Would you fire somebody if they drank the last drop of milk in the office?

In today’s work environment the pace of life seems to be getting faster and faster. Work and study pressures can all increase the amount of time that we spend at work.

I must admit that I need a coffee in the morning before I’m fully up to working speed.

That kick of caffeine always seems to help get my brain into gear.

Over in the States though it’s been reported that Keith Zakheim, the president of multimillion dollar PR firm Beckerman PR, was a little upset when he got into the office early only to find… (in fact this is so bad that I’m finding it difficult to write)… but he found that there was… wait for it… no milk left in the fridge to go with his coffee.

He was so upset that he sent the following email to his staff

From: Keith Zakheim
Date: September 27, 2011 8:20:21 AM EDT
To: Beckerman Staff
Subject: I don’t know what else to do…

I have repeatedly requested until I am blue in the face that the person that finishes the milk must replace the milk. Its not complicated and is a simple sign of respect for fellow employees.

So, imagine my chagrin this morning when I stumbled in at 715 … only to find that the skim milk in the refrigerator had three drops of milk left. Literally 3 drops, an amount that would maybe fill the tummy of a prematurely born mouse. The person that did this is either incredibly lazy, obnoxiously selfish or woefully devoid of intelligence – 3 traits that are consistent with the profile of FORMER Beckerman employees.

As you can tell from the tenor of this email, I am not happy and at my wits end … and I have repeatedly beseeched you to replace the supplies that you consume – whether its pencils, paper, or MILK. This costs you nothing – I pay for it! Yet, it is still repeatedly ignored.

So, I am gravely serious when I write this – if I catch someone not replacing the milk, or at least, in the case where the downstairs store has close already, not sending an email to the office so the first person that arrives (usually Christa or me) can pick one up upon arrival – then I am going to fire you. Im not joking. You will be fired for not replacing the milk, and have fun explaining that one to your next employer. This is not a empty threat so PLEASE don’t test me.

99% of this office consists of great people that work hard, treat their employes with respect, and understand that they are part of something that is bigger than them. However, there seems to be a small element that doesn’t understand this. So its time that they do or else they should start refreshing their resume.

For those of you who have worked for me for years, you know this is not my style so PLEASE take this seriously!

Thank you for your cooperation.

KZ
—
KEITH ZAKHEIM | CEO
BECKERMAN
ANTENNA GROUP

It’s not been reported what happened when Mr Zakheim subsequently went to the biscuit tin and found there were no biscuits in it.