Today I'm carrying around a big wooden spoon because I'm going to stir the pot.
In our office, we have a bathroom, a copy machine, and a refrigerator. I'm assuming that in your office, you do too.
Have you gone to the bathroom and suddenly you realize that the person who was in there before you used the last of the toilet paper and didn't replace the empty roll? Or, perhaps the person who was there before you left you just two or three squares of paper on the roll. I guess, technically, that's not leaving an empty roll. Being in that kind of position -- is not fun. It's not a hard thing to do to replace a roll of toilet paper, but after being in that situation more than once, I've come to the conclusion that it must be difficult for some people. To the person who does this: Thank you for telling me it's not your job, but mine.
Have you ever tried to copy something and realized the person who was copying something before you jammed the machine -- just left it like that and walked away? Why is it that people do that? Are they embarrassed to say, "I jammed the copier and how do I fix it?" Do they think that magically it will fix itself? I've had that happen to me a number of times and it just leaves me irritated. It's usually not an anonymous act because the piece of jammed paper is evidence left behind. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out whose piece of paper that was. To the person who does this: Thank you for telling me it's not your job, but mine.
Last, but not least -- We have a large refrigerator in our break room. The other day I decided to put my sandwich in the refrigerator. I couldn't find a place to put one lousy sandwich because it was crammed full of stuff. I know, everyone forgets they put stuff in there -- and there it sits -- growing.
Our Office Manager was instructed to type a sign and post it on the door. Here's what the sign reads: "Memo to Staff Using This Refrigerator: The users of this refrigerator will now be totally responsible for the cleanliness of the inside of the freezer and the refrigerator and its contents. If you leave an unmarked item that needs to be discarded and you do not discard it, it will be done for you on Monday mornings".
Yeah -- right -- Well, lemme tell you -- Many Mondays have come and gone. The entire staff read that memo long ago and now, just like the stuff that's inside the refrigerator, the memo is ignored. Thank you for telling me it's not your job to clean your stuff out of the refrigerator, but mine.
Let's make a deal. I promise not to leave you with an empty roll of toilet paper. If I jam the copier, I promise I'll either fix it myself or ask someone to help me to fix it and I won't leave it for you. When I put food in the refrigerator, I promise to eat the food or I'll pitch it so you don't have to do that for me.
How about you? Want to make the same deal? It's called being courteous. It's also called being respectful of others in the office. That would be nice, wouldn't it?