Rant: My boss shut down my idea about the office coffee fund at the Monday meeting

I was in our weekly team meeting and I said we should maybe switch from the cheap stuff to a local roaster, like that place on 5th Street, because it's only $2 more per bag. My boss cut me off and said 'That's not on the agenda, Emery, we're talking about Q3 numbers.' I just wanted better coffee (and maybe a morale boost, you know?). Has anyone else had a totally normal suggestion get shut down like that at work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_dakota1mo ago

Kellyfoster is right about the fancy pen thing, it's a perfect example. I see this all the time where small, cheap comforts for regular people get treated like a huge ask, while bigger, less visible costs just slide through. It feels like the rule is often "no new spending, unless it's for the bosses." That two dollars isn't about the money, it's about control.

kellyfoster1mo ago

Wait, only two dollars more a bag? That's nothing! Your boss shut down a morale boost over two bucks while they're probably spending that on a single fancy pen. That's actually wild.

aaron89623d ago

And @the_dakota hit it right on the head, this is 100% about control. Like, your boss probably pays $4 for a single cup of coffee from the place down the street every morning without blinking, but that extra two dollars on the bags is where they draw the line. It's the classic "we can't afford that" when it's for us, but "we need this" when it's for them. Honestly, the math is nonsense, but the message is loud and clear.