voodoocommuter

I'm a long time lurker on this list but a first time poster. This will be my forth year of commuting by bike. I'm mostly a three season commuter, but I'll ride on the odd days in the winter if the weather looks like it's going to be mild and there is no ice or snow on the roads. Maybe some day I'll commit to riding all year round. Last year I commuted by bike somewhere between 50-75% of the time and I hope to do better this year.

I work for a large Corporation with multiple locations throughout the US. In my area we have multiple buildings within a five mile or so radius. They are grouped into three areas seperated by a river and a couple of major highways so walking from one to the other is difficult, I've been lucky, because three (maybe four) of the buildings, one in each area have showers and lockers. Two of the buildings have gyms as well.

My problem is that recently a policy has been posted that essentailly, doesn't allow me access to a locker. The policy as stated on the locker room bulliten board essentially says that the lockers are only for use of people while they are working out and nothing can be kept in them during the day or night.

I suspect that this policy is essentially aimed at me. This might sound paranoid, maybe it is, but let me explain.

I moved to my current building in mid January, from another building that had about 400 people in it with a large locker room and showers, but no gym. There are a good 80-120 full sized lockers in that building used by the three or four bike commuters, a dozen or so runners and a security guard or two. I never had a problem using a locker there in three years. When I moved to my current building with about 80 people in it, I noted that there were 22 half sized lockers and no policy on using them posted. I took a look and saw that 2 had locks on and anther 6-8 had stuff in them with no locks, the other 12 or so were empty. So I put my stuff in one and locked it. I only seldom used it in January and February, but in mid March I started to ride in daily, the last few weeks I've used it every day, entering and exiting through the gym.

Yesterday a handwritten policy was posted saying that nothing could be stored in the lockers during the day or evening unless you were currently working out. A co-worker in the locker room made a comment to me just a few days ago about keeping my stuff in the locker during the day which indicated to me that he didn't like it. So I assume, perhaps wrongly, that the part time staff of the gym has decided that they don't like someone using "their" locker room. I've never seen more then 8-10 people using the gym at one time and even then 3-4 were women who have there own separate locker room and showers so the locker space is adequate even if I use one.

So what to do.

As it turns out I'm moving out of this building and back to the building with the large locker room next week so this won't actually be a problem for me, but I'm just so annoyed at what seems to be a policy that excludes someone that wants to commute.

I can just shut up and forget about it since it won't matter to me next week or try to fight it. I was wondering if anyone here had an opinion.

Ohio Trekker

Personally I don't work in "corporate" America, but I know the politics only too well. I wouldn't try to fight it but I would suggesta pro-active approach to the situation. Obviously your employer must have some concern for employee well being or they wouldn't have work-out facilities to begin with. Perhaps you could point out to them that for "health purposes" including physical and emotional well being cycling to work is a very important part of your regimen.

Again, I don't know the political situation in your work place, but I would also point out that with the price of gas sky-rocketing, and people and communities attemping to conserve a failing resource, "THEY" could be construed as interfering with your attempts to be part of the solution.

The logic of having so few lockers in the building compared to the high number in the building without escapes me.

Personally I always prefer to be pro-active as opposed to confrontational or reactive, and would try to somehow make it appear as though it was a slight oversight on their part to make your commuting so difficult.

AND WELCOME to the group.

halfbiked

If you're really worried about it, find out who left the note. A company of the size that you describe is unlikely to issue policy edicts by handwritten notes. Essentially the ball is in your court: do you want to make a big stink out of it that may revoke locker privileges (or de-facto privileges) company-wide, or do you ignore the handwritten policy for the next week, or do you circumvent the policy by carrying a gym bag (or whatever) to your workspace & store gear there.

voodoocommuter

Thanks Ohio Trekker, I've thought of that approach, but I was just so angry yesterday that I don't think I was thinking things through clearly. I was hoping for constructive responses like this that would help me calm down a little a see positive solutions.

Ohio Trekker

HEH I married a hot-head, I learned along time ago to wait till she cools down to attempt a civil conversation.

I'm kinda thinking about what halfbiked said about corporate communique not typically being done in handwriting. I also agree about not wanting to make a stink since it's only for 1 week anyway, but I would seize the opportunity to make sure I understood what my immediate supervisor or higher up the ladder folks thought about cycle commuters in general for my own long-term understanding. Maybe even do some advocacy, in a company as large as you elude, are you the only one who commutes?

Again, personally, as much as I can't stand corporate America, I can't imagine any large corporation discouraging such a healthy attitude!

Hawkear

Chances are, there's some kind of building manager (or management team) that's above the staff that manages the locker room. I'd find a way to get in touch with them, and see what they think of the policy after hearing your story. This handwritten policy doesn't seem too official, so it should be easy overturning it.

voodoocommuter

I mentioned the fact that it was a handwritten policy specifically because, as some of the replies mentioned, I thought that in a company as large as the one I work for that a handwritten policy is unlikely to be "Official Company Policy" rather just the policy of someone that thinks they are of some importance. The gym is only staffed part time and I've never bother to learn who the staff is to this point.

..and by the way my immediate manager has always been more then understanding about bike commuting. To the point of asking me if moving to another building within the campus to support work would be OK and not cause me any problems with respect to getting there by bike.

I ran this problem by her briefly this AM and she thought it was ridicules as well, but I'm not inclinded to ask her to go to bat for me on it, since it's a problem that will resolve itself next week anyway.