Lady Florida. Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) 23 hours ago, marbel said: Like, ready access to good drinking water. When I started at my company, there were some hot/cold water dispensers around so people could fill their water bottles or cups. (When I started there were plastic cups available, but those disappeared within my first week.) Then the hot water stopped working. Then, the dispensers disappeared altogether. I thought they would be replaced, but they haven't been. So water options are $1.50 bottles from a vending machine or a fountain by the bathroom, outside the security doors, with a faucet that allows me to fill my 20-ounce bottle only about halfway. So I fill two water bottles at home every day and keep them at my desk. Other things.. .readily available, inexpensive (I don't expect free though it would be nice) coffee, tea, hot water. We have a weird little cafe area that has coffee and tea in single serve pods (not keurig) for $2.25 a pop. It isn't good coffee. If we want to bring our own tea or instant coffee (hot cider mix, whatever), we can use the microwave to heat water in a mug. Oh, yeah, there is water and ice available in a dispenser there, but again the dispenser is not tall enough to fill a water bottle, just a mug or an 8-ounce cup. A refrigerator to keep lunches cold if needed. Or, sometimes the company brings in lunch at about noon. But we also have a night shift. Several times I have come in at 5pm to find a sandwich that was delivered at noon on my desk. Um, thanks, but... no. A refrigerated sandwich is not my favorite, but at least it would be edible. On a more serious note than my previous post - In the teacher's lounge we had a refrigerator. That was our only "amenity" One of the teachers brought in a small microwave from home, so though we technically had one it wasn't supplied by the school district. We had a coffee pot and coffee drinkers were expected to contribute to the coffee fund. Of course there were always people who drank coffee regularly but didn't pay and there was no way to stop that from happening. Any coffee drinker who had a planning period and noticed the pot was empty was expected to make a fresh pot, unless it was close to the time school gets out. If you wanted tea or other hot non-coffee drinks you used the microwave to heat your water. If you wanted soda or water you could either bring it in or do as the students did - use the water fountain. There was a soda machine in the cafeteria but it was kept locked until after school to keep the kids (high school) from drinking too much soda. This was at the request of parents. We were not supposed to leave campus during the day, so what you brought with you to eat or drink, or what the cafeteria served for lunch that day is what you got. ETA: Like many Florida high schools it was spread out and we had two teacher's lounges. Both had a sink. Both were close to the teacher's restrooms. I guess having our own bathrooms and not having to share with the students counts as an amenity. 😄 Edited January 27, 2019 by Lady Florida. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 I've never worked anywhere that provided more than a break room with refrigerator and microwaves. There is usually a coffee club (people who want to drink the coffee all have to chip in to buy coffee and supplies). One employer did the same thing with a water dispenser (a water club). Food was only provided on manditory training days. Otherwise the employees would organize occasional pot lucks. Every once in a while a family would donate food/goodies as a thank you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) For as long as dh and I have known each other we both basically worked for governments. I was a teacher so I worked for local government. He works for a civilian contractor on a military base, so federal government. At his work they have a break room with the basics - refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, and sink. Edited January 27, 2019 by Lady Florida. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Every office setting I worked in had a kitchen/break room with fridge, microwave, coffeemaker. Most, maybe all? had water dispensers. That's been a long time but dh says it's the same now around here. Legal and tech places usually have snacks and drinks available, more or less elaborate depending on the setting, It seems like providing caffeine would be in everyone's best interests! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, katilac said: <snip> It seems like providing caffeine would be in everyone's best interests! LOL yes! It seems there are a lot of things companies could do to foster employee morale and good will all around. That'll differ of course. During the very heady days in tech (I was never a tech person but worked in a tech company) the free donuts every Friday and subsidized cafeteria with excellent food (and lots of choices) were just normal. Free coffee and tea were a given too. Of course a call center is a far cry from a high-tech giant, and my coworkers are largely entry-level or return-to-work folks like me, or people looking for a part-time second job. Not as many perqs are needed to attract/keep workers! Fortunately my Contigo keeps coffee hot for a long time! Edited January 27, 2019 by marbel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 We provide a small fridge and stove, a sink, small microwave, coffee maker- there's coffee if you want to make it, water cooler, place to sit and eat. The girls also have filled a couple shelves in the cabinet with their mugs and some drink/lunch supplies. There are also paper plates and plastic silverware, as sometimes I bring in breakfast for everyone. Most weeks a salesman brings in donuts or other food items that are for everyone. We sometimes have soft drinks left from a company event. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 The building our company rents has a full kitchen, which is nice. We have a Brita, Keurig, microwave, blender, toaster, and electric kettle as well as the normal kitchen appliances. Everyone brings in coffee pods, tea, coffee fixings, and will randomly add snacks to the cupboards. We usually have a fruit bowl going as well. We have a number of clients who don't have enough food at home, so we like being able to offer fruit, snacks and coffee/tea. I like to bring in chocolate sometimes too and add it to the candy bowl in the cupboard. Therapists can always use a mid-afternoon boost! We're a small group though and everyone contributes to make a nice workplace. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk8ermaiden Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Even when I worked retail there was free (bad) coffee, a fridge, and a microwave. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 On 1/26/2019 at 2:04 PM, Ktgrok said: I've never worked anywhere, large or small, without at least a refrigerator and neither has my husband. Usually a coffee pot too. There was a refrigerator where I worked before this -- but not near enough space in it for all employees to use it. Luckily most did not because of the issue of food disappearing. I wouldn't expect anything beyond a restroom and water fountain outside. a microwave is very very nice but I've worked temp jobs where there was none. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 All but one place I have worked have had free tea and coffee, toilets and water. Most have had microwaves and fridges and many showers My current job has coffee mostly and a port-a-loo and a not very nice fridge. We now have an elderly microwave as well. We bring our own water because the tap water from home is much better and safer than the water at work. The boss did buy bottled water but it was a waste so we said not to bother The job had many advantages though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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