When Pigs Run the Lunchroom
On her way to an appointment to close an important deal, Mary opened the refrigerator in the lunchroom at her insurance company that morning and a pile of leftover beef stroganoff fell off the shelf onto her shoes, splattering gravy all over her new white skirt.
“I was so PISSED OFF,” she told me. “They drink my sodas. They eat my apples. They don’t clean after themselves; the fridge stinks for weeks from moldy turkey. I just lost it. I went into Fred’s office, and told him he and his staff were pigs, and I can’t stand it any more!”
So how do you really feel about it?
Dealing with Refrigerator Madness
Try not waiting until the gravy hits the shoes. When things bother you at work – even simple, seemingly petty things like Tupperware management – spell it out before disaster strikes.
Here are some suggestions regarding approaching situations like this one:
- Don’t play the blame game. Spell out the problem, because it is a problem. Get everyone to agree that not only does the problem exist, but it impacts others.
- Spell out the behavior we (the staff) should follow (and get everyone to agree.) Work rents out behavior. We are expected to do things at work we don’t do at home – like clean the fridge. Spell out the rules and the behavior you expect people to follow when using the lunch room.
- Avoid autocracy but be firm. Create a lunch room etiquette manifesto. . I know it’s a little silly but if you can get people to understand the problem, then they will more likely buy into the solution. And what is that? Rule #1: When you put Tupperware on a shelf, make sure it is sealed and safely on the shelf.
- Incorporate a slight sense of humor because we’re all guilty. Well, I shouldn’t say all, but when you’re in a rush to make an important meeting, the last thing some of us think about is whether or not that coke is Bill’s or mine. Give your staff an out. If you take someone’s lunch or soda by accident, create a rule: Buy them a new lunch or a six-pack of coke.
Business is hard enough without letting silly ridiculous things like refrigerator madness get in the way, but let the ridiculous be taken seriously for a small period of time so that it will change.
Approach it as a real problem. After all, if Mary is late to an appointment with a fussy client, gravy may have impacted both her bottom and the company’s bottom line!