View Full Version : You can forget that coffee!
Well, things are taking an interesting turn here in the office.
For a long time, we've had a 'kitchen' area to one side of the office, away from everything else. It had a microwave, kettle, toaster, fridge, even a fire alarm. We've also got a sink not even 10ft away from the kitchen, up maybe 5 steps, just by the toilet. The sink is marked as "for washing hands only, no kitchenware."
A couple of days ago, there was a company cleaning the drains, and we were informed that the toilets in this building are no longer usable for health and safety, so we now have to walk two buildings away (small ones), then up a flight of stairs & through two offices to use the toilet in our other building. Fair enough, can't do much about that, the drains are in a crap condition apparently, and contractors will be out ASAP to fix it.
This morning, one of the directors strolls in, and announces that the Directors in their meeting have now decided that the 'kitchen' in our office is in breech of Health and Safety regulations. The sole reason for this apparently is the fact that we don't have a sink to wash pots etc, the kitchen area is always kept clean & tidy (we have a nazi for a HSE).
So now, should we want cups of coffee/tea (or toast, or anything chilled) we have to walk up two flights of stairs to the nearest kitchen (just outside the directors offices - handy that) and carry everything back down. That means hot cups of coffee walking down stairs that look like they've seen better days.
Hmm... does anyone know where to get a Personal Injury claim form from so I can start filling it out now? :twisted: :lol:
(Non of this really bothers me, as personally, I can live without coffee/tea, and we'll soon be working from home - should start 1st of next month).
Luckypants
18-10-06, 10:29 AM
Working from home, 10 second commute! It rocks!
Carsick
18-10-06, 10:29 AM
To me, that sounds exactly like a licence to take 20 minutes to fetch a drink.
Carsick
18-10-06, 10:31 AM
Working from home, 10 second commute! It rocks!
I did it for 18 months a couple of years ago. Ok, the getting up and responding to my emails at 8am made me look good and then being able to work naked while eating toast till 9 meant an easy start to the day, but the loneliness absolutely drove me mad.
we have a nazi for a HSE.
equal opportunities employer? thats good to hear.
Luckypants
18-10-06, 10:36 AM
Working from home, 10 second commute! It rocks!
I did it for 18 months a couple of years ago. Ok, the getting up and responding to my emails at 8am made me look good and then being able to work naked while eating toast till 9 meant an easy start to the day, but the loneliness absolutely drove me mad.Loneliness can be a problem, but the missus sometimes works from home, we use video conferencing etc, so not too much of an issue for me.
And I'm an anti-social git! :roll:
20 minutes? Blimey you're fast!
When the dept is fully staffed, that's 7 of us. Throw in a couple of developers sat down here working on issues, and a meeting in the 'small office' and you're now looking at least two kettles full just to make enough drinks.
I'm sure that can fill the better part of an hour, afterall, it'd be rude not to make drinks for everyone whilst you're there, so we usually take it in turns anyway.
As for the loneliness working from home, I'm going to have to try & find some. Folks on the forum know what my 2yr old is like (well, he's not even quite 2 yet) re: mobile & toilet. There's another two kids in the house, and the Mrs, and the computer is in the same room as the TV.
For the summer I'm looking at setting up a microwave setup or similar so that I can pick & choose which beach I'm sitting on to work. Now that'll be a commute worth doing...
nearest kitchen (just outside the directors offices - handy that)
Start cooking up some smelly food if you want to go back to how it was :twisted:
Ceri JC
18-10-06, 11:15 AM
After reading the first bit, I thought it was going to be "...and since it takes 20 minutes to get to the toilet they've banned coffee due to its diaretic effect."
Sir Trev
18-10-06, 12:22 PM
To me, that sounds exactly like a licence to take 20 minutes to fetch a drink.
Damn right.
Our free coffee bar has now been closed to save costs. I can get undrinkable tea from a vending machine, slightly tainted hot water from a different machine that has a pile of t-bags in a dish beside it made worse by UHT "milk" in little pots, or overpriced fresh tea with fresh milk from the canteen. We've been told NOT to bring in our own kettles or mini fridges and to just get used to it. Sod that. Big flask full of hot water and little flask full of fresh milk every day (box of PG in the drawer). I am NOT going to subsidise the dire food they serve in the canteen!!!!! I know we're not automatically entitled to free beverages but after so many years of it you get used to it!!
[\rant]
SoulKiss
18-10-06, 12:26 PM
They did the same to us at a place we worked.
Must have cost them a fortune - no-one used the machines, and most people went out for coffee a couple of times a day to the local shop.
Ok wasn't the cheapest option, but the coffee was good (unlike the vending machine) and it ****ed managment off, but they couldn't do anything about it as everyone was entitles to an afternoon and morning 15 min break
I've taken a thermos into for years otherwise I'd never get a decent latte! :wink: Now I'm at home with the kettle just the other side of the kitchen from the computer. :twisted:
Spiderman
18-10-06, 12:35 PM
Our working kitchen display downstairs has a full working Meile coffee machine in it. And apart from filling it with water and coffee beans every now and again all i have to do is press a button and get fresh brewed coffee anytime i want it.
It even has a milk steamer thingy so i can froth it all up if i feel like it :D
SoulKiss
18-10-06, 12:39 PM
We have one of those type things here too :)
difference between working for a good company and a big company
We've got a cafe area on each floor that has fresh filter coffee, a range of teas, hot chocolate, a couple of kettles and a semi-decent coffee machine. I tend to ensure the coffee filter is properly stocked.
On Fridays we all get free cakes :)
Start cooking up some smelly food if you want to go back to how it was :twisted:
good idea, burn everything :twisted:
timwilky
18-10-06, 12:44 PM
One of the sites I worked at only had drinkable water at a "Brew station" across the road from the IT dept offices, people would have to fill a flask of boiling water to bring back to make a drink.
To get round that, the departmental head ordered in 3 water dispensers and forced the cost onto the estates budget as he viewed it unreasonable for his staff to have to leave the office and walk across the road to get a drink of water. The water in the toilets apparently came from the same pipework that fed the site fire systems etc and was not fit for drinking as it had stood in a large tank 50ft in the air for some time before it gets to the tap.
As the cost of bottled water soared (due to people actually drinking the water). the estates dept finally conceded to running piped drinking water to each office with a chiller/boiler at the end. Only problem is they have not bothered with drains. So each unit has a bucket to catch spills which the cleaner must empty daily.
Oh the joys of working for a large multinational with a skinflint estates dept. Strange though that the directors office suite has its own kitchen with hot and cold running water, microwave and dish washer.
Carsick
18-10-06, 12:44 PM
Apart from a full kitchen, we just have an expresso thing but it has a steamer on it too. I don't drink coffee very much anymore, so don't touch it. I think it's been switched on twice this year.
We also go to the pub most Fridays on expenses and get ****ed over lunch, which usually starts out as an informal meeting and ends up as a discussion about random ********.
Carsick
18-10-06, 12:46 PM
Oh, and there's a water cooler about 10 feet from my desk.
The benefits of working for a small company where the owners have similar views on what an office should contain.
Start cooking up some smelly food if you want to go back to how it was :twisted:
good idea, burn everything :twisted:
Fish. Cooking fish is the way forward on this, the smell stays put for hours.
rwoodcock01
18-10-06, 12:54 PM
Start cooking up some smelly food if you want to go back to how it was :twisted:
good idea, burn everything :twisted:
Fish. Cooking fish is the way forward on this, the smell stays put for hours.
So does sour milk, I remember 'accidently' spilling some in a directors car once, but that's a differnet story.
I loved working from home, I am luck to have Cats in the house to keep you company when Anna is not arround.
Cheers
Rich
Start cooking up some smelly food if you want to go back to how it was :twisted:
good idea, burn everything :twisted:
Fish. Cooking fish is the way forward on this, the smell stays put for hours.
So does sour milk, I remember 'accidently' spilling some in a directors car once, but that's a differnet story.
I loved working from home, I am luck to have Cats in the house to keep you company when Anna is not arround.
Cheers
Rich
you could accidently burn some plastic.....thats a nice smell :shock:
or just accidently cause a small fire :twisted: im sure the boss will soon move the kitchen
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