It
is not easy to work with people. Have you ever thought about making a
classification of the various types of colleagues and managers that you have
encountered so far?!
Talking
with my friends about our work experiences, I managed to define a couple of
office personas. Here below you will find the one about the colleague obsessed
with cleaning.
How
many of you have already worked with such a typology?
The
Case of the Colleague Obsessed with Cleaning
We
all must have at least once in our lives met somebody obsessed with cleaning.
At work, the things are rather difficult to handle if one preferes to have
everything shining. At the most, one can control the cleanlinless of one’s
office desk. Of course, the people working in the HR department will put flyers
in kitchens and halls to remind workers of the respect they must show to the
others regarding cleanliness and thus keeping the health and friendly
atmosphere into the office building.
I
happen to witness the most intense discussions while in the kitchen. Rebukes
follwed by swearing were the highlight of the dicussion. And nothing could
derail the participants in such reproving, not even other colleagues that
gently entered the kitchen with their department dish sponge who would clean
the dishes, dry them and leave as fast as they can without interrupting the
blasting at full volume of the fight on some people’s uncleanliness.
I
was very amused to hear about the story of the cleaning lady that would wipe
with the same cloth all desks of a building in which 300 people worked. The
cloth had an indentifiable color, but the smell was easy to define – it made
one sick. The person telling me about this did not dare to tell the cleaning
lady that he does not like the smell of his desk after she wipes the desk with
the cloth or the fact that his sleeves would cary the stench for nearly an
entire day. But he did ask her nicely not to clean his desk anymore, mentioning
that he is rather obsessed with cleaning and he would rather do it himself. The
cleaning lady gently smiled at him and nodded. But, from time to time, in the
morning, a sour smell would greet him at his desk, which is to mean that even
those obsessed with cleaning need support from time to time.
Alina
was recently hired as a secretary in a consultancy firm. She knew even from the
start that she must be careful about how she acts, but she had never before met
such evil and selfish specimens. Even though she was often explained that
consultants work very hard, she could not fathom why the were so mean. Work
could not be held responsible for that. She had met other people that worked
harder, physically; such as, the gentleman that told her he worked during a
summer for a roadways&bridges company and at the end of it people would not
recognize him being so sunburnt. People like him did not become meaner due to
the hard working conditions. The consultants had no excuse.
Alina
knew that she must pay attention to how she answers the phone and to always
cater to the consultants’ needs. Her manager, Leo, had explained to her that
from all of her tasks this was the most important one, and that the consultants
needed to be kept happy. So Alina made efforts in order to make sure they were,
taking their lunch orders, bringing them food and their change, and making sure
they had everything they needed in order to do their jobs.
The
most difficult, by far, was Violeta. She had liked her in the beginning. She
was beautiful, very beautiful actually. But after having known her, Alina
understood that even witches can be beautiful. Clara, the girl that used to
occupy the positon before her, had given Alina a tip – 'Violeta likes things to
be very clean! Make sure that her garbage bin is always empty and never
throw something in it by mistake. I once did that and I was very sorry'.
Ever
since, Alina would be extra careful around Violeta’s desk. It was true,
Violeta’s desk was actually very clean and nothing more could be found on it
then the desk light and a ballpoint pen. However, Alina was puzzled about how
Violeta liked to keep things clean, but had no problem in brushing her hair in
the middle of the open space, with everyone around, leaving her hair to fall on
the carpet?!
The
first time that Alina noticed Violeta doing this, she had the impression that
she was watching a sleepwalker. Violeta was standing a couple of steps from her
desk (probably not to drop some hairs on her desk) and was brushing her hair in slow motion. Alina concluded that people are weird and contradictory, and
minded her own business, answering the landline.
Leo:
Alina, is that you?
Alina:
Yes.
Leo:
It’s Leo. I urgently need my notes.
Alina
feared that this would turn into another complicated situation. Had he
forgotten his notes in the hotel room again? Last time, it was easy to get them back,
even after Leo checked out. She had rang the hotel in Amsterdam and people were
nice enough to send them. Together with the laptop that Leo had also forgotten
on the windowsill of the hotel room. Leo was a wonder! But she no longer asked
herself questions about him. Not ever since she found out that he had no clue
about the difference between a.m and p.m. . How did he manage to get on planes on time
she did not question anymore! She had promised herlself that, to no longer ask
why.
Alina:
Sure, Leo. Do you know were they are? At the hotel?
Leo:
No. I need other notes. They are on my desk, could you please go in there and
read them to me? They are on the last page.
Alina:
OK, wait for me, please.
Alina
put down the receiver and went to her manager’s office. She took the agenda from his desk and
while she was coming out of the office, with the tail of her eye she noticed
Violeta standing from her desk. Alina arrived at the reception desk, she took
the receiver and asked Leo where exactly she could start reading from.
Violeta
was coming slowly towards the reception desk. Like a snake that takes its own
time crawling towards the victim, convinced of the fact that it can paralyze it only
by the slow motion that is so hard to bear. Yet, Alina continued reading.
Leo:
Ah, so I was remembering it correctly! Hang on a little to make a note. Could
you please repeat the last two sentences?
Alina:
At seven o’clock...
Alina
is startled by some white thing moving about very fast over her head. She stops
reading, she raises her head and sees Violeta resting on one of her arms on the
reception desk and with the other arm flaunting an empty box of desk tissues.
Alina knits her brows and gently moves her head, asking Violeta without
uttering a word about what she wants. As a response, Violeta keeps flaunting
the empty box more closer to Alina’s face, indicating with an arm that she
wants Alina to take it and throw it in Alina’s garbage bin.
Alina knits her brows and indicates one more time to Violeta that she is speaking on the phone, hoping that this way she will leave her in peace. Violeta slams down, less noisy than she would have hoped, the empty box of desk tissues. She then turns on her heels, raises her chin, flaunting her red, straight hair, snorts and directs herself proudly to her desk. Another consultant's mission achieved!
A
short while after this incident, Alina resigned, as she did not find
understanding from Leo after telling him the story of the empty box. Some
things cannot be forced, but when one notices that one has nobody one one’s
side, it’s better to leave for other horizons.
