The War of the Table

Nobody would start a war over a table, right? Well, wars have started over less. In this case, the possible storm brewing involves an electric lift table, the only one in the six-room massage business where I work.

When I first began working there, I was afraid I had become too spoiled with electric lift tables to ever be able to live well without them. But as it turned out, I didn’t like the energy in that particular room, and energy matters more to me than electricity when it comes to massage. I also had the sneaking feeling that as the business grew, so might competition for that particular room and table. So I chose another room to work in, removing myself from any future territorial struggles, and brought the table way up high, the way I like it for my height and my back.

Unfortunately, I appear to have been right. The one electric table — originally installed in the largest room to be available to clients with mobility and other issues — is now being vied for by two or three therapists. As long as these people don’t work the same shifts, all is well. But if, for example, they overlap, there is a problem. Yesterday, one therapist was running over slightly, and the therapist waiting to inherit the electric table for the remainder of the day almost started her own massage late because she was unwillingly to work on a “regular” table.

Being a team-player, I’d like to think of a solution to this issue so that everyone can be as happy as possible. Some of the therapists who prefer the electric table, cite back issues as a problem, and that’s understandable. But buying five more tables is a terrible expense, and not likely to happen. Perhaps one more, or one more at used price is an option. I’m really not sure. I have my own physical issues, but as long as the table is at the height I need, whether the table is electric or not doesn’t really matter to me that much. If any therapists out there have had to address the electric vs. non-electric table issue in the workplace, please comment on how you would handle it.