"The break room was my least favorite aspect of my last job. No one ever cleaned out the fridge or the microwave. I tried coming up with solutions, but no one adopted them. That was frustrating because, in every other way, everyone on our teams was all for kaizen. I'm also not a fan of the water cooler. They never cleaned it out, and everyone would congregate there and trap each other in conversation. I get antsy when I'm not feeling productive.

That said, I'd rather focus on the positives. I loved everyone I worked with, and I enjoyed the work itself. I felt grateful that the workplace adopted several of my systems to improve workflow and prevent rework. They recognize you for your contributions. That makes me feel more vested in my work. So, everyone encouraged each other and fostered growth and innovation, except when it came to that horrible break room."