 Yaaaawn. Strrreeetch. You've been clacking away at your TPS report, manning the register or stuck on a conference call for what seems like an eternity, and it's time for a little java jolt. You trudge to the communal break room for a cup of whatever brownish liquid they're passing off as coffee and...oh shoot! The darned thing is leaking everywhere. How about if the kitchen is clean as a whistle, but there's only one cup left in the pot? The marketplace has seen a substantial rise in the quantity and variety of single-serve coffee pods and pouches in recent years. While certainly some of that can be attributed to convenience and increasingly affordable and sophisticated technology, there are almost certainly some complex interpersonal dynamics at play on the part of workplace administrators. To paraphrase a popular scold, your mother doesn't work here - and if she did, she'd probably tell you to get off your lazy butt and do your part to keep the office neat and properly caffeinated. It's a scene that plays out in break rooms and office kitchens across the country every day. Perfectly sane, rational adults who are thoroughly competent at their jobs, who serve the public with a smile, possess multiple advanced degrees and form the very backbone of the American workforce are seemingly unable to grasp the intricacies of coffee maker operation or the location of a suitable container for the disposal of Splenda packets. The other half writes notes about it. Elaborate, lavishly illustrated coffee pot flowcharts and etiquette guides, shame-inspiring posters and plain ol' cranky printouts and hand-lettered admonishments abound in offices around the country. We're giving you a chance to vent. In the comments below, share your best story of an office coffee offender you've encountered, or post a link to your own blog or picture of the most outrageous or passive-aggressive note you've ever seen on or near a coffeemaker. We'll highlight our favorite ones ones in an upcoming post. After we've had our coffee. (Wait, what do you mean we're out of skim milk?!? Someone put back an EMPTY container? Where's the Sharpie?...) |
  Recent Posts
 |
 |
|
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Help | Advertising Practices
The blog and even the reader comments on this article are fantastic! So true and easy to relate to! I highly recommend everyone begging their employer to purchase a single-serve coffee machine like Keurig if you don't already have one! No coffee pot to clean, no filters to change, no gross, leftover coffee! We picked up a KCup Vending Machine in our office, and what a difference! People love the office coffee again! From a business standpoint, it makes a lot of sense as well! We are able to control costs with the KCup Vendor in a way that just wasn't possible before!
http://kcupvending.com/
I always made the coffee when I arrived early in the morning. Get my cup and go back to my desk. I am also the person who cleanes the scummy microwave and the utensils left in the sink. One day a few weeks ago, I made the coffee as usual, and became involved with a project at my desk. I was not able to get to the coffee maker until a few minutes after my boss arrived to the office. When I was finally able to go for coffee, said boss had filled his two (2) travel mugs and left dregs in the pot. I have not made coffee since. I bring my own from home. Not one of my coworkers nor my boss had said a word about it, and now the boss is making snarky comments about the issue, but not to my face.... I still bring my own coffee from home and I still have not made communal coffee.
I'll make another pot, then I'll google a bunch of flyers and/or make them myself, that serve as a passive-aggresive form of telling my office mates their selfish A-Holes for not filling it with one or less cups remaining!
I'll clean up and make fresh...no big deal. Used to have a "stoner" in the bldg and he would always set his dirty coffee cup in there unwashed..well I would wash it but then "line it" with a fresh film of soap. Guy was always so stoned...he never even noticed! LOL
I can't believe there wasn't one extra choice on the "last pot of coffee" question: take what's left (or else leave a thin layer of liquid at the bottom so you can pretend there's "a little bit left"), put the pot back on the burner, and walk away from the coffee pot that is now left on for the rest of the day. I used to work in an office within smelling distance of the break room and the stench of that sludge or residue that burned for hours was nauseating. So I'd be the one who'd turn it off and put the pot in to soak even though the coffee was horrible and I always brought mine from home.
Fortunately I work at a university and my building is right next to the student center, which has a branch of our best local coffee chain inside. No more "office coffee!"
Starbucks Via! The best, just add hot water.
two things –
one business I worked at had a home office and branch office. the home office had all of the different types of coffee that any one could want. the branch office was allotted a plastic bin of Folgers per month. when it ran out the branch was out of coffee for the month. sick of this, I simply threw the Folgers away after hours given any opportunity. New bin? Into the toilet....it made their economizing really really expensive, while I simply started bringing in my own coffee.
another business made the mistake of having a non-coffee drinker assigned to making it. the first and last time she made it, she was instructed to clean it, so she put the cleaner in the filter and dumped in the pre-measured coffee on top of it and set it to brew....
ALL YOU NITTIEPIXIES – IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE IS ABOUT THE COFFE POTTIE, - I just wanted to take the opp to say how much I dislike all you nitpicker jerks - fox sake - it's a coffe break. Only assholes analyze it - brain dead!!!!!!!! Any, just wanted to take the opp to say how much I HATE working with fusspot jerkers ANY : ) LOL LOL Get a life or WHAT?? LOL LOL : )
Stopped drinking the coffee when our company 'went green' last year and stopped providing cups for employees.
I don’t drink coffee so I don’t clean up after anyone else’s coffee mess. When it comes to the refrigerator I rarely use it but I was sick of it being filled with crap every time I did use it. I made up a nice note that said “All items not clearly labeled with today’s date will be disposed of at the close of business today” and permanently attached it to the refrigerator. After a couple of days on a Friday I hung around work until most people had gone home then I tossed everything that was not labeled (which was everything) into the trash. I got rid of coolers, lunch boxes, Tupperware, dishes, everything. Then over the weekend the cleaning staff emptied the trash so nothing could be recovered. Come Monday you should have heard all these ass-hats bitching about how all there stuff got tossed and I must admit that the satisfaction I got from seeing other’s pain was well worth the effort. Over time I have noticed that other have taken up the cause of tossing crap in the trash, I guess I am not the only one that enjoys throwing away other people’s things.
Why always a poll, eatocracy? It makes me want to punt gnomes.
I'll kick your azz from here to Mexico if you mess with my gnomes !!
Anybody have a coffee filter? After this AAA downgrade the shite will roll downhill and I don't know if I can drink it.
Just drink soda instead, no one has to worry about filling up a soda pot.
The worst offenders at our office – those with advanced degrees. Apparently, they believe that they are 1) too busy to make a fresh pot and 2) are too good to make a fresh pot. They have no problem drinking the swill, but will not do anything for the next person or even clean up. They posses Masters and Doctorates, but somewhere along the line, common sense and courtesy were removed from the curriculum.
We won't mention the state of the microwave ...
We must work at the same place.
we are too busy, it's up to you lazy peons that procrastinate 89% of the day to make us the coffee.
Coffee is AWFUL, I'd clean up, but I won't drink that crap...
On my first day of work, I took the last cup of coffee without thinking about it. An administrative assistant sent an angry email to the ENTIRE company ranting about it. Everyone knew it was me. I stepped forward in shame and talked to the woman who sent the email and said I just didn't know. She was nice about it, but then put a somewhat passive aggressive note explaining how to make coffee in the kitchen.
Great way to start a new job!
My officemates have the WORST coffee etiquette anywhere. They all but wee in the pot, I swear. I have to clean up after them no less than three times a day. To answer the second question, if it's early in the AM, I'll brew the next pot but if it's late, I'll wash the pot and filter holder and turn the machine off and proceed to clean the coffee station hopefully for the last time that day.
Actually.....we do wee in the pot.
I am just glad I have a job, and that my job can afford to buy all of its employees coffee, no matter the crazy that goes along with it.
@Happily, yeah yeah we all know your internet usage is monitered, no need to suck up here as I am sure you do enough of that to your boss' face, now get off your knees and go make me a pot of coffee!
lol
I am impressed Happily that you have a sense of humor- or you think I am your boss who just so happens to post on CNN and you are continuing sucking up. HA! will not work! everyone knows your boss is on Farmville not CNN!!!! Nice try!
As a chemist, it really urked me when I saw somebody sticking their own personal cup to collect the first of the caffeinated goodness and then swtiching back to the pot, leaving the following caffeine junkees with something close to decaf.
As a chemist you should know what a load of BS that is. You're just pi$$y because you didn't get the first cup.
Now stomp your feet and have a seat in the stfu deli. Someone will be with you so soon that you could hold your breath while you wait.
What's all this talk about coffee pots? Everyone knows that a french press makes supperior coffee. Because it's FRENCH! Sacre Bleu! And you lazy americans can each have one at your tiny little cubicles while you are surfing the internet looking at cute kitten videos on youtube instead of doing your work, you lazy amercians!
I bring my own coffee (Yuban), and french vanilla creamer to work. I nuke the water, and use a french press. problem solved.
I just can't drink normal coffee that offices tend to buy – it really is like dirt. To avoid all the conflict about who makes the coffee and who cleans up, I bought a small one-cup Mellitta cone filter – put it over the cup, put in the filter, add the coffee & hot water, and enjoy. (Alas, I am addicted to 100% Kona coffee... ) No mess, no aggravation, and a perfect cup of joe.
1st day I started at my new job they told me I had to make the coffee for EVERYBODY! I said noway, I don't make coffee for anybody but myself. They said fine, your fired. I couldn't believe it, just casue I refused to make coffee for everyone else........Of course I was working at starbux.
LM AO! Too funny!
I chucklecringed on that.
I brew a pot at home. It's enough to fill my travel mug, my wife's travel mug, and my thermos. This way I avoid the whole issue; I have my coffee the way I like it, and everyone else gets to have the arguments over who cleans the coffee pot, what kind of coffee to make, etc.
That's what I'm talking bout, Mike. Skip all that fraking drama and office politics.
For my entire working life, I've avoided the whole issue. I buy one large cup of coffee at a convenience store on my way into the office and that's it. On those very rare occasions when I want or need a second cup, I either get one while out of the office on my lunchbreak or make an excuse for an afternoon "coffeebreak" and buy one at another nearby convenience store. I do not even know how to make a pot of coffee let alone any of the ettiquette associated with it.... and that is all by choice.
...and I should add that the reason I do this is because, undoubtedly, I would be one of those jack####s who would get a cup and leave a few drops in the bottom of the pot so I could rationalize that "it's not actually empty" and never make nor clean up a pot of coffee. In my own way, I keep my hands and conscience clean.
Thank G-d that I don't drink coffee! If I want something warm, I drink tea.
Just 2 issues here:
The uncaring slob who leaves 1/2 sip in the bottom yet doesn't turn off the burner thereby ensuring we all get to smell scorched coffee. Oh, and scrub out the mess.
The uncaring jerk who decides he needs the double-strength brew even though the sign says "one pack per pot". So it either overflows or chokes everyone while he blithely pours 1/2 cup of mud and 1/2 cup of tiny creamer packs into a mug and saunters away.
If I see a mess I take my coffee and leave the mess. If I take the last cup of coffee I dont make a new one. I'm greedy, and rude.
I have my own small coffee pot in my office. I skip the communal coffee pot, fridge, etc. I don't want to be a part of the politics of cleaning up messes I didn't make, paying for others to drink coffee or cleaning out the fridge of items II didn't leave in there. People spend way too much time farting around with that stuff and not working.
Hahaha! Spot on dude!
I'm a sr. manager in an IT department. There are several of us at work that drink coffee heavily all day, we have courtesy for each other and clean up our messes. One even roasts his own coffee beans and brings them in for us to sample. Since we always have a fresh pot, people from other departments will sneak in for some of ours to avoid the sludge in their own office. They then leave empty pots on burners to scorch, spray sugar and creamer all over the counter, and have even gone so far as to stop by my desk on their way out to say "You need to make more coffee! he he he" Unfortunately the really rude ones are VPs (not all VPs, just a few of them) so I can't do anything about it. :-/
The Army in their wisdom decided to deploy me to Africa, and boy do I miss the coffee! Nothing quite as good as having Buna in Ethiopia, or even getting to be the special guest at a coffee ceremony.
My love of coffee kicks in and I really do anything to help a coffee maker – the same, however, cannot be said for co-workers :).
Other....whether I would brew a new pot or not depends on time of day. After 3 pm, I would not brew a new pot, before 3 pm, I would.
That's why offices have women. They cluck around the coffee pot for an hour (seriously it takes an hour for them to make a pot of coffee as a group). Then I swoop in and take the leftovers.
I would probably help with the ordeal of brewing a pot of coffee...but then I would have to talk to them.
Aren't you that guy, Bob Uppandown? Yeah, I thought so.
The 5 top rules for work. Follow them, you will avoid many common problems.
Rule #1- Never share or use a common refrigerator.
Rule #2- Never join a coffee pool.
Rule #3- If you see a candy bowl on a desk, look away and forget about it.
Rule #4- Guys, Never touch a female coworker, except to shake her hand.
Rule #5- Guys, Never say anything to a female coworker that you would not say if you wife or mother was present.
All these polls are always wrong. People always pick the "best option" in paper or on an exam but never follow through with it.
Let's get real here. The majority of you are beotching about something you don't even have to be responsible for. In steps the Admin Asst. It is ALWAYS the responsibility of this position to make sure the "professionals" have their coffee. I can't tell you the times I was humping and trying to get out a Powerpoint deadline due in 30 minutes for a meeting with 50 attendees and some lazy-ass would walk around the corner...."the coffee pot's empty". That was my cue to take care of the spoiled grown babies. EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T EVEN DRINK COFFEE!!
We are sorry Mrs. Obama, but someone has to do it.
its very offensive to say a "admin assistant" should make coffee. i was hired to run the office. i take care of everything so the "professionals" can do their job. I doesn't state anywhere in my job description that I'm a coffee jockey. Anyone wants coffee, they make it themselves. They can clean up after themselves too. I refuse to do either job.
That is why you are no longer employed as an admin assistant. Maybe if you didn't put off that powerpoint until the last minute we wouldn't ahve had this problem and you might still have a job.
We have a fancy one-cup coffee maker in each of our kitchens at work. It doesn't require special cups. You put your mug on the little stand, push a few buttons for espresso, coffee, hot tea, or other type of coffee (I think there's even hot chocolate) and you get exactly what you want. You can even select how strong you want your coffee on the little touch screen. The company pays for it and there's no fuss over a coffee pot. The fridge, on the other hand, can be disgusting, but the admins take turns cleaning it out.
OOOOOPPPPsss!!!!!! I thot it was The Politics of the Office Pot. O, Well. Dream On.
I avoid the whole thing by drinking tea, or something out of a can.
I drink out of the toilet bowl....very refreshing.
LOL... very well timed comedic relief :)
The last ten years on the job, I brewed my own coffee in my cubicle. Not only did I get a better cup of coffee, but I avoided the situations described above.
i JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPP TO SAY HOW MUCH I DISLIKE ALL YOU NITTIEPIXIES - IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE IS ABOUT THE COFFE POTTIE, I DON'T SAY IT NORMALLY, BUT ITS TRUE, I EVEN HATE WORKING WITH YOU : )
I hate it when you leave comments all in caps.
Use your forehead to hit that key to the left (in < that direction) of the "A". Nobody wants to see you shout.
What the fuk are you smiling at gg? I bet your are that two faced little twit that every office has that wines and complains about everything. For once in your life, just stfu and go do some work and be productive.
Sounds like you must be the culprit in your office.
I would be stunned if gg had an office job ...
... for longer than 10 minutes.
I firmly disagree with the automatic refill concept. Who likes their coffee well done? Somebody 'automatically' makes a pot...maybe nobody wants any more for a few hours..in the end, you've wasted coffee. Possibly very pricey, yummy coffee (Gevalia Stockholm, Peet's Major Dickason's Roast, etc.). Perhaps a poll of the office Coffee Achievers (do you remember that Folgers ad campaign?) will determine that a new pot is in order. But I would never condone just having a pot there cooking without any recognized demand for fresh brew.
We had a well-educated, professional man who would do his good deed by making a new pot of coffee. However, he did this by scooping new coffee grounds on top of the old ones – even if they were from the day before. Needless to say, the coffee was gross and the filter so full that grounds spilled over everywhere, making an even bigger mess for someone (usually one of the ladies) to clean up later. Hence, you can count me among the people who now has a single-serve coffee maker in my office. Great and accurate article!
The coffee policy at work is very fair to us. The morning people get to make coffee on a nice clean coffee pot, while the night crew (a.k.a. me!), who doesn't drink that coffee, have to clean the pot before leaving for the night. Why can't those who use that coffee pot clean before they go home?
I find it hysterical that 89% of people say they clean up the messed and 70%, of people say the make fresh coffee. Anyone who has every worked in any office anywhere knows that there are 2 or three people who do all of the cleaning and coffee making and everyone else just drinks the coffee and spills it on the counter.
If someone is to lazy to clean up after themselves, they wouldn't be bothered by this article at all, they would avoid it just like the cleaning. I would think the only people commenting here are the people who have had to clean up after the others and are angry about it.
Also, if you are one of the responders saying that people with these complaints have issues, than you are the lazy culprit they are complaining about. Try to think of the last time you cleaned up a mess in the kitchen that was or wasn't yours, if you can't remember, there is probably a reason.
Don't forget refilling the Ice Cube Tray! I am confident I am the only one here who does, why else would I have to refill them everyday!!!!! Apparently people here think there is an "ice cube fairy"
Even if you get people to wash out the pot, etc, there is still maintenance to be done on the machines. You need to de-scale those things or mineral and other nasties will build up! That is why, in my opinion, office coffee tastes especially terrible.
What I think is incredibly gross is the refrigerator. People just can't seem to get the idea that it is a holding place, not a permanent storage location for whatever you decide to leave to rot. The fridge in my office is like a science project. I know it's petty, but some people's lack of consideration for others makes me totally disrespect them.
Nope, not petty at all.
I agree with Matt, not petty at all. People with no consideration for others are usually the ones who bark the loudest when their toes get stepped on. They're also the first ones who poo-pooh others who stand up for themselves. Ironic, isn't it? ;)
We have the fridge issues like yours with people treating it like it's permanent storage. When that happens, I schedule a fridge clean out day (btw, I work in engineering; not maintenance) and I lead the charge. If you're in a position to do it, give it a shot. Post it in advance to let people know that at X time on Y day the clean-out will begin.
Oh we have clean-out day, which usually begins with an angry, often nasty, e-mail from someone. While it seems that someone needs to take charge, I find it ridiculous that the support staff must clean up after their coworkers. They are adminstrative assistants, not nannies! I refuse to have anything to do with it, as I don't leave anything in there. Which sort of brings us back to the whole problem, I guess. It's nice to know that I'm not being petty, though. :)
LOL! Agreed. Mature professional adults should never be required to clean up after other MPA's. Sadly, the signs we post that say "Your mother doesn't work here; clean up after yourself" go unheeded.
I know what you mean. We had a fridge here that was so disgusting, management threw it away rather than clean it, and bought a new one!
Or what about the people who feel the need to bring in 14 frozen dinners at a time? There are MULTIPLE people on my floor who do this- which means no room for anyone else! by all means, bring one in as a spare, but 14? And news flash! people who bring in insulated lunch containers.....the insulation keeps anything from penetrating the lining, including cold air, which means putting that lunch bag in the fridge is not helping your food stay cold!!!! Its a sad day when I cannot find room in the frige for a slimfast and a yoplait. lol sorry rant over.
We have one of those coffee machines where you usually have to pay, but they disabiled that feature. Everyone can get what type of coffee/mocha/latte they want. However, there is still some maintenance and it always seems like the same people are doing it.
I've worked over 30 years in corporate America and I just don't get the people that think they are entitled to having others clean up their mess.
"Take the last cup, wash out the pot but don't brew a new one" is the rules here, cause you don't know if you will be the last one. Its worse to find a burnt coffee mess the next morning, that someone left the day before.
I was walking over to the printing room where a couple of us have a coffee pot and I see another worker walk out of the room with a shit eating grin on his face. He walks right past me and doesn't say a word. I get to the room and there is coffee everywhere. The guy who made the coffee put the filter basket in wrong and 12 cups of coffee found their way to the floor. What an a$$! Who doesn't at least say something? Haters...
What a total bung hole.
It's true...Oh, it's true.
My office has got to have the WORST ettiquette around. Not only will folks leave less than a quater of a cup in the pot (and leave it on!!), but there are people who actually will go and get their coffee before the pot has even finished brewing in order to have the first cup, or the strongest cup. This makes the rest of the pot pretty weak.
Then we have the a**holes who leave their dirty mugs, bowls of slimy or crusty oatmeal, plates, knives, you name it, in the sink FOREVER, waiting for someone else to clean up their mess (and no, we don't have a dishwasher). And we have all races, genders and ages working here, so it's not like you can point out a single group. People just become their lowest selves at work is what I've gathered.
Boycott. I bag up my lunch containers and wash them at home. Leave the filthy, nasty, disgusting, crusty kitchen to the swine.
Maybe a little off-topic, but then we ARE talking about office etiquette here. ANOTHER big problem with people being PIGS at the office is BATHROOM etiquette! Especially MEN!
I don't care what you've done or what you have or haven't touched in the bathroom, whether you were at a urinal or in a stall, but D@MN IT! WASH YOUR HANDS before you leave!!!
And people that blow their noses at their desks and then just continue working are DISGUSTING PIGS too!
Most people don't deserve the benefits of modern living and should just move back into caves!
All right, now that you got that off your chest, it's time for your meds. And I today's rant calls for a special increase of your dosage. There you go, swallow it down.
"Dr. Phil" must have gotten offended since I apparently called him out on something he is guilty of.
I don't know about all that, but I do know you're painting a picture with an awfully wide brush. If you're a guy and you're watching other guys in the Men's room not wash their hands, then you have a problem. Don't watch men in a Men's room.
If you're a woman how do you know the men aren't washing their hands? You're ass-uming and that's just not right on any level.
You seem to be quite a hater. How's that workin' for ya?
My thought is that she is still bitter from when hubby left for someone younger who is not such a pain in the azz...
I am a man and I can't help but to notice (whether out of the corner of my eye, or whether from mere auditory signals) when someone else comes into the same room, does his business, and leaves without washing. Regardless I do not WATCH anyone else you perv!
Oh yeah, I forgot to complain about people who don't FLUSH! They're Neanderthal PIGS too!
you don't get laid very often do you?
Observer: Stupidest reply yet! You're not very creative or relevant. Couldn't resist using the old "can't get laid" standby when nothing else comes to mind? Crawl back under your rock and STFU!
Ok, now I get it. You must be gay.
I bet your dick's so ugly, it's like a pimple with a pulse.
Actually, I am female, but it does make me wonder why you and pigs man are so...fixated...on men's genitalia. Anything you would like to discuss?
Yes. What is the definition of "making love?"
I'm still trying to understand how you know "most people." You've met a large percentage of the population and you feel comfortable using that phrase? I'm considerably more popular than you are and I don't know "most people."
I think cutting back on the coffee and increasing your meds is the right direction here.
@Observer, that must be why he's watching guys in the Men's room. Someone is going to straighten him out with a right cross if he doesn't change his ways.
This is totally offtopic, but I think it's the women that are the pigs when it comes to the ladies room.
meant to say "the restroom".
I'm pretty much the office slave around here... I clean up everyone's mess. The price I pay for being all OCD about clean kitchens.
That's CDO – in alphabetic order as it's supposed to be.
They don't offer coffee at my work, just dirt and some hot water that passes for coffee *Sigh*
Most folks don't care for my coffee. It's potent, I'll agree. If you love the coffee from Turkey and Spain, you'd like mine. Otherwise, you'd likely choke in shock. There is a coffeemaker at my office, but the one time I tried the coffee, it was one sip, poured the rest out. So, I have a 32 ounce mug that's securely covered. I make my coffee at home, doctor it up in the mug and off I go. That lasts me till 11 or so, when I switch to water or soft drinks. Don't need to worry about the "coffee club" and the Folger's crap that passes for American coffee.
I've worked a lot of contract jobs in IT, which means I've been to a lot of companies. And I can tell you that there are a lot of liars in this poll...lol!
The last cup question really depends on the time of day. If I was part of the coffee club here and it was 9 am and the last cup, I'd take it and make a new pot. If it was 4:30 pm I'd probably take the last cup and wash out the pot and turn it off (or whatever the rules of the club says, I'm not a member of it since I drink tea most often).
K-Cups all the way!
I put tea bags into the glass of my coffee maker and have it come up an hour before I get up. I then make a thermos of tea and drink it throughout the day. I used to have the coffee at work, but I was forever making 2 pots when I got in and then when I went back for a 2nd cup, they were both empty. It annoyed me soooo much.. so now I drink my own tea.
Does your work have a hot water machine? If yes, you should buy a french press for your desk.
The problem is that the hot water is not boiling or hot enough for good coffee. Several people at my work have the press but also have a small kettle to boil water. The hot water on most of the coffee makers is never hot enough.
Is there a microwave? Boil that hot water in the microwave. Takes 20-30 seconds. Pour that into your french press and enjoy.
They're taking away our coffeemaker. :( Not a huge loss for me, I never drink the office coffee because I bring in a thermos of the good stuff from home. However, the office coffeemaker has a hot water nozzle, which is disappointing for tea and cocoa drinkers.
I also have a small Aeropress, which is a manual coffeemaker kind of like a french press, but with paper filters to eliminate the "pond scum" and sludge that a french press leaves behind. If you're lamenting the office coffee and aren't allowed a coffeemaker at your desk, look into an Aeropress!
I got an Aeropress last year and they are sooo much better than the press. Wonderful item.
Unfortunately most people in any office setting are PIGS! They think their mothers work there or they think "the maid" will clean up after them (whether or not there is any janitorial staff).
The same rules should apply to the refrigerator, coffee pot, microwave, toaster oven, water cooler, sink, etc. If you make a mess clean it up!
If you empty the water bottle, replace it.
If you empty the coffee pot, brew more because SOMEONE ELSE made the pot you're drinking from!
If you can't cover your food while heating it in the microwave then at least have the decency to wipe your mess up while it's still fresh.
If your cheese oozes onto the heating element in the toaster oven, CLEAN IT RIGHT THEN instead of letting the next person get the benefit of smoke flavoring on their food.
Don't put perishable food in the fridge and "forget about it" for 3 years!
Unfortunately only a couple of people in any work place actually care about these things, so what you're left with is "everyone just conform to the lowest common denominator" and do what everyone else does (or doesn't do). Let the messes pile up until someone in management can't take it anymore and hires someone or tells someone to clean it.
They believe because they are all going to heaven that Earth can be trashed. It does not work like that. The Israelites were instructed by God to give the land a rest every 7 years & not farming on it. This is more radical than picking up some trash.
This is why we have a refrigerator clean-out every few months. Either you take ownership of it and deal or the "cleaner" will.
A lot of people on here on lying! We all know if you don't have to do it means you usually won't do it!
Simple solution for the places where the etiquette is bad and it doesn't look like there will be any improvement in the near future: do they have a kettle for tea drinkers? Then bring your own good coffee and use a french press.
The French press and my own coffee is what I use at work. We have a hot water tap that I use. I take that water and zap it in the microwave to bring to a boil and pour that into the press. Works like a charm and tastes so good!
So... you "asked permission" to have a coffeemaker. Why, exactly?
The soul-sucking misery merchants that enslave you, are never going to allow anything to make you happy. Didn't you know that they actually feed off of misery?
I say, get a timer set to shut off all power at 5pm and plug in whatever makes you happy. Don't ask anyone's permission. Play your music, cool your soda, heat your coffee, be a rebel! (yeah, yeah, corporate policy whine whine, oh shut up)
As for whether or not I take the last cup and brew another pot. Depends on the time of day. After 4, I take the last cup and shut off the burner.
I don't drink coffee. Keeps things very simple.
Near the beginning of my career I got a job where the person at the bottom of the totem pole (me) was responsible for manning the coffee maker. About an hour into work on the first day the boss asked me why I hadn't made the coffee. I simply told him, "I don't drink it, so I don't make it." Fortunately, it wasn't a deal breaker.
What a bunch of peasants. My secretary fetches my coffee everyday and it better be right or she is history even if she does give good head.
Don ... is that you?!
There's also a little bit of Sug Averys pee in your coffee as well.
Sorry skank, You are fired for not inserting the apostrophy of possessive use after the "o" in "Diegos" i.e. "Diego's". You should be working on your grammar and puncuation or you will be a lame secretary your whole miserable life. Oh, BTW you are fired because your skirts are not short enough and you wear panties.
I could care less. You have less meat in your pants than there is in a vegetarian restaurant.
LMAO! "You got knocked the fuk out!"
BRB – You wish!!!!
Clean up any mess, make a fresh pot, then go smack heads.
We have this "nice" coffee maker that everyone hates. It's got a heavy carafe instead of the typical glass pot, so you can't tell if there's any coffee left inside until you go to pour your cup and it just drips. :( Misery! Our admin is typically in charge of making coffee, but she makes the weakest stuff on the planet. I'm also convinced that she only makes half a pot for some reason.
I am normally a bit of a morning straggler (and not too talkative until I drink my magic coffee juice), so I end up showing up with less than a cup left in the carafe. I either settle for instant coffee or have to make a new pot...and did I mention that this "nice" coffee maker is also a pain to actually fill with water/coffee. I'm not sure what kind of space-aged aliens designed it, but I have never found anything wrong with a good ol' Mr. Coffee!
I work in a large office with 4 coffee pots and a dispenser for all the creamers, sweeteners, etc. So really there arent alot of issues. The one thing I really hate though is the people who don't check to see if the pots are empty before making new. (they are stainless steal and have to be opened to see the level). This happens weekly. Some schmuck will start brewing a full pot into on that is 3/4 full. There is then coffee EVERYWHERE. counter, floor, in drawers, it's a mess. poor maitence has to deal with it and the whole coffee operation is shut down unitl it is fixed. Then there are the people who empty the last of 4 pots and dont brew anymore..... 0___0
People in my office are always clean with the coffee, but the degree to which they spill sugar and powdered or liquid creamer without cleaning any of it up is astonishing. It's left for the cleaning crew to take care of.
We were having issues with people taking the last cup and leaving an empty pot or even worse a nearly empty pot. A co-worker sent out this email:
"Come on all you coffee drinkers, don’t leave an empty coffee pot in the morning!
Save a cup, Save a life!
That thin layer of coffee grounds and drippings do not constitute a cup of coffee.
Take the 60sec to pour it out, change the filter, add the bag of coffee, add the 12 cups of water, and turn it ON!
Save a cup, Save a Life!"
We now have an "accaeptable emptiness" level marked on the pot! See picture below!
http://s1094.photobucket.com/albums/i443/skeller11/?action=view¤t=IMG_4644.jpg
Some people have way too much time on their hands.
I get in at an ungodly early hour, so my security guard and day porter and I have the custom of gathering at the office at about 6:30 for the first cup of the day. Then at 8 when my admin gets in, she dumps what is left and makes new. Even if it is a full pot. None of the rest of us can quite figure out why.
Had it occurred to you to mention this to her?
"Um... who the f uck is that b itch... ?"
That's because coffee gets funky after it's been in the pot for an hour. )))old coffee(((
You should be glad she makes you fresh coffee!
Speaking of "disposal of Splenda packets," a word to our thriftier coworkers: If you don't use the entire packet of sweetener or thimble of creamer, please just toss the remainder, instead of leaving it for the next person to use. I realize the economy's in the tank, but this is one case when aesthetics and public health should outweigh "waste not, want not." Or, if it's that important to you, take the unused portion to your desk and save it for your next cup.
OMG amen amen amen. How is this for thrifty.....I work with someone who cannot stand to see the sight of disposable utensils or cups in the trash and will pull both out to use on their lunch. This same individual also double dips in our communal peanut butter jar with said utensil.
What ever happened to the old thermos bottle. If you're not satisfied with the brew or the etiquette, the home-brew stuff might just be the ticket.
Hear, hear!!
Yep. I have my own espresso machine on my desk. Works like a charm.
We have one of those Keurig things in our office. It solves a lot of the problem of coffee ettiquette. Worse you get is people leaving their k-cups in the machine, which are easy enough to pull out and toss in the trash so it is not a big deal or someone not filling the water up when it gets low. Again, not a big deal because it is easy to refill.
And if you do have to pay for your own coffee at your place of employment (which....luckily, I do not), then it is easy to buy your own k-cups and not try to do some coffee club where people take advantage of the system. And you can get the coffee/tea/hot chocolate that you want to buy instead of what the consensus wants.
i agree about the keurig. i ahve used them before and they work like a charm! very clean and everyone gets what they want.
That's what we do in my office – the company paid for the Keurig coffee machine, but the employees have to supply their own k-cups (The boss keeps a box in her desk for visitors.) It's wonderful – everyone gets their own personal choice, and since we all drink about the same number of cups of coffee eack week, we tend to combine our re-orders. That way we STILL get our personal preference, but we get volume discounts and reduced/free shipping. Also, since we all order different kinds (that we may or may not end up liking) we can swap and switch. It's really a great system.
Good if you like your hot coffee steamed through plastic.
Those are a huge waste of paper and plastic.
"Shut the f uck up you little punk before I drop you like I did this b itch!"
You can get reusable k-cups.
Deebo – Life isn't all about instant gratification. Thank you Niks for pointing out the importance of taking responsibility for the waste we create.
Amen Niks and Hilary!! People think its all about them , what makes me happy now now now, not thought for the future or anyone else. Sad!
The coffee etiquette at my office is a little different because it's such a small office. You don't necessarily brew a fresh pot if you drink the last cup unless you're sure there's someone who will actually drink it. Otherwise, it just sits there for hours getting scorched by the heating element and then getting dumped. However, if I come in and find anything less than 1/4 pot remaining, I just dump it out and make a fresh pot because chances are, it's no good anymore and I prefer my coffee fresh.
There should be a poll similar to this about putting your dirty dishes in the dishwasher at work. At my office people constantly just leave them in the sink for other people to deal with. It's very rude. I wonder if it happens at other offices.
Are you putting other people's dishes in the sink? Why? I can understand doing that at home (up to a point). At work? No way! I ain't nobody's mommy.
Hell. Shooda been:
"Are you putting other people's dishes in the dishwasher?"
At my old job, that was actually supposed to be part of my job! I was the last hired and poorest paid, so I got the b–ch work. One of the higher-ups would run in, eat a bowl of instant oatmeal, and leave that nasty bowl in the sink ALL DAY!!! I'd do the final round of clean-up at the end of the day, and dry oatmeal crusties would be waiting for me to scrub them out before putting them in the dishwasher. This in addition to the other dirty mugs, spoons, etc. used throughout the day by other people. (The office had its own set of communal dishware, so just about anyone could avoid responsibility for cleaning, because technically the dishes didn't belong to them) I was essentially the magic dish fairy who swooped it all up in the last 15 minutes of my shift, instead of doing the real work they paid me for.
Yes, it happens here too. Even worse, you can't tell if the dishes in the dishwasher are clean or dirty or just rinsed since no one ever puts them away.
Yeah, right... except for the fact that this is a discussion about poor office coffee pot etiquette.
I know! Those same tards do that in our office!
Liz – Where I used to work they did that with food still on them and everything. Eventually I just started pitching them – when people were wondering what happened to their dishes I had no problem telling them I had thrown them away. Amazingly they stopped leaving them around! As far as the current issue of coffee.....it's horrible here. They leave a drip in the pot and don't bother to make another. It enrages me on a daily basis.
Sadly, today I am cleaning the work refrigerator. I can't believe what people put in that thing. I do it about once a month because no one else has volunteered. Things are out of date, half eaten, and just shoved in causing them to drip or spill. I'd love to have my own little fridge by my desk, but not allowed. What's with people? I think they all live at home with their mothers!!!!!
yeah, I had to do that myself yesterday. I don't understand why people can't clean up after themselves. And as far as the coffee pot situation here, since it never gets truly cleaned, I brew coffee at home in my awesome one-cup Keurig and stick to one cup a day. Better for all!
Sounds like every office I've ever worked in. The fridge is NASTY. Which is why we could never handle a coffee pot. It's keurig and a travel mug for me. And an insulated bag for my lunch. I wouldn't want the rotten stuff within 20 feet of my food.
Oh Liz it does! And it doesn't matter how many times you post a note or remark about it out loud. No accountability whatsoever!
Happens all the time with the men in the office. All the women clean up after themselves.
I sit by the coffee room and EVERYTHING is sooo true. Dirty dishes never put in the dw, coffee pots left empty, fridge full of outdated lunches. These people are way more immature than my 12 year old. They can't possibly be doing this at home! Can they?
One of two schools of thought on this behavior:
1. They do not clean up after themselves at home, but their enabling S.O. does. Therefore it doesn't even occur to them to clean up after themselves at work.
2. They pick up after someone else at home so their philosophy is "why should I have to do it here, too?"
My last job had the worst coffee etiquette ever. We didn't have free coffee provided by the company so we had a coffee club with dues every month. We all paid $20 a month and it should have been a nice system except:
1) There were more freeloaders than paying members even though there were numerous signs stating that the coffee was not free
2) There were an unending number of assbags who would either take the last cup and not refill or leave the old quarter of a cup "hey there's still some there!" remnants. If it's 4:00pm, ok no problem, but people would do this repeatedly through the morning.
We tried to petition our boss to just let us bring in a single coffee maker for our little corner of the office but we were told that was unsafe. I'm glad though because I can't tell you how many times my Mr. Coffee at home has exploded into a fiery ball of death and melted my face and blown up my kitchen. Can't be too careful.
My office is right outside our pantry. It is the senior management who leaves empty coffee pots. I guess they are way too busy or they think its the job of the little people to make coffee.
Jerks, it only take about 30 seconds to start brewing a new pot. I guess some managers are simply too important.
Thomas............You are absolutely right. And they are probably the same ones who spill sugar all over the counter, and are too high and mighty to clean it up. Next thing you know, the place is crawling with ants! Those pompous asses are no better than anyone else, no matter what they may think!
I can't stand those self important executive managers that do that crap. All the "worker bees" in your office should bring in their own coffee in a thermos for a month and see what happens.
One place I used to work it was the marketing gang that used to drain the pot and NEVER brew another one. What part of "if you take the last cup, please have the courtesy to start another pot" don't people understand? It's not rocket science. Put ONE bag of coffee in the filter, put the filter into the pot, and press start once.
As they say "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice" Some people forget.
Get yourself a package of the single-serving coffee bags and bring your cream and sugar premixed in a small thermos. Then you can make yourself a pretty good cuppa with no more than the tea kettle. No more worries about who pays for what, who makes the coffee, or who cleans up after whom.
Hilarious! And true.
I'm not sure about "regular" coffee makers, but the espresso machine I have on my desk pulls 1500 Watts!
@Bill – French Press! It tastes a million times better anyway.
$20/month holy cow! I hope you are getting some good java. It is $5/month where I work and we get the Costco's Kirkland brand coffee, which is entirely tollerable to me if brewed properly. That said, the (lack of) etiquette and manners is pretty unreal. I just try to ignore it and do the right thing. It is important to remember that you really can't control anybody's actions but your own, so it's not worth the stress to try.
such lies. no way these % are true. at least not in my office. everything thinks they would do the "right" thing in these situations but real life shows otherwise
Who p33d in your reality cornflakes?
Coffee, not cornflakes. Who p33d in your coffee. ;)
LOL! Point taken.
Thru the evolution of coffee (pots, urns, flavors, services, etc) offered at work, for some reason, probably the water, it always tastes like dirt – literally. So, with the boss's permission, I brought in my own coffee pot and was brewing for the department. Then one day, our QA/safety guy came in and told me, "Having coffee pots at your desks has been deemed a safety hazard." Huh? You're f_ _ king kidding, right? No?
LSS, it has evolved into bringing in my own, strong, dark, not bitter and definitely not-tasting-like-dirt coffee.
I hear you on that. I am in the Air Force and all coffee pots have to be kept on a non-combustible surface (metal or glass) and at least 3 feet away from a computer. Because of these restrictions they can't fit on most desk and most desk are made of wood anyway. They also have to be unplugged when not in use and are not allowed to be on a timer of any type.
Ours tatstes like an ashtray full of cigarettes. Some say they think it tastes like pepper. So, us 'coffee snobs' started bringing our own and brewing but a near fist fight erupted over who had a larger cup and was taking too much LOL! Then it all went to crap when some wouldn't pitch in on the coffee but still drank it while others were regularly contributing. Such children!
more stupid than poor etiquette – someone put a plastic bag of grounds labeled de-caf into the sturdier daily use canister to be used for regular. By the second day I had to go home with a headache and it took me a few days to figure out what had happened. Fortunately the clearly-labeled bag was till inside the (wrong) canister.
That's a funny story. Sorry about your headache though.
Who got dat gold!
Could you use english, please?
What does this comment even mean?
Agree with the above, either water down the dark coffee...or purchase a new pot.
That is the nu-new English perpetuated by the wonders of the internetz. lulz!!!
You just jealous cuz I got alllll daaaat goooolllld!!!!!!!!
classic!
The coffee etiquette in our office is quite good, everyone is respectful and clean about it. On the other hand, things get near violent over the choice of which coffee do we brew. The receptionist (who is responsible for actually ordering our coffee, milk, etc) tends to like weaker coffee but after a few months claims whatever the current brand is hurts her stomach. As a result, every 3 months or so the issue is renewed. Most of us prefer the starbucks branded coffees but those are apparently the worst for her. We tried some local small batch ones, the imperial stuff and still no one is happy......
Have two coffee pots for two levels of coffee!!!
I live in Lousiana and LVE chicory coffee. I have foundthat you either love it or you hate it
You need a K-cup machine (by Keurig). Its a coffee machine that uses these little flavor cups. It lets everyone pick which flavor they like and just make one cup for each individual. This would solve the problem for everyone. There's a couple of other competing brands, but Keurig seems to be the most popular brand.
Your receptionist nees to see her doctor. If "weak" coffee is bothering her stomach, she either has a stomach issue, or should not be drinking coffee. Get a second pot for hot water, and then she can either water her cup down to a tolerable level, or make herself a cup of tea.