Yesterday, trying to get out of the house quickly, I opted not to shave.
When I looked in a bathroom mirror right around lunchtime, though, I regretted it – I’d passed from just a little scraggly to bum-esque. And I briefly wished I had a razor and shaving cream at work so I could just shave in the bathroom.
I didn’t have the equipment, didn’t go get any at lunch, and just carried on through my day. But it got me thinking – I’ve seen coworkers (here and elsewhere) brush their teeth, but I can’t recall ever seeing anyone shave at a company sink.
I don’t shave my face (female) but the guys I used to work with at the pizza joint shaved at work sometimes. There was always a razor and shaving cream in the bathroom. They had the propensity to party and sleep too late to make it to work on time with finishing their morning routine so they’d do it at work. Especially when they had to work 14-15 hour shifts and stuff.
I’ve done it but I guess the environment was a bit different than a typical workplace. I worked at a health club in the accounting offices. So when I realized I had forgotten to shave I grabbed a courtesy razor from the front desk and headed to the locker rooms and used the courtesy shaving cream.
It was then I realized how absolutely crappy those courtesy razors are.
I shaved once at work when I was at Wendys. Our manager was a real prick about that, kept a razor handy to make male employees shave if they forgot.
Then I did it a couple other times by choice. I was working massive amounts of overtime during hurricane season (I worked in auto and home insurance). This was a period where I would work 18-25 hour days and was basically living in the claims office. Since my only time at home was spent passed out, I shaved at work several times.
I do it a few times a year, when I’m running seriously behind or am going somewhere directly after work where I’d like to be clean-shaven. However, I use an electric, so it doesn’t involve sink & suds for me.
I did a couple of times when I worked in a hospital. The beauty was, there was always a fresh disposable razor and some shaving cream lying around because they have to use them so often.
I’ve done it when I have been in too much of a hurry to shave at home… I just have time to grab a disposable razor and put it in my coat pocket, then do the deed when I get to work.
I do fairly frequently, but since I have a bathroom all to myself (essentially), it’s never an issue. I try to shave at home every day, but don’t always get around to it. Since I almost never interact with anyone in person at work, letting a day slip is no biggee, so the razors & shaving cream are on standby in case I’m scheduled for an unexpected meeting and want to look more presentable.
Obviously you don’t work in sales. The most outrageous behavior I did was when working on the institutional sales desk for investment banks in tokyo and hong kong. Sometimes you’d take clients out all night, don’t go home, grab breakfast and be in the office for the 7:00 am meeting still drunk. Change into the pressed shirt in your drawer, shave in the bathroom, then pick up the phone and start doing trades.
I still get the occaisional late night, and if lucky a short nap, then into the office and have to see customers later in the day. Sometimes I haven’t shaved, and so use the razor in my desk
I worked at a hotel for 3rd shift earlier this year. I didn’t usually get a chance to go home before I had to be down at the college for classes, so I would get ready for school at work. It worked especially well when the manager knew what I was doing, because she would come in a little early and hang out with me so I had time to change clothes and shave and brush my teeth again. It was never a problem for her, because I would often stay around 10-15 minutes after 7 and help her out with the morning rush. I had to be in town at 8, so it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew if I went home, I would end up falling asleep in my chair waiting on the 45 minutes to pass.
Sometimes I remembered to take a razor, sometimes not. We had complimentary ones that we gave to guests, and I know they never had a problem with me using one for a few days.
Once that manager left (about 4 months into my working there) it was a little different. We didn’t have an office manager, and the guy who had been there the longest was lazy, always late, and didn’t understand that people had other things to do than be at work. Our general manager often called in and told him how to make schedules and such, but I ended up quitting a few months later because I didn’t need the hours the way I once did (he was scheduling me 75-80 hours a week and gave himself off 3 days in a row), and there were other issues…
I have. Sometimes when early-morning meetings occurred, and I was a little behind getting out of the house, I’d throw my electric shaver in my briefcase. When I arrived at work, I could poke my head in the meeting room, say “I’ll be right there, just give me a minute,” and head for the washroom. A quick shave (an electric never took too long), and I’d be in the meeting.
A related question: has anybody ever shaved on an aircraft? When I used to have to take great longhaul flights between Canada and Australia, I always tucked my electric shaver in my carry-on so I could try to look presentable for the Customs and Immigration people. Thankfully, the aircraft had a 110VAC outlet in the lav, but electric or not, has anybody else shaved on a flight?
Regularly. I spent my younger days working for a daily newspaper on Colorado Front Range; got called out in the middle of the night many times, worked the story all night, still had to cover breakfast meetings and look presentable for the rest of the day. I didn’t just shave at work, I showered – we had locker rooms just off the pressroom. I kept a change of clothes (from the skin out) and a complete shave kit there. Used it many times.
I still have a complete toiletry set in my desk. Just habit, I guess. But I go to work at 5 a.m., and by the time late afternoon client meetings come around, it’s time for a quick shave, brush the teeth and touch up the haircut.
