Open Door Policy

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One day Ghadaffi announced a new law to promote more transparency in both government and business. The new regulation required that all organisations in the country operate an open-door policy. Literally. So it was now illegal for managers and other employees to close their office doors.

I soon found that it was impossible for me to get any work done at school, because so many students would wander into my office, sit down and chat. While they were chatting, they would pick up and comment on any papers I happened to have on my desk. "I see you need to renew the school licence soon." "So the school paid 1,000 dinars in taxes last month." "You have ordered some new toilets for upstairs. Good."

It was driving me crazy but I couldn't see any solution.

Then one day I brought my dog, Dopey, to work with me for some reason that I've now forgotten. She curled up on the floor next to my desk and went to sleep.

Dopey

Opening time came around and immediately one of my regular visitor students appeared at my (open) door. "Hello, my director. Good afternoon. How are you? How is your health?" He started to enter but stopped and backed away when he saw Dopey. "Goodbye, my director." And he left.

Of course! Libyans don't like dogs. Maybe it's because they're afraid of rabies. Or perhaps it's because dogs are unclean in Islam. The reason doesn't matter. I had stumbled on the perfect solution to my problem.

For the next couple of weeks I took Dopey to the office with me every day. Students would appear at my door:"Hello, my director. How is ..." Then they would see Dopey and back away.

"Hello, Ahmed. (Or Saleh. Or Mohamed.)" I would shout. "Come in and have a chat. It's good to see you. Come and sit down, here by my dog. Oh, leaving so soon? What a pity. Please drop in any time."

Problem solved.

P.S.
Ghadaffi was very into egalitarianism at this stage. He passed another law saying that any passenger in a taxi or chauffeur-driven car had to sit in the front passenger seat - and had to talk to the driver. I bet that went down well with the executives at Mobil Oil!