Every office has a ghost. In the IT firm "TechSol," the ghost was the Air Conditioner Remote. It vanished daily. The temperature in the office fluctuated wildly, creating a climate war between the employees.
Mr. Peterson, the boss, loved the cold. He wanted the office at 18 degrees. He wore three-piece suits and drank hot coffee. Mrs. Goel, the HR manager, was always freezing. She wanted it at 26 degrees. She wore shawls and drank warm water.
The employees were caught in the crossfire. One hour they were shivering; the next they were sweating. The new intern, Sid, decided to investigate. He watched the office dynamics like a hawk.
He noticed a pattern. Whenever Mr. Peterson went out for a smoke, the temperature rose. Whenever Mrs. Goel went to a meeting, the temperature dropped. But who was pressing the buttons?
Sid finally found the remote. It was hidden inside a hollowed-out file folder labeled "Tax Returns 1999"—a file no one ever dared to open.
He discovered that the "ghost" was actually the office peon, Ramu. Ramu was running a secret business. Mr. Peterson tipped him to keep it cold. Mrs. Goel tipped him to keep it warm. Ramu was playing both sides and making a tidy profit.
Sid confronted Ramu in the pantry. Ramu didn't deny it. He smiled and offered Sid a biscuit.
"Sir,"
Ramu explained calmly, "I am keeping the balance. If the temperature is
perfect, people will start fighting about work. If they are fighting
about the AC, they are united in their misery. I am providing a
service."
Sid laughed out loud. He realized that in the corporate hierarchy, the person with the keys (or the remote) holds the real power. He took the biscuit and kept Ramu’s secret.