Banishing the Devil: Environmental Maintenance -Episode 0-
Hello. This is Mamotaro from the General Affairs Section of the General Affairs Department.
This time, we have "Episode 0," which focuses on the theme of "Environmental Maintenance."
Please note that I will not be touching upon the practical aspects of "Environmental Maintenance" here.
Bicycle Theft
We have many employees who commute by bicycle. We have an indoor bicycle parking area that is used only by company staff. At one point, one of the bicycles there was stolen.
A few days later, it was discovered that the culprit was an employee. It seems that this employee's bicycle had broken down a little while earlier, and they did not have the money to buy a new one.
At that moment, they found an unlocked bicycle in the parking area... and decided to take it home.
Even if it was a momentary lapse in judgment, it is wrong. The person who commits the theft is at fault.
However, what if it had been locked...?
Raskolnikov's Axe
There is an episode like this in the book "Prisoner's Era" (Shujin Kyo Jidai) by Tomohiro Mizawa.
It is that just before committing a crime, every human being experiences a similar psychological state. This is the "Raskolnikov's Axe" depicted in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." In other words, the protagonist, Raskolnikov, goes to the old pawnbroker's place to prove the logic of his superman theory and to steal money. When he actually faces the old woman, he begins to waver, but at that moment, seeing the axe right there in front of him, he mistakes it for a "sign from God" (in reality, a whisper from the devil) and proceeds to kill her. In this way, one is initially excited about committing a crime, but then becomes calm, thinks of various excuses, hesitates, and wavers. Just when they are about to stop, on that very day, at that very moment, something happens right in front of them that encourages the execution of the crime, and they mistake it for a "sign from God" and rush into committing the crime; this is called "Raskolnikov's Axe." This is what is commonly referred to as a "momentary lapse in judgment" (ma ga sasu). The devil comes and whispers into the wavering heart, causing one to mistake a coincidental event for a divine revelation, leading them to commit the crime. For criminals, just before the act, "Raskolnikov's Axe" appears, and they commit the crime due to a "momentary lapse in judgment."
It must have been a coincidence.
But there are "coincidences" that turn employees into criminals.
There is a gap where one thinks, "I'm working so hard, and yet..."
The Devil in the Office
An unlocked bicycle, a stamp of approval without checking the contents, a late-night office, an environment where trash doesn't bother anyone...
There are things that become the "devil" everywhere.
A momentary lapse in judgment can happen to anyone.
"He was a serious employee," "I never thought he was that kind of person..."
The person who actually crossed the line is undoubtedly at fault.
However, General Affairs must be a professional at creating an office.
Depending on the "Environmental Maintenance," there might have been a future where he was not turned into a criminal.
Conclusion
Offices cost money. There are, of course, things you can do and things you cannot. However, "design exists precisely because there are constraints."
There are many perspectives on making an office clean, easy to work in, and promoting well-being... but why not also incorporate the perspective of "banishing the devil's influence"?
That was Episode 0 of Environmental Maintenance.
I hope that more workplaces will avoid creating unhappiness through environmental maintenance.
Thank you for reading.
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