11.12.04
The Restroom Culture
It's amazing to notice the difference in restroom use depending on where you are. No, I don't mean using the restroom, but what people do to keep themselves...uh...occupied and cleansing practices.
For instance, at my last job, small business in the IT industry, there were always tech and sales oriented magazines laying on the water basin. Actually, the owner would lay them in there for our entertainment. The decor of the restroom was bland. Nothing eye catching, simply a place to get the job done.
Well, now comes the "corporate restroom". This place is complete. Nice granite floors and marble sinks. Though I'm still in the tech industry, there are no magazines. But, I do have a cell phone with web access. And my director has a PDA with wireless access. And many other people have phones with web access.
The whole restroom visit can be spent hearing muffled "clicks" of phone keys or PDA stylus. The strange thing, with the proliferation of games available on hand held devices, I never hear "game sounds". It seems the focus is on work or reading while in there.
Last thing I've noticed is that office employees seem to be more descriminate in washing their hands and using paper towels while opening the door. I guess architechs haven't caught on to this since most restrooms are designed to keep the trash can away from the door way. This, unfortunately, leads to piles of paper towels either by the door or on the floor next to the trash bin by people who's free throw needs a little work.
12:31 pm in office space | 1 person viewing1 rambling so far