The Vole -- Annual Assessment

This week I had my annual assessment at AV(2010)PLC. You are never quite sure how to play these, or what topics are likely to come up. Some of the standard questions are easy to deal with. The likes of "How do you think you've done" are loaded questions of course. The management hope you will talk yourself out of a pay rise on the basis that most honest people are there own sternest critic. I've read books about this crap so my reply of "I don't know how I do it for the money " kills that sort of topic stone dead.

Instead only two things were mentioned by the boss man:-

The first was it had been noted I went to the loo frequently! As readers will know the loo is the one place where there are no cameras or mikes. This question was easy to dodge as I had a prepared answer...... I was suffering from an infected bladder. Believable, and designed to elicit sympathy. No problem !

The second came out of the blue, and took me off guard. It appears I had been guilty of non PC and obscene whistling ! This is a tough one. How do you reply to that ? Whistling is something you tend to do when you are happy so I suppose that's suspicious in itself and bound to annoy management. However, what tunes you whistle are almost subliminal, so what could I say? In a way it was a good thing this happened. I 'd won most of the other rounds so to lose this one was probably a good thing. I apologised and promised to mend my ways, after all no-one likes a smart-arse.