In the day

The weekend started Friday lunch times, the company always paid,

The team would meet for steaks and beer

Expense accounts were for spending, no savings to be made

Lunch times during the week were also part of work

The best restaurants, fine wines on expense accounts,

How fitting for us young Turks.

Then off at nights to entertain our clients, more dining, foreign trips,

The times were good, the money flowed

Fun, expenses paid, no thought of hardship.

Prizes, performance vouchers, a regular change of cars

The list was almost seemingly endless

We were shooting for the stars.

So what happened to the spending, to those very hazy days?

What happened to my expense account,

The bonuses, the performance pay?

Lunch became a sandwich eaten whilst staring at my screen

Fine wine became machine made coffee

That’s never seen a coffee bean.

So when did the suits decide to take away all our fun?

Set agendas, targets and performance goals,

Make work a place where you have to get things done?

When spending limits are carefully set and finance rule the day,

Where all you get is a lot of silly rules

And then just your monthly take home pay?