Cross-surface check A1 15 Sep. I prefer Option B, which is to assign the watering of the office plants to each of the team members in turn, rather than handing the whole job to the boss's personal assistant. My first reason is fairness. The plants are in the shared area and everyone enjoys them, so everyone should take a small share of the work. The personal assistant already has a full workload and adding a daily chore that has nothing to do with her role would be unfair, especially when the rest of us walk past the same plants every morning. My second reason is that a rota is simply more reliable. If one person is on leave or busy with a deadline, the plants are forgotten and they die. With a weekly roster on the kitchen noticeboard, each of us waters them for one week and then passes it on. The job takes ten minutes a week and nobody feels it. For these reasons I would choose Option B. Cross-surface check A1 15 Sep.

I prefer assigning responsibility for the office plants to the personal assistant, provided this duty is included fairly in the assistant's workload. Having one clearly responsible person would make the arrangement easier to manage. First, plants need consistent care. Some require water twice a week, while others need much less. If different employees handle the task every week, they might misunderstand the instructions or assume that someone else has already watered a plant. One person could learn the needs of each plant and keep a simple checklist. Second, a shared system could interrupt employees who are already concentrating on urgent projects. The assistant usually coordinates office tasks and could fit this short activity into a regular routine. However, the boss should discuss the extra responsibility with the assistant and reduce another minor duty if necessary. Finally, there should be a backup arrangement for holidays and sick leave. A volunteer could follow the same checklist during those periods. This approach would combine clear responsibility with reasonable support and keep our office pleasant without creating confusion.

I would prefer Option B, which is to assign the responsibility of watering the plants to all team members. In my opinion, this is a fairer and more practical solution than giving the entire task to the boss’s personal assistant. The office plants benefit everyone because they improve the appearance of the workplace, create a relaxing atmosphere and may also help improve air quality. Therefore, all employees should share the responsibility of caring for them. A weekly schedule could be prepared, and one or two team members could water the plants each day. This would take only a few minutes and would not place too much pressure on anyone. Assigning the whole task to the personal assistant would be unfair because that person already has important duties, such as managing appointments, answering calls and assisting the boss. Watering every plant regularly could add unnecessarily to their workload. Sharing the task would also encourage teamwork and responsibility among employees. For these reasons, I believe Option B is the most reasonable and effective choice.

d