My Boss Hid The Coffee Machine, Once

True story. It was during my time in Sales. The entire team shuffled one by one into the office from the drizzly morning rain that you only find in Manchester. 

Computers were flicked into life, drenched jackets hung, small talk made then the realisation set in for each of us. 

Slowly at first. Something is different, wrong even, what is it? Then it washed over us all, like an ice cold frappe on a sunny afternoon. A heavy silence fell as we all stared at the same spot. There was a large, slightly grubby, space where the Nespresso machine used to be. 

We'd been burgled! Or had we? Why leave stacks of lap tops, monitors and a petty cash tin here but take a (slightly dented) domestic coffee machine? 

My mind raced back to a conversation I'd had with the CEO two days earlier, 'have you ever seen Glengarry Glen Ross?' I had. Alec Baldwin screeching 'Coffee is for closers only..' 

Suddenly, it all fell into place. The boss had come in early and taken the coffee machine in an attempt to not so subtly reference the famous movie scene. We weren't closing, so we weren't getting coffee.

'They've taken the bloody pods as well!' We were enraged. Enraged in a weary, irritated kind of way and we did what any sane, caffeine deficient people would do in this situation. We grabbed our coats, stormed out of the office.. and went to the Starbucks downstairs. We even treated ourselves to caramel lattes to sooth our anguish.

What had been their thought process? The truth was the company’s inability to close deals was a byproduct of poor management, poor leadership, poor communication and leads so cold you could use them as ice cubes. 

To say this latest stunt had missed the mark would be an understatement. 

We spent the rest of the day dejected, distracted, undermined. Unmotivated.

Suffice to say, they didn't decaffeinate us again.

As for the coffee machine, Don't worry, we found it again. It was poorly concealed in a metal cabinet with a pull down shutter front, you know the ones, where you need a key to unlock it. We all had a key, though. 

So, what's my point? People don't leave companies, they leave Managers. 

That's where we come in. If you're looking for a new career opportunity, get in touch. If you're looking for Engineers, get in touch. The fact is, talented Engineers thrive in an environment where they're trusted to do the job they were hired to do. .. even more so when there's coffee.