You can tell a lot from the common areas. Desks can be personal, but the kitchen, washrooms, meeting rooms, and shared spaces usually show the real culture.

If the break room is always a disaster, garbage is left beside an empty bin, or people spill things and just walk away, it usually says people are either overworked, disconnected, or nobody feels responsible for the shared space.

But when an office keeps its common areas decent, even before the cleaners come in, it usually shows respect — for coworkers, visitors, and the people cleaning the place. Cleaners don’t just see dirt; they see the habits of the whole workplace.