What would you do if you found out that your company was poisoning you? Hmmm. That’s a pretty heavy opening question. I can guarantee that most of you have never even thought about the prospect. So, what would you do?
Before I changed jobs, I worked in an old building. It was riddled with mold and mildew in some parts, but the infestations were supposedly “not the harmful” kind. Right. Most of us had respiratory illnesses every few months, but miraculously, every time they tested the air quality, it was just fine. One of my coworkers would have excruciatingly painful migraine headaches every so often, but they never occurred when she was not in the office. But hey, don’t worry, the air quality is A-okay.
Well, as if the air situation wasn’t bad enough, we also had another issue. There was a water fountain in the hallway. I’m sure you have one at your own workplace. You’d never imagine the thing was spewing chemicals and detritus from its innocent little spout. Ours must have been a monstrosity, because it did just that. I never actually used the thing, but one Friday afternoon, someone showed up to test the water quality. On the following Monday morning, there was a new water cooler standing a few feet away and the fountain was unplugged. No notice. No warning. No apology. Just a substitute water source and total silence.
Now, I can understand there being an occasional issue with something in the workplace. Maybe it’s a horrible smell emanating from nearby. Hey, we’ve all dealt with those annoying kinds of issues. However, when there is an ongoing problem that is not being addressed (and in fact is being purposefully ignored), companies are certainly not putting their best foot forward. The great coworkers and large daily doses of caffeine must have been the only things that pulled me through that biohazard.
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