Welcome to MyRagan Forum. Browse through any forum, sign in or register here and you'll be on your way to creating your own discussions and posting replies for the whole community to see :D
I just found out that I need to draft a communication informing employees that they will now have to pay $0.25 per K-cup (we use the Keuring coffee machines). Employees have been used to free coffee and tea for years, what is the best way to communicate this change, as to avoid a riot? In reality, it's not asking much, only $0.25 for a cup of coffee, however, tension is already high and I know this has the potential to cause more strife.
Any thoughts? Has your company had to cut back on this or other employee perks?
Is the .25 per cup really worth added tension? I know that it's not your decision and you're just asking how to communicate it, but wow. It's the little things like this that make employees spend half their time complaining rather than working.
You could point out how pinched the company is, but so are employees.
If you have a lot of short-tenure employees, they may not care.
And all tempests in a teapot stop boiling at some point.
Have you thought about simply switching to a coffee pot? That would seem to be a more managable expense. You could even poll the staff: Free Dunkin' Donuts coffee or 25-cent K-Cups.
We no longer have free coffee. Instead of charging per cup, coffee drinking employees have been asked to supply the coffee themselves. So, about twice a year, employees bring in a canister of coffee for all to enjoy.
Understanding that the choice is not yours – only to communicate it, which we’ve all been there – I would try to figure out where the money is going. If the decision was between two things, cut (insert perk here) or charge .25 per cup, perhaps it would be better received. I would think the why would be the biggest thing to address, and it can’t simply be a generic budge constraints answer … Good Luck
If possible, increase the price per cup to 50 cents or $1 with the caveat that all profits from the sale of coffee goes to a local charity (or a rotation of different charities each month). People usually don't mind paying for coffee if there appears to be some purpose to it.
Include in your communique how much the K-cups cost the company in a year - it's likely higher than the employees realize. (And then be sure the company won't profit from the new charge.)
I concur, it would be best to include the cost -- providing the company isn't making a profit. And at .25 cents, depending on the contract, that actually may be a possibility. As for increasing cost to donate to a non-profit, I've always disliked that notion. I have free will, and choose to donate to organizations of my own choosing. I don't like when that's thrown up to me, for it takes away my choice of donating or not and where ...
We still have free coffee, but we no longer have styrofoam or paper cups, we need use a reusable cup or mug. That not only saves money but reduces our environmental impact. Has your company considered smart cutbacks like setting printers to default to double-sided printing to reduce paper usage as a cost-saving (and evironmentally friendly) measure before cutting perks, which can hamper employee morale? Perhaps if they're stuck on charging for coffee it could be a "coffee delivery surcharge" that they might rescind once the economy improves.
I work for a state government, and our legislature took away free everything years ago, long before the current recession. We can't provide coffee to people are coming to a meeting from all over the state. Nor lunch when they volunteer to work with us all day. Fortunately most of our meetings are with other state employees, who understand the restrictions, but it's still a hassle.
I'd say the best idea so far is to poll the staff: free drip-coffee or paid K-cups. (Assuming management isn't too cheap to spring for a bag of coffee ....)
I've seen the "coffee wars" many times, and I would strongly recommend you play the role of counselor before caving into drafting the communication. Charging employees no matter what price will create serious negativity. As others have indicated, it would be better to simply drop the K-Cup system and all related costs. If money is that tight, just make drip coffee makers available, provided the users bring their own coffee. This saves the company money while giving coffee drinkers a "palatable" alternative where they feel more empowered.
I like the idea of explaining the cost. Good news: We're not laying anyone off. Bad news: You need to cough up two bits for the coffee.
Another angle: It's not fair to people like me who don't drink coffee. Where's my free (milk, soda, insert choice of beverage here)? I'd go nuts if I found out my company was subsidizing coffee drinkers and not paying for my running shoes, which carry me through the morning run that gets me pumped up so I don't need coffee!
Have you thought about getting better coffee and charging a bit more. As a Canadian, I would bet my colleagues would pay $0.50 for a cup of Tim Horton's coffee but would riot if I asked them to pay even half that for something else. If you can re-frame the discussion on value.
"In an effort to improve work/life balance, we will be focusing less on productivity and more on exercise and employee relations. Effective December 1, 2009, we are pleased to announce that we will be charging for coffee in our office. We hope this new fee will act as encouragement for you to take regular 20-30 minute breaks to go to the local coffee shop, instead of the 5 minutes it would have taken you to have a cup here. The resulting effects of increased exercise (walking to the coffee shop), fresh air, and more time to relax and chat with your coworkers over a longer time will help improve employee health, camaraderie, and morale. If you have additional suggestions, please speak with Finance. We’re from Corporate, and we’re here to help!"
