Supervision Concepts and Practices of Management
Critical Incident 2-2
Objections to Free Coffee
Shayla Boeck was the assistant vice president/office manager for National Insurance Company. She is in charge of fifty-eight office employees. The economic downturn has taken its toll on National’s bottom line, and as a result, about one-third of the office force have had their job eliminated. Those who remained have experienced substantial increases in their health care costs but have not received any pay increases in the past two years.
The company subsidizes a break room and cafeteria for employees. Free coffee is provided. While twenty minutes are allocated for both the morning and afternoon breaks, many employees are usually absent from their work areas for a half hour or more. Boeck thought about having a coffee cart and vending machines put into the work area. While this might cost more money, she felt the company would be more efficient since employees would not be away from their workstations for long periods of time. Before presenting the suggestion to the vice president of operations, she thought about discussing it with a couple of her key employees.
While she was making a list of the pros and cons of her idea, there was a knock on her door, and Rebecca Wall asked if she might have a moment of Shayla’s time. The gist of her concern was that she was a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, which has a doctrine that states that “hot drinks are not for the body or belly.” Therefore, she found it offensive that the company would provide free hot drinks and not other alternatives.
a. If you were one of the office employees at National Life Insurance, what would you prefer? Why?
b. Do coffee breaks actually serve as a channel of communication that is important to the smooth functioning of an office? Why? Why not?
c. How should Shayla respond to Rebecca’s concerns?
d. Shayla must make a decision. If you were Shayla, what would you recommend to the vice president of operations? Explain your reasoning for these recommendations.
If you stay with the current policies, what would Shayla do to ensure that the breaks are not abused?