Office workers only notice colleague has died when clean cups run out

A fitting tribute to Pat.

Concerned employees at Amalgamated Holdings Ltd have been mystified by a growing collection of soiled cups.

Initially, minor queries were raised with each other about whether the cleaning contract had been renewed, not realising that for the last 15 years the dishes had been done by Pat in accounts.

“I do like a cup of tea first thing” said managing director Justine Hostage, “and I never gave a thought to how our mugs got clean and put back in the cupboard. It was Mike who said he’d seen Pat doing it before, and then we realised no-one had heard from her for three weeks.”

“It was quite a shock to hear she’d been dead at home all that time. You’d think a neighbour would have noticed, or something.”

“Pat was a valued member of our team” said Tyler Jones, a close-ish colleague. “She was a lady of integrity and a hard worker who will be impossible to replace.”

“In other news, we have now bought a dishwasher, which will be installed in the kitchen tomorrow.”

“Does anyone know who normally organises the collections?”