One Friday last month, I was in the middle of a video conference call with a man from a well-known bank when we were interrupted by a dreadful noise. “Argh,” he said, jumping up to investigate what sounded like a jackhammer about to blast through his wall.
The din eventually subsided, but just as I was wondering why a bank would let builders so near its staff in the middle of a work day, the racket started again. Then there was a knock on the man’s door from what seemed to be an angry woman. By now I was thoroughly baffled. What sort of bank was this?
As it turned out, it was not a bank at all. It was an apartment building. The man I was interviewing was doing what he usually did on a Friday: working from home. So was the woman at his door, a neighbour, and others in the rest of his building. Everyone was appalled at the nerve of whoever was making the ruckus while they were trying to work.