I started a new job a month ago. I cycle to work 4 out of 5 days. I keep my weeks’ supply of shirts at work, hanging from the coat stand.

A couple of weeks ago I made a request for another coat stand, as I was conscious that I was taking up a lot of space on the existing one.

Then yesterday I was told that someone (anonymous) has made a complaint about how much space my clothes were taking up. I explained that I’d asked for a new coat stand.

So yesterday I chased up the whereabouts of the new coat stand. The response via email is below:

I have discussed your request for an additional coat stand for the office with [fat tosspot], and he has rejected your request.

Reason being is because we do not want to encourage cyclists taking in additional changes of clothes into the office. The coat stands should really only be used for coats.

Fuming! I’ll carry on monopolising the existing coat stand then – they only have themselves to blame.

TFL? SouthEastern railways? They both seem pretty Anti Bike…

Could the coat stand be inserted up fat tosspot’s rectum, in any way? (eg. sideways)

way to go impressing your colleges in your new job. You’ve been there a month, and so far, you’ve identified one as a fat tosspot, other people have complained about your behaviour and you’re resolution to this is to carry on regardless?

You must be fun to work with.

Solution: don’t take a change of clothing into work. Sit there in sodden, stinking dirty bike gear and see how that goes down in the office.

Find somewhere else to keep your shirts, folded in a drawer? Buy your own coatstand?

Make do with one shirt a week, or take the shirt home and bring a fresh one in with you each day. Shouldn’t be difficult.

Sounds like a shit place to work.

I’m drying this mornings commuting kit on the radiator, nobody complained about the noise of the shoe dryer (and a few others have bagsied it after mine are dry)

Take in a fresh shirt each day ? I do this and it’s fine.

You could always bring clothes with you! Shirts don’t weigh much – I’ve always brought shirts with me.

I wouldn’t say they are actively discouraging cycling to work. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect a cyclist to travel with their own clothes tbh.

http://www.firebox.com/product/4435/Shirt-Shuttle

Although I used to roll mine up (top tip for travelling light, roll your clothes up)

In today’s modern ‘paperless’ office what else is your filing cabinet for, if not to house a selection of socks, shirts and underwear.

http://road.cc/content/review/48058-commuter-technologies-shirt-shuttle

Eagle Creek Pack-It

There’s no drawer space here for storage. Just a miniscule pedestal with each desk, just about big enough to keep a toothpick.

My solution seemed like the most obvious one.

Although I used to roll mine up (top tip for travelling light, roll your clothes up)

I’ve heard that a few times, does it really work?

Why did you ask for a coat stand and not a locker/cupboard/wardrobe?

I keep my weeks’ supply of shirts at work, hanging from the coat stand.

Can you not just fold them and put them in a drawer?

Maybe get a suit bag so they can all go in there? If you hang each shirt from the cross bar of the hanger above they take up a lot less space.

I’m not sure having a week’s supply of work wear in full view is something I’d want to have in an office.

My solution seemed like the most obvious one.

Yes but you have to share this space with other people and share the resources available.

Can you stick a plastic hook onto something under your desk and hang them off there?

TBH I’d wonder about your capabilities as an employee if you’re not proactive enough to solve your own problems and expect other people to do it for you. (NB this is mostly but not entirely tongue in cheek)

I’ve worked in a lot of offices and never had shirt storage provided. I never asked for it either – just got on with figuring out a system that works!

My solution seemed like the most obvious one. to you.

but clearly not for some of your colleges…

Look, it’s very simple, discuss your requirements with the people that it affects and reach a compromise. Happy smiley faces all round.

No wonder some office environments are seething cess-pits of passive aggression.

flaps – for anything other than things like blazers/Dinner jackets yes, works great.

You can even roll up a whole change of clothes like a swiss roll: socks, in knickers, in shirt, in jeans.

Fold collared shirts in a “classic” shop shelf way first, then turn over and roll up with the collar last on the roll.

Some places just don’t see why people would want to cycle in to work.

Place I used to work at had a new facility built; a great opportunity to fit it out as they wished and make it a great place to work.
Requests for a small shower room were ignored by management and all other attempts to make the place cycle friendly were ignored.

It took months and months to get a bike stand approved and they basically bought the cheapest one they could find in the ‘industrial supplies’ catalogue and plonked it freestanding in the car park with no cover and not even bolted to the ground. Completely useless.

But, none of the management were interested in it. They didn’t see it as a way to improve staff conditions or encouraging cycle commuting, even though many staff lived locally.

Annoyingly, at the head office down the road, the financial director at the time was quite a keen road cyclist. They had a nice, covered, secure bike shed and showers were already installed there. Plus, when he decided he’d quite like a new bike the cycle to work scheme got pushed through in double quick time where previously it had been discounted as too expensive to administer…..

You need to just find work arounds, as it’s unlikely you will win. You need to remove the reasons for people to complain about ‘that one who cycles in’. As most people think you are a complete mentalist for cycling to work, rather than driving.
When i used to cycle 12 miles to work and back, people at work used to talk about it like I was some kind of cycling god; it was impossible to get through to them that 12 miles twice a day wasn’t really a big deal.

Reason being is because we do not want to encourage cyclists taking in additional changes of clothes into the office. The coat stands should really only be used for coats.

So not discouraging cycling, just discouraging the office looking like a chinese laundry?

I keep mine in a storeroom near the dissabled toilet (which has the shower in it). Before that I just took a big rucksack in monday mornig with clothes in and left it under my desk, the storeroom just avoids strutting through the office in disco slippers and lycra.

Take in a fresh shirt each day ? I do this and it’s fine.

Likewise. Roll it up along with trousers, into a drybag with my other bits and into a backpack. A few minutes of body heat from wearing it is enough for any crumpling to fall out.

I’d be asking for somewhere not in the office area to store (and dry) clothes. I wouldn’t want my colleagues to be keeping a week’s supply of clothing or drying their shoes on radiators near me either.

Can you not just fold them and put them in a drawer?

Maybe get a suit bag so they can all go in there? If you hang each shirt from the cross bar of the hanger above they take up a lot less space.

I’m not sure having a week’s supply of work wear in full view is something I’d want to have in an office.

They won’t fit in my drawer – it’s tiny.

A wardrobe would be the ideal solution, but I was aiming low. I said I was going to put the coat stand in the far corner, out of sight.

Cycling with my clothes on my back is a pain. It’s 10 miles each way, and I find it much easier without a bag. Plus the convenience of having shirts washed and ironed by someone else (£2 each) is the necessary incentive to keep me doing this through the winter months. Not sure why I have to compromise for the sake of a new coat stand that will be kept out of everyone’s way. I’d pay for it myself if it was about the cost, but the response seems clear that they just don’t want to encourage this sort of thing.

And if all your colleagues decided they wanted to have a weeks worth of laundry hanging up in the office?

ut the response seems clear that they just doing want to encourage this sort of thing.

correct. They dont want to encourage someone leaving a shed load of laundry hanging up in an office environment. I thought nickc had covered this bit.

You’re really not helping yourself or the cause of cycle commuting with your attitude at all.

I’d pay for it myself if it was about the cost, but the response seems clear that they just don’t want to encourage this sort of thing.

hmmm not really, perhaps you need to take a step back from this. You are new, your making requests for stuff and drying your clothes in the office. Perhaps there is a more simple solution, rather than ask for something new why not ask if there is somewhere you could store a small bag with some clothes. After that consider carrying a panier rather than a pack.

They’re only objecting to a second coat stand, not cycling.

Could a second stand be too conspicuous where its situated in the office?

I suggest you demand your own office, WITH YOUR OWN coat stand. That’ll learn ’em.

Wow! I didn’t expect the response to go this way from a cycling community.

A bit of perspective please.

a) I made the request for a new coat stand before anyone had made a complaint.
b) The new coat stand was going to be placed out of sight.
c) I am not proposing to turn the office into a laundry room – it’s 4 freshly washed and ironed shirts, usually covered over by various coats. The rest of my cycling gear lives in a box under my (small) desk.

I still can’t see why you can’t keep them folded in a bag under your desk?

So in summary, you want to cycle in unencumbered, but haven’t got space at work to actually do that… so in order for that to happen you think its ok to treat your fellow workers with an attitude bordering on contempt, and you’re not sure why you have to compromise, but you’re fairly certain they will have to, to accommodate your wishes?

Good luck with your future job hunting prospects

PS it has nothing to do with cycling, and everything to do with your attitude. HTH

the response seems clear that they just don’t want to encourage this sort of thing.

I wouldn’t want to encourage employees to treat the office as an extension of their bedroom either to be honest.

That isn’t anti-cycling, it’s just pro-professionalism.

Cycling with my clothes on my back is a pain. It’s 10 miles each way, and I find it much easier without a bag.

Get panniers or a post-mounted bag (Carradice SQR)?

Plus the convenience of having shirts washed and ironed by someone else

Ask the laundry to fold them. In my experience, most places will, although some will charge a bit more than they will for hung. 4 folded shirts in plastic bags will just disappear into a small cardboard box under your desk.

🙂

Wow! I didn’t expect the response to go this way from a cycling community.

Perhaps it’s the way you put it, little melodramatic. Also if you want sympathy and a hug call your Mum 🙂

Fuming! I’ll carry on monopolising the existing coat stand then – they only have themselves to blame.

It does sound a bit “Angry Little Man” really.

I didn’t expect the response to go this way from a cycling community.

we all own bikes. It doesnt mean we’re all anti social too.*

* except for binners. You cant take him anywhere.

People get very possessive and territorial about stuff like this.

Your new. Your pissing people off. You are on a hiding to nowhere.

You have options:

Store in bags under your desk, you could even use vac packs if there is so little space.

Carry a fresh one in each day. They weigh nowt.

I’ll carry on monopolising the existing coat stand then

Result;

a) your colleagues will resent you

b) a memo will be sent round ‘one coat per person on the coat stand only’

and you’ll have

a) no friends

b) still nowhere to put your shirts

As has been said repeatedly: Find a solution that doesn’t inconvenience your colleagues and doesn’t make the office look like you’re living there.