Shared Spaces — Become A Part of The Solution
The conundrum of sharing the workplace bathroom and similar spaces
Yesterday I took a trip to one of the bathrooms closest to my station and saw a note that made me laugh out loud. I realized I was not the only creature on earth bothered by the ways in which my peers could trash a shared space.
I see used paper towels and other used items on the bathroom floor. I've wondered how and why grown professional adults would make a conscious effort to create a mess in a space shared by others.
Last week I visited the same bathroom and found a mask and surgical hat on the floor just inside the doorway. I cannot cast blame, (but I will cast suspicion) — that hallway leads to the entrance and exit most used by the doctors … hmm!
It appeared to me that the perpetrator needed to rid themselves quickly of their soiled and annoying PPE. So instead of properly disposing of them in the garbage receptacle located mere centimeters away, they found it much more rewarding to drop them on the floor just inside the doorway.
What a find!
Now that hallway (being a supplemental entrance and exit point), is outfitted with several cameras. I propose that had multiple cameras not been in attendance the perpetrator would not have even bothered opening the door to the bathroom, but let them loose on the hallway floors.
Oh, the joys of sharing spaces with “the entitled”!
The washbasin is located at right angles to the trash can and yet every day one can find various “mementos” and other unmentionables on the bathroom floor.
The toilet lid is always up, reminiscent of home life and a mess everywhere. Frequently, users often seem to forget what the handle on the side of the tank is used for!
Ah, this knob is for flushing!
The breakroom
The breakroom is a space where employees come to remove themselves from their work environment and get a breather.
It is a space to form and maintain working relationships, a space to seek help as well as to socialize.
The microwave
Everyone uses the microwave. These wonderful inventions make our lives easier. They provide quick and easy ways to prepare our meals while aiding us to save money.
They become an issue when we place uncovered food in the space. The cooking meals, heat, splash, and splatter all over the oven. The user retrieves their meal and neglects to clean it while the mess is recent. The baked-on food heated over time cements its place in that oven.
The oven then looks and smells like a cesspit with a co-mingling of all leftover flavors with each re-heat.
Phew!
Until finally one brave soul will decide to clean the mess and the madness begins again.
The refrigerator
Another point of contention — the fridge. Foods and drinks, half-eaten, or just forgotten.
Several containers of half-eaten foods temporarily placed there but somehow never retrieved. Spilt foods are overlooked and no one steps up as the responsible party.
Recently my coworker and I took it upon ourselves to defrost, empty, and clean our shared refrigerator. It was a messy job that required hours of work, trashing moldy foods with enough mold to harvest penicillin.
Recognize that community property items do not belong to our individual selves. Be aware that many other personalities inhabit that space and be mindful and respectful of your co-workers.
Care needs to be given to maintain some standards with regard to the utilization and care of these shared spaces. Keep the area tidy so other employees may enjoy being in the space. Contribute to making the space pleasant for others.
We must clean up after ourselves, discard any unused or unwanted items, keep the community spaces tidy, and realize that this is not our home. Adhere to the basic standards of cleanliness.
As the note stated … focus — aim — flush.
Cover dishes in the microwave. Clean up spills.
And
Lastly, please
… put the toilet lid down!