What to leave on the desk before we arrive Monday

Hosts mean well when they tidy. Please do not.

A cleaned board on Monday morning is a different desk from the one that hurt you on Thursday. We will map the clean one and miss the tray that matters.

Leave these as they were

• The return pile, even if it embarrasses you
• The spare chair that became a second desk
• The radio on whichever side it already lives
• Last week’s run sheets, uncopied

Do these before 08:00

• Name a host who can answer “may we sit here” without a meeting
• Tell the dispatcher we are mapping the board, not scoring people
• Put a spare chair within earshot of the first answer
• Tell us if a customer who shouts is expected; we will step out

Do not do these

• Write a new procedure overnight so we will “see best practice”
• Ask staff to smile for a photograph
• Hide the after-hours drawer
• Schedule our sit for the quietest week of the quarter

The method is built for a live peak. If Monday is a public holiday or the yard is closed for stocktake, pick another week. We would rather wait than draw a map of an empty room.