of pounds. Obviously the person that dreamt it up had to have a bonus and a promotion.

Even at the time I wasn't quite as convinced by greenie types as some. Nothing in 25 years has really changed that.

Oh no, this NEVER happens in the civil service.

..........