Before I quit my job, I decided to treat the company as a kind of social laboratory. That was when I ran something I called the apron test.
The cafeteria at the company I worked for handed out disposable non-woven aprons. But fewer people used them than you'd expect. Maybe they didn't notice, maybe it felt like a hassle, or maybe it seemed wasteful.
So I decided to wear one myself and watch how people reacted. I didn't just wear it, though. The rules went like this.
- Once I take out an apron, I keep using the same one for at least two weeks. (To account for people who don't use them because it feels wasteful.)
- When lunchtime comes, I put the apron on right away and head to the cafeteria. In other words, plenty of people would see me wearing it — at my desk, in the elevator, on the stairs, at the cafeteria. (So there's no way they could be unaware that aprons exist.)
- If anyone asks about my apron, I answer positively: "It's comfortable, I like it."
People's reactions fell into these categories:
- No interest whatsoever
- Reacting with "do you really need to go that far?"
- Trying the apron on once
- Wearing an apron continuously, following my lead
Category 4 came to exactly one person. Category 3 was only a handful, too. The vast majority fell into 1 or 2.
The way I see it, wearing an apron is a pretty high-ROI act. It's hardly any trouble at all, and it prevents any mishap that might otherwise happen. It's +EV insurance, essentially. And yet people don't follow suit.
Once I suggested to a colleague who'd come in wearing a white shirt that he try one that day. He passed on it, and of course that was the day sauce splattered on him. "Ah, I should've listened to you, Sian" — and still, he didn't wear one the next time either.
But does this really only apply to wearing an apron? I think this habit is a trait that carries over into work, too. It takes observation, curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to act. The ability to try out a good tool you see a colleague using, or to overhear the team next door and adapt what they're doing to your own team's situation.
Maybe people were just too swamped with work to have the room to observe or imitate anything — and that thought makes me a little sad.