COFFEE BREAKS

[Marcus]

I have problem where my staff are spending just to much time making coffee & tea for themselves, making their 10 minute
tea break running into 20 minutes.

Also the pinching of coffee & tea(which i supply) is a problem.

Do you think a coffee vending machine will solve this problem, I have a staff of 15

Any ideas?????

[tec0]

What would the cost of a coffee vending machine be? That said if you can get a good one then I would say yes it would solve your problem when it comes to the time it takes to make the coffee and they will no longer be able take small amounts home but sugar might still be a problem.

That said they will start spending more time visiting the toilets. "It is just how these things go…"

I recommend setting up a policy for coffee breaks and the like and set out some clear rules regarding the problem. Then install a small security camera and keep an eye on who is spending too much time taking breaks and also see if you can find who is nicking the coffee.

The vending machine will probably break down a lot… "The one we had was junk, it made horrible coffee AND it hardly ever worked properly" That said if you can get a good one why not try it?

[Justloadit]

Hi Marcus,

Welcome both to the forum, and to having employees. Your next problem is going to be toilet paper. If you do not issue it, they use newspaper and block the toilets. Then you introduce a policy in which a new roll is only given when you bring back the cardboard of the finished one. Next you will be having a list of who takes and when and how many rolls a month.

[Dave A]

Those coffee vending machines are expensive - at least compared to just supplying the makings.

If the staff are taking too much time, threaten to supply a kettle only and they can bring their own makings
Or an urn if the problem is the kettle is too small and they're waiting for it to boil.

I'm not too sure what to suggest about the pinched stuff - rationing each day? - or perhaps a monitoring camera is the answer.

I know this much - when it comes to boosting staff morale, providing free tea and coffee is a really cost effective way to go about it. I've never begrudged the spend yet.

[Just Gone]

If you staff are performing over and beyond their duties then the extra tea time should not be a problem. If they are underperforming then they are using you in more ways than one. Forget the coffee machine scenario - they will find a way to abuse that as well and it is expensive so you are going to be paying out extra anyway. Why not have a staff meeting or two and lay the guide lines down for when tea times are. If they continue to abuse the coffee & sugar I would take that priveladge away from them and tell them to bring their own !

[AndyD]

The secret is to try and set it up so they police it themselves. With tea coffee and sugar you work out how much they need for two cups per day, add 25% and that's what you supply on a monthly or weekly basis. Explain that if they take it home they're stealing from the guy they're working next to, not stealing from you. If they run out every Thursday or on the 25th of every month then they're drinking hot water for the next few days.

I would avoid a vending machine unless it's an office environment. They can work out very expensive if you're not careful. Maybe make it the labourers task to make all the coffee and tea just before break time. As Dave suggested an urn might help. If they still abuse the time then start issuing warnings.

[murdock]

look into to a hydro boil...they are extremely energy efficient...in fact to a point that the survey i did to determine whether putting in timers to switch them off over the weekend...was a waste because...the cost to install a timer worked out more than the saving over a one year period.

i think smoke breaks are one of the worse...when it come to lost production...when i work at companies and watch how often people take smoke breaks and how it distracts them for a period before and a period after...you got to wonder how much productivity you actually loose...my staff are not allowed to smoke end of story...i catch one smoking...chances are they are looking for a new job sooner than the next smoke break...in fact i take careful note of smokers when i employ.

[wynn]

Do you have a permanant cleaner? if so appoint her as the Tea Lady and make her responsible to serve everybody tea/coffee at set times, she will also be responsible for any shrinkage as well.

If no cleaner the lowliest staff member can be the one or rotate monthly.

[BusFact]

I think Kevinb has a good point. Can't you rather monitor their performance of their actual job. If the work is getting done, who cares if they take 20 min breaks. If its not, apply some pressure for results and that will hopefully reduce the idle time.

Then AndyD has IMO the best solution for the pilferage. Guys, here's the monthly budget, lets make it last. However make sure you're not penny pinching. As Dave said, providing coffee and tea is reasonably cheap way of improving morale and making the work environment a bit more pleasant. So only put in these measures if the stealing is starting to get out of hand.

[tec0]

I don't agree with smoke brakes at all. Allow smokers to smoke at their desks. In a well air-conditioned room second hand smoke will be very little and actually not that bad for people as once thought.

Here is one of the pages that I had a look at link

As for the coffee, an urn is a good start

[adrianh]

Now here is an interesting aside. My daughter says that the kids at school get single ply toilet paper. They figured out that the teachers get two ply. The little girls now go and steal the teachers toilet paper because they are tired of having to use "sandpaper"...

[tec0]

Now here is an interesting aside. My daughter says that the kids at school get single ply toilet paper. They figured out that the teachers get two ply. The little girls now go and steal the teachers toilet paper because they are tired of having to use "sandpaper"...

Sounds about right… I see no problem with it

[adrianh]

It just stuck me as a real sign of the times when little girls feel that they are forced to steal toilet paper.

[Dave A]

I was going to say something about making the girls return the paper they stole, but on second thought perhaps not

[gac]

How about calculating the cost of tea/coffee/soup etc you are prepared to incur per person per day, add it to their wage/salary as a Refreshment Allowance and pay it to them. They then bring their own to work and you provide the kettle, electricity and water.

In terms of how long they take for breaks - toliets, refreshments, smoking the only way to control it I beleive is as mentioned above by various folk to peformance manage their duties. After all that is the ultimate basis for paying employees their wage. Dont worry about the duration of breaks but rather focus on how much they get done.

I have heard that it might be better to reward those who are getting relatively more done than others, as a positive re-inforcement, than police and punish those that are bad performers (negative re-inforcement). The latter just makes the situation tense & negative and unpleasant for all including the re-inforcer. I guess one has to be careful as to the extent of positive re-inforcement and that it is done fairly so at to avoid challenge.