Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I don't care if it IS an OH&S issue
if I come into the lunchroom and there are bowls, cups, spoons, food containers or coffee plungers sitting in the sink, soaking in cold water, grease and cabbage, I will assume that, because they are in the sink (o ye crucible of cleansing!), they are all clean and washed up and only in need of neat stacking on the drying rack, which I am more than happy to do for you.
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An explanation of The Joy Division Litmus Test
Although it may now be lost in the mysts of thyme, the poll below is still relevant to this blog. In the winter of 2008, Mele and I went to live in Queensland. In order to survive, I bluffed my way into a job at a Coffee Club.
It was quite a reasonable place to work: the hours were regular, the staff were quite nice, it wasn't particularly taxing on my brain.
There were a few downsides: In the six weeks or so that I worked there, there was about a 90% staff turnover (contributed to by my leaving). This wasn't seen as a result of the low pay, the laughability of staff prices or the practice of not distributing tips to staff, rather it was blamed on the lack of work ethic among Bribie Island's youth.
However, one of the stranger aspects of the cultural isolation that touched our lives during our time "up there" was the fact that nobody at my work had heard of the band Joy Division.
The full explanation is available here.
But please, interact a little further and vote in my ongoing poll. The results are slowly mounting up, proving one thing: people read this blog are more well-informed about Joy Division than anyone who works at the Coffee Club on Bribie Island.
It was quite a reasonable place to work: the hours were regular, the staff were quite nice, it wasn't particularly taxing on my brain.
There were a few downsides: In the six weeks or so that I worked there, there was about a 90% staff turnover (contributed to by my leaving). This wasn't seen as a result of the low pay, the laughability of staff prices or the practice of not distributing tips to staff, rather it was blamed on the lack of work ethic among Bribie Island's youth.
However, one of the stranger aspects of the cultural isolation that touched our lives during our time "up there" was the fact that nobody at my work had heard of the band Joy Division.
The full explanation is available here.
But please, interact a little further and vote in my ongoing poll. The results are slowly mounting up, proving one thing: people read this blog are more well-informed about Joy Division than anyone who works at the Coffee Club on Bribie Island.
Excellent.
ReplyDeleteI like this theory, solves all workplace cleaning issues.
Also comes back to your bathtub dishes example also.
Pet peeve of mine too.
ReplyDeleteThe solution at our workplace was to dump the offending items into the rubbish bin - clearly the people that left it unwashed believed it was merely disposable ware - so it was treated as such.
When the cutlery and crockery ran out the problem too disappeared. So, unfortunately, it was a case of cutting of your nice to spite someone else's face.
[Is this anecdoetal evidence for the shortcomings of socialism?]
nice = nose
ReplyDeleteAlthough cutting of your nice could work...
And don't forget that at work, a quick slosh of cold water in a coffee cup that hasn't been washed for two weeks and has more rings than Liz Taylor is considered 'clean'.
ReplyDeleteShippy - Actually, I've even moved beyond stacking. I just chuck them in the little bit of bench next to the rack. It gets deliciously messy and annoys the very clean-freaks who are constantly leaving their dirty dishies in the sink!
ReplyDeleteDL - "the shortcomings of socialism"? ... uh, sure - if you like your evidence anecdotal ...
Kath - Slosh of cold water? Oh well hark at Miss Pine O Cleen 2009! My coffee rings are like old-growth forests - protected by Bob Brown.
ReplyDeleteI avoid the workplace sink altogether. It's the foulest I've ever seen. How can people do this? The stink coming up from the drain is just awful. I remember once it was my turn to clean the lunchroom, I spent so much time up there scrubbing, the supervisor had to come up and get me back to the checkout, she said everyone else just gave things a wipe over. Huh. I'd been scouring the mugs and table, emptying and wiping out the foulest fridge on earth and scraping gunk off the microwave. I was never asked to do the lunchroom again. Guess they like their grunge. Now when I have a teabreak I just wash off the little bit of table where I'll be sitting.
ReplyDeleteOur workplace sorted this by installing dishwashers.
ReplyDeleteThere are signs saying "put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher".
Trouble is, nobody actually knows WHEN the dishwasher gets run - we do know its at some times during the day. So now you takes your chances with the dishwasher instead. Can't find a mug - grab a clean one from the machine. Except it might be filthy stinking and foul, you don't know till you try. And some of the stuff must be getting washed 27 times a day and never used.