I commute on Mumbai-Goa Highway every single day. I have been doing that for more than 20 years now. In all these years, I refuel only at the HP Petrol Pump before Karnala. Why? Don't give me mundane reasons like good quality of fuel and service. Yes, those are essential. But we really can do little to ascertain the quality. Let's accept it. The service levels of most of the gas stations are more or less the same. This station has always surprised me with its thoughtful initiatives.
They come out with unique things. Things that are not expected of them at all. A few months back, they opened up a new toilet block. Now toilet block is not something one speaks about. Especially the one on the Highways. We all know how bad they are, how stinky, how unhygienic. But yet here I am writing about it! They have installed a waterless toilet that has a small internal garden in it. The place is clean, with no foul odor, no water wastage. Now that's an experience. So, when I saw it for the first time, I wanted to tell everyone. I clicked pictures and posted them on FB.
Why did I do it? The gas station does not pay me a penny for promoting it. I do it voluntarily because I have seen something extraordinary. Something remarkable. It is a natural human tendency to share what they have experienced. And so the word spreads. Some of my friends stopped at this place and experienced it. They spoke about it too.
It is no accident that this Petrol Pump was the first to offer all payment options. They started the services to check tire pressure and free nitrogen refills. When the car is being fueled, an attendant cleans your windshield. I have never found any waterlogged in this petrol pump even in the heaviest of rains. A flyover is recently built in front of this pump. Yet, people take the trouble to use the service road and stopover.
Toilets reveal the culture of an organization. I have seen organizations where there are toilets reserved for top management. Invariably, these organizations turn out to be hierarchical or authoritative. The tone of the language used on the instruction boards in the toilets reveals the way people communicate in the company. The level of cleanliness and hygiene tells us the emphasis the organization places on planning and housekeeping. People spend a lot of money and time on the design and upkeep of reception. Many times the toilets are ignored.
So, here is a small metrics. After meals, do you wash your own plate? If you do, give yourself 100 points. Else, start it from tomorrow. Secondly, people invariably post a cleaning schedule in a toilet. Cursorily, check whether the ticked off item is really done. If not, make sure to have it fixed immediately. Undertake this activity at least once a week and see your office culture change for good.
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