to think my company's management is losing the plot when

[padboz]

they've made us all take our mugs home and provided us all with camping mugs with lids so that we don't spill tea on the stair carpet? I'm trying to wean my two year old off a sippy cup. Now I have to use one. And the tea tastes like shite in them. Strangely I thought I could walk and chew gum but no.

Strange

I'm guessing if the kitchen is on a different floor, then cups with lids could be a reasonable suggestion (for H&S reasons) - not because they don't want the carpet to get stained though!!

Are they plastic things though? Not sure i'd fancy drinking out of one of those.

Yep, plastic. Lids compulsory. Because brand new offices getting 'tatty'. GRRRRRRRRRRRR. I've never spilt any tea! Those that have can have a slap if they want.

Hugely patronising IMO.
Can you keep your own mug in your desk and decant it from the plastic one?

Yep give them a slap!

Or just get trays so people can carry their drinks on them and the tea will spill onto the tray, not the floor.

Or perhaps a training course for all staff - on how 'you don't have to fill your mug to the absolute brim' and 'how to walk up some stairs without spilling tea everywhere'

Sounds like due to 1 or 2 people not giving a sh*t about the offices and making a mess, you've all got to suffer.

Always the way.

I do agree it doesn't taste the same and it's definitely a pain in the arse.

Kathy - Nope 'All privately owned mugs must be removed from the offices as soon as possible'. We also have a new clear desk policy that insists we clear everything - pens, paper, everything - away at 5.30 and have no personal items on show. God knows what went on in that management meeting.

baffy - if only. We are not permitted to carry more than one cup at a time - this is also in the new rules. have they nothing better to think about?

PMSL 'All privately owned mugs must be removed from the offices as soon as possible' - have worked in a similar place pad. Stupid! They get paid a lot of money to think up these things you know... genius!

I imagine the MD can be seen stroking the walls of the new offices after dark... they're not even that nice!

happened to my company, brand new offices, and the management lost the plot.

no blue tack or sellotape was one rule - one manager nearly exploded on the spot when somebody attempted to hang a small christmas decoration next to their desk!

6 months later though, even the managers got sick of the clear desk policy!

and how will it look to guests when they're given tea in plastic cups. not a very good corporate image is it! can't imagine the MD giving his number 1 top client/advisor a cup of tea in a camping mug

good luck. I think they will calm down over time and find something else to waste spend their precious time on!

We had this when we moved into our new offices. Not plastic beakers though but we had to use a tray even if there was only one mug. Didn't last long anyway as everyone 'forgot' but the carpet looks fine.

we have just moved too (I am management) have the same problem with coffee spills (cost a fortune replacing our last carpet). My MD was all for banning drinking tea/coffee at desks - would like to see him enforce that one! We asked the staff for solutions instead - answer came back.. don;t make you cup too full, don;t make coffee for other people and be careful. So thats what we do.

However we don;t allow anything to be stuck on walls with the exception of "approved" Xmas decorations - sticking things on the walls does make an office look very scruffy after a while.

but I must admit I hadn't thought of sippy cups...

Pad - you don't work where I do do you? We have just had an old building completely refurbished for one particular department and they all have to use those camping mugs with lids - I thought the manager was joking when he told me, but no! Glad I work in the other building

where do you get these cups with lids...?

Kew - our staff get given them on a particular training course they all go on during their induction so management have not even had to buy them!

Dh used to work somewhere where they were allowed one photograph on their desk, and it had to be mounted on the official photo mount paper.
I work from home and do use a camping mug, but thats because I have been known to swipe drinks into my PC when talking on the phone..

When we were 'upgraded' recently I had the feeling that they should have upgraded the staff too. Lovely building, lots of glass, slate and steel...loads of light, 'pond' in the atrium (not supposed to call it a pond), spiral steel staircase. But same ladies in hand-knitted cardies with kitten coffee mugs and american tan tights, same men in old sad suits that were bought in 1980. I think we needed some smart office clones. The kind you see in the software brochures I am always being sent.

ceebee74 - we only have one building (its very precious) so no, not the same place. OrmIrian - if we had an 'atrium' I might understand it we have what used to be a hotel (but it is very precious) and a carpet that wouldnt look out of place in a primary school. People are still at the stage where they get a little frisson for using the new DO NOT DISTURB sign on the meeting room and saying 'board room' as tho we're in LA Law.

OrmIrian - I love the idea of hand knitted cardie ladies on the way up the spiral steel stair case - lol!

Surely it's not rocket science that an office should have a carpet that doesn't show tea and coffee stains?

I write software BTW - I dont look like anyone in the microsoft leaflets. I dont smile a lot and I spend very little time with one hand leaning on colleagues desks. invasion of personal space?

So do I padboz (well not so much now). And I don't look like that either. Neither do my colleagues. I do know someone who sits on other people's desk though which is most disturbing!