October 03, 2005
The Coffee Stinks!
In my office, we recently got a new coffee machine. Now I donÕt drink coffee, so the new machine is of little interest to meÑas long as I can still get hot water (which I can). The rest of the office seems to be in an uproar because many of those who have tried the new coffee donÕt like it.
I find it amazing that a simple cup of coffee can be such a big deal, but itÕs been several days and the complaints continue to fly. One woman said today, ÒIÕm going to start going to DunkinÕ Donuts!Ó
What these complainers are forgetting, of course, is that the coffee here is free. F-R-E-E. No one has to join one of those Òcoffee clubsÓ where only those who contribute are allowed to partakeÑthe company shoulders the entire cost of the coffee, including paying the guy who comes out to service the machine daily.
Which brings me to the point of this piece.
People have come to expect plenty of extras with their jobsÑinsurance, holiday pay, paid sick leave and so on. My company is one of the best out there as far as such benefits are concerned, and I, for one, am grateful. But itÕs easy to forget that something as minor as coffee is a luxury, not a right. The company could, during budget time, choose to eliminate free coffee altogether. Then what would the people say? Would there be rioting in the halls, complete with pitchforks and burning torches?
Businesses provide perks because it makes them more attractive to prospective employees. But they are not required by law to provide any kind of perks, including insurance or other benefits, other than unemployment. (Yes, there are rules regarding insurance if it is in place, but thatÕs another topic.) It cracks me up that so many of us have gotten so used to the idea that our company owes us something other than a paycheck for work we promise to do upon being hired that something as simple as a new coffee machine can get people riled up to the point of idiocy.
Just think of how much more of this weÕd hear if we became the socialist utopia that is Germany, France, and other European countries!
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