Facilities at Work??

Rich158

I'm really lucky at the moment with our facilities at work , a place to store dry clothes, a drying room (boiler room), and showers. However havng had one round of redundancies, and with the second lot looking likely early in the new year, I suspect I may have an enforced change of job :evil:

My main concern is that most forms of architects tend to be quite small, certainly less than 50 people, and the facilities for cyclists are generally non existant with regard to showers. I don't want to give up commuting by bike, but it looks qite likely.

How do you guys deal with the general lack of facilities at work, or are you all as lucky as I am at the moment?

DonDaddyD

Since the HQ Offices moved to a Hospital, I (wierdly) do not have any showers to use to speak of anywhere, well none that I am willing to use.

My non-shower routine:

I cycle in, use tea tree oil facial pads on my face (wipe away the sweat and grime and then moisturise) to keep the spots away and maintain my soft silky skin.

With a flannel I freshen up over a basin in the staff toilets (as best I can - they are individual cubicles), dry myself with a towel and hand dryer.

Carry work clothes in bag, put them on.

Hang my cycle top in the office on the coat rails. Put my shorts, and shoes behind my PC to dry.

itboffin

DonDaddyD wrote:

I cycle in, use tea tree oil facial pads on my face (wipe away the sweat and grime and then moisturise) to keep the spots away and maintain my soft silky skin.

With a flannel I freshen up over a basin in the staff toilets (as best I can - they are individual cubicles), dry myself with a towel and hand dryer.

Dude NOOOOOO!!!

You do realise other people read the stuff you post, right?

Rich158

That's what I was afraid of, a quick dab down in the loo's and then drying the kit on the PC, not ideal but neads must. I turned down two jobs last year as they weren't keen on me commuting by bike, and I'm not going to be forced back onto the train.



I wouldn't consider moisturising at work, it's bad enough being seen in tights, moisturising would just confirm everyones suspicions :? but then everyones beauty regime is another topic entirely

wgwarburton

Look for "disabled" facilities. You probably won't get a shower, but you should get privacy, a sink and space to have a decent wash down & get changed.
If you can't find anywhere to dry your kit, you'll have to bag it and put it back on wet, or carry/stash a second set....

If you have access to decent cupboards, you can stash stuff- work clothes to change into and a spare set of bike clothes to get you home after a wet morning. Spare tube, odd nuts & bolts, track pump, extra wheels, workstand.. you know the sort of stuff.... :-)

Cheers,
W.

DonDaddyD

itboffin wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

I cycle in, use tea tree oil facial pads on my face (wipe away the sweat and grime and then moisturise) to keep the spots away and maintain my soft silky skin.

With a flannel I freshen up over a basin in the staff toilets (as best I can - they are individual cubicles), dry myself with a towel and hand dryer.

Dude NOOOOOO!!!

You do realise other people read the stuff you post, right?

I don't really freshen up over the basin (well not during the winter when its too cold to sweat) I tend to just wack the Lynx on and got about my day in work.

I do moisturise, but then I'm a 'Brother' and nothing is worse than having visibly dry skin.

itboffin

WGWarburton wrote:

Look for "disabled" facilities. You probably won't get a shower, but you should get privacy, a sink and space to have a decent wash down & get changed.
If you can't find anywhere to dry your kit, you'll have to bag it and put it back on wet, or carry/stash a second set....

If you have access to decent cupboards, you can stash stuff- work clothes to change into and a spare set of bike clothes to get you home after a wet morning. Spare tube, odd nuts & bolts, track pump, extra wheels, workstand.. you know the sort of stuff.... :-)

Cheers,
W.

High heels and a bra?

singlespeedexplosif

baby wipes and deo stuffed under the desk. Thankfully there are places to lock the bike. Nowhere really to dry kit during the day, however.
Putting on cold wet muddy kit at the end of a long day before a long ride home truly is the worst thing EVER.

wgwarburton

... What you wear to work is your own business, Biondino, I neither need, nor want, to know.... :-)

AMcD

20 years ago (gosh I can still remember) I worked at Manchester Town Hall for about 7 years - the facilities were excellent and sadly I've not found anything remotely similar since. We had private cycle parking, with lockable cages underneath the building and then (for ladies, not sure about the men) wonderful hot showers with carpetted, warm changing rooms, vanity areas with tripple mirrors and hairdryers!! Not that I ever got in early enough to wash and dry my hair but great for giving wet gloves and socks a quick blast .

gert_lush

No facilities here as such, a quick splash of water, a chemical shower from the lynx..as good as new Hang the clothes on the coat rack, get 'nicely ironed jobsagooden.

would be nice to have a shower but that would only mean I was faffing around more at work.

spen666

DonDaddyD wrote:

Since the HQ Offices moved to a Hospital, I (wierdly) do not have any showers to use to speak of anywhere, well none that I am willing to use.

My non-shower routine:

I cycle in, use tea tree oil facial pads on my face (wipe away the sweat and grime and then moisturise) to keep the spots away and maintain my soft silky skin.

With a flannel I freshen up over a basin in the staff toilets (as best I can - they are individual cubicles), dry myself with a towel and hand dryer.

Carry work clothes in bag, put them on.

Hang my cycle top in the office on the coat rails. Put my shorts, and shoes behind my PC to dry.

do you do this by mail order from a Company based in Leeds that only supply a single product? :twisted:

don_don

I guess I'm a lucky git. We have proper changing rooms/showers and even our own gym Plus I've got my own locker in the basement.

blackworx

Yep, lucky here to the point of being spoiled. Dry bike storage and a shower room with lockers and a toasty radiator and hot pipes to warm my gear up for the ride home. It was a big factor in my decision to cycle, because no matter how easy I try and take the ride I just like going fast, and always end up battering through the last couple of miles, with the end result that I basically couldn't start the day's work without a shower. If it was a longer commute it wouldn't be so much of an issue as I'd be well into my second wind, as opposed to just warming up and being a bit sweaty, eeuw.

Feltup

Bike in the stores room. Wash in the sink downstairs then 'Shower in a can'. Not ideal but better than driving, just can't do it when it is lashing down as there is no where to get properly dry.

Ronio

Old offices in Camden had great shower and drying facilities
Moved offices a couple of years ago and now commute now between 7 and 9 miles in London, different routes from Streatham to the Strand. No shower at work now, though leave my bike in the basement. I have a shower before I leave and always put on clean kit. Take it easy if I can (often very hard!), use extra large wet wipes, wash my face and wet my hair in the sink. Just make sure I cool down before getting changed.
I was worried not having a shower would stop me commuting by bike as need to be clean and smart at work. Not had any issues at all, it can work!

iain_j

My place has got the works - secure parking, big changing room, showers, lockers, drying room.

Wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't though, it's only a 15-20 minute ride so I could just ride easily so I don't work up a sweat - wouldn't be as much fun though :?

Bike facilities definitely play a part when I'm considering new jobs though. When I discovered a place I was applying to had all the same facilities as where I am now, I got keen and looked on their website all the time for vacancies. Never got in though.

Dog Breath

Absolutely sweet F A where work in Liverpool City centre. Oh, there is are some sinks in the toilets that you could sit in if you desired. But no where to store bike or kit in the office

coffeecup

I work at client sites so my facilities change every 6 months or so. They're usually not great. But as long as I've access to a disabled toilet and somewhere to leave a towel, soap and clean shirts then I'm happy enough.

Wet gear is a problem though and I sometimes leave a dry set of tights in work for rides home when I've got soaked in the morning :?

I tend to shower and shave in the evening when I get home so just need freshened up in the morning (right?)

linsen

I have access to a disabled bathroom with a shower so that's great.
Trek towels dry in no time at all which is good.
My biggest problem is bike storage - we have none and at the mo I have to put it in a cupboard up some stairs in a classroom - get looks from all concerned if I have to go get it mid-lesson to go home! (Not my lesson - I am a bit more hard-working than that!)

ansbaradigeidfran

Now that I've got a part-time job, I'll tell you all about the facilities that are available.

Everyone has a small locker each, which is just big enough to hold a pair of shoes and a set of clothes. As I work weekends, uniform comes in on Saturday, and stays the night. My bike lives in a little cupboard with the vacuum cleaner. As the cupboard is only accessible through the shop, I don't use it when I start and finish during opening hours, and use the public cycle racks down the road instead. Quick release saddle comes with me and lives by the lockers with my rucksack.

The changing room is also known as the men's toilets. Not spacious, but it's enough.

hugo15

I have good facilities too. Covered bike shed, nice new electric showers and 2 lockers, one near the showers and one near the office. Only thing missing is somewhere to dry wet clothes. Also helps that the MD's son is a keen cyclist so I usually get a sympathetic ear when I ask for stuff.

Jay dubbleU

Small bike shed usually full - no showers, no lockers - contacted our HR but they say no money for extra facilities

doog442

Covered bike shed in secure yard, hot showers (choice of 6), locker room, drying facilities...

One Govt organisation that has got it right

shaunos

Park bike in the warehouse and got a shower upstairs in the gym. Clothing gets dried out on the gym equipment. Sounds great............unfortunately there is no heating and its colder in the gym than outside. At this time of the year its goose pimples when getting out of the shower, and frozen or (still) wet clothes for the return home!!!

NFMC

My guess...the ones with all the great facilities are public sector.

The ones with very little...private.

Am I right???

I've just started at my job and I have a bike shed, lockers and a disabled loo. Not bad.

iain_j

NFMC wrote:

My guess...the ones with all the great facilities are public sector.

The ones with very little...private.

Am I right???

Yep you're right :P

My place used to have a gym but over the years it's been neglected and it finally closed a few months ago, but the changing rooms are still in good nick.

singlespeedexplosif

My guess...the ones with all the great facilities are public sector.

The ones with very little...private.

Am I right???

not in my case, anyway..

vitesse169

Guess I'm quite lucky, we have showers, lockers, drying facilities, and keep the bike under the stairs inside the pass card door......

Rich158

NFMC wrote:

My guess...the ones with all the great facilities are public sector.

The ones with very little...private.

Am I right???

I've just started at my job and I have a bike shed, lockers and a disabled loo. Not bad.

Nope, I'm n the private sector. the annoying thing is that most architectural practices bang on about how sustainable their designs are - but when it comes down to how they run their business it's another matter.

The vast majority have no facilities at all, many discourage commuting by bike - the perception is that I'll sit there stinking the office out and be an embaressment to clients, and at least one practice I was offered an interview at expected me to drive and wouldn't consider me if I didn't :shock:

It's gratifying that most people still manage to commute without proper facilities, it gives me hope if I have an enforced shift in employment over the next couple of years.

always_tyred

Rich158 wrote:

NFMC wrote:

My guess...the ones with all the great facilities are public sector.

The ones with very little...private.

Am I right???

I've just started at my job and I have a bike shed, lockers and a disabled loo. Not bad.

Nope, I'm n the private sector. the annoying thing is that most architectural practices bang on about how sustainable their designs are - but when it comes down to how they run their business it's another matter.

The vast majority have no facilities at all, many discourage commuting by bike - the perception is that I'll sit there stinking the office out and be an embaressment to clients, and at least one practice I was offered an interview at expected me to drive and wouldn't consider me if I didn't :shock:

It's gratifying that most people still manage to commute without proper facilities, it gives me hope if I have an enforced shift in employment over the next couple of years.

I'm in a legal-ish field. Same approach to presentation and no facilities. I use a gym a few hundred yards away. Each morning it is full of people with Ortleib panniers, showering, brushing their teeth, shaving, having turkish massage, oiling up for Greko-roman wrestling, cooking a full english breakfast, you name it. They all seem to leave looking presentable and professional. (Except me, because I'm usually late, so I leave looking like I just had a shower and forgot to dry, or brush my hair, or shave, or iron my shirt, or put on a tie).

So, people manage. Each evening, you have to be prepared to don fairly rancid bike gear which has been in an airtight bag all day, but its doable.