Ice Trays & Work Ethic

Increasingly the humble ice tray is becoming an anachronism. Most home refrigerators have an automatic ice cube maker, robotically churning out ice so the human always has a chilled beverage. However, in the interest of cost savings there are still some bastions of ice trays, where one has to actually fill the tray with water, let it freeze, and then break the cube free from its form. Most often we encounter this at work where we are glad just to have a refrigerator.

But this simple happenstance actually presents an interesting social experiment in terms of the work ethic of one's co-workers. I respectfully submit:

The full ice bin and full trays: The optimum state - here we have proactive worker bees who take it upon themselves to assess the level of ice in the holder, taking on the job of cracking & refilling the trays. You can bet these are the sort of folks who will also be proactive at their real job for the company.

The empty bin but full trays: The glass is half full. Here we have "just in time" staff who'll rise to the occasion but only when it bubbles to the top. Could be that the company has promoted this by chronic shortage of human resources so that people become accustomed to dealing with something only when it's immediately confronting them.

The empty bin and empty trays: Now we're straying into tunnel vision, not willing to think down the line in order to help others. You see a problem but because it's not your problem it is ignored. Not a great sign for your corporate culture.

The empty bin and partially full trays: This is terminal - you're surrounded by coworkers who are dedicated to doing the absolute least amount of effort to accomplish the job. Better get that resume in order.