We had a U.S. client contact us regarding an issue that they were having in one oftheir new offices that they opened overseas. The issue pertained to snacks thatthey provided for their employees. According to the client, it was part of their corporate culture to provide a comfortable work space for all of their employees, which included free water, soft drinks and snacks. They even set up a small kitchen on each of their loors where employees could hang out and consume the snacks.
A few days after opening, they were surprised to find that they had gone through all of the snacks that the company had allocated for the entire month.They quickly went out and purchased more snacks, which also did not last through the following week. A bit concerned, they called us to set up cameras ineach of the kitchens to see what was going on. What we quickly learned was thatthe employees were taking the snacks home. Captured images showed employees stuffing six-packs of soda into their backpacks and grabbing 2 or 3 bags of cookies and chips just prior to leaving each evening.
As a means to dissuade the employees from removing the items, the company installed soft-drink dispensers instead of cans, and placed trays of cookies and chips in lieu of individual packages. However, the products continued to disappear. Cameras caught employees bringing in empty 2-liter bottles to fill at the dispensers and empty bags and plastic containers to fill with the chips
and cookies. And the supplies continued to run out. An interesting side-note isthat the employees began to complain about the lack of snacks, going to prove that once you provide a benefit to someone, it is impossible to take away in the future.
Frustrated, the company set up an all-hands meeting for the following morning to discuss the situation. The country manager, who had been brought in temporarily from the head office to oversee the opening of the office, explained to the employees that the snacks were being provided as a courtesy by the company to the employees for their enjoyment while at work. The manager further stated that the snacks were not meant for after work hours or to be taken and consumed away from the office. This caused a bit of a stir with the employees.
One of the employees raised his hand, and in an annoyed manner stated that the products were offered for his consumption, so what did it matter if they were consumed at the office or at the subject’s residence? Or on the bus while hewas returning to his residence, for that matter. Soon, others chimed in, andbefore you knew it, the vast majority of the employees were speaking up and echoing their co-worker’s comments. They collectively felt that there should be no limit on the “free” items. After all, the location of the perk should not matter, just the perk itself.
Culturally and ethically, the company did not see eye to eye with the employees. To the company, removing items from the office essentially constituted stealing. Whereas the employees felt that if the snack was meant for them, that the location or time should not matter. After all, the employees
might be working so hard that they were unable to stop for a snack during the day, so what was the problem with enjoying a soft drink and a few cookies at the end of the day.
After speaking with a few other like-minded foreign companies in that country, the manager found that they all had had similar experiences. In every case, the companies decided to do away with the snacks, which in turn, caused an issue in their respective companies with in terms of morale. Some of the companies claimed that they had employees resign in protest after pulling their snacks. In the end, our client decided to keep the snacks, but placed a monthly limit. So when the snacks ran out, the employees wouldhave to wait until the beginning of the next month before the trays and dispensers were replenished.
Once again, the company’s interpretation of ethics did not match those of their employees.