I’m fighting back against Whiteboard Terrorists.
Whiteboard Terrorists fill shared whiteboards with notes and diagrams, then write “DO NOT ERASE” somewhere conspicuous just before leaving conference room.
“Do Not Erase” is shorthand for “I’m too lazy to take notes and can’t be bothered to stick around to write them down or take a picture so I’m going to neutralize this otherwise useful surface for everyone else in the universe until I feel like erasing it.”
Sometimes the terrorists sign and date their message, possibly using the name of a high-ranking office member. This is to inspire fear, and fear is the fuel of terrorism.
I intend to fight this the only way possible, without reservation and without mercy. From now on, when I see “Do Not Erase” on a whiteboard, I’m going to erase the whole thing. I’ll erase it even if I don’t really need the space. We must set the precedent that we do not negotiate with workspace terrorists, and any attempt to take a whiteboard hostage will be met with swift, decisive action.
