This thread might not have had the scales tipped so negatively towards the OP if he hadn't started with a defeatist notion. That and parking in a small communal location is a stretch in its own right. Other than that I see his point.
I'm a factory worker turned office employee. I earned it, but in there somewhere is still a factory worker. Here's an interesting twist....
Several years ago we had a different General Manager. One day his #2 brought a very nice bike into the office. The GM told #2 he couldn't do that though there was no company policy against it. Anyway, that's just the way it was.
For the last couple years there has been a new General Manager. Not knowing of the formers GM's ruling about parking bikes in the office, I asked if I can chain my bike to a handicapped parking sign post in the Office Employees parking lot. This lot is around the corner of the building from production floor employee parking lot. This newer GM invited me to park the bike in my office, just asked that when corporate came to town I not bring the bike. Company doesn't come real often so not a big deal. I bought a SuperRack and the expensive bike is always clean. I do nothing to bring additional attention to myself when parking in my office. I get to work early and leave late (but I always have) so changing cloths and bringing the bike in or out is never a scene.
A couple weeks ago, a production floor employee I've been friendly with for years cornered me about bringing my bike upstairs. He was rather negative about it, and for no good reason at all. Since, several others have made wise remarks about it. I don't know why.
There is a bike rack on the production floor side parking lot. There are always several beaters there. Now, you'd have to know the business I work in and I won't go into that but in general, theft and vandalism runs ram-pud. Other things happen on the floor, regularly, that just can't be substantiated. Let it suffice, that office employees simply could not park a bike in any condition in the plant floor workers parking lot and management won't let us put a rack outside on the managers lot. OK. I might get away with a beater in the production workers parking lot. I have made no known enemies. I AM paranoid that one day somebody might raise enough hell that I be asked not to bring my bike into the office. So....I've considered bringing a different bike. Yet, I have flats and want at least a bike with quick release tires. That won't fly in the production workers parking lot either. One day a tire will be gone. And I like really hard tires for some speed so I can get to work in in a timely manner so I need a road bike.
I just can't help but feal like somebody is going to ruin this great thing for me and anything less than parking in my office will become problematic for me. Las Vegas sun ruins anything left in the sun, fancy or not. Theft or vandalism is a massive issue where I work and I will never be sure I have an operational bike when it is time to go home. I'd say bike commuting in this country is still in it infancy.