WEBVTT Kind: captions; Language: en

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A present from the boss to be used twice
daily as a memento of how time flies. A

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funny present? Well it's all according
to what you mean by funny. It's no

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laughing matter. In fact it has to do with
a very serious problem. The grains of

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sand in this hourglass have been carefully
measured. Ten minutes the length of a

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coffee break. The problem? Well it seems
like some people just don't know how to

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tell time and according to the boss it's
costing the company thousands of dollars

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every year. Now don't get me wrong I like
coffee. In fact I'd be out on a break

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right now if it wasn't because. Well I'm
on a spot. It's up to me to figure out a

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way for the people to realize that a coffee
break means ten minutes or 15 at the

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most. Seems like a small thing to get
upset about but it's pretty big when it

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comes to dollars and cents. You'd be
surprised like I was in the boss's office.

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The extent of the problem is pointed up
by the fact that today more than seven

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out of ten workers are taking their coffee
breaks as compared with only half this

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number ten years ago. Now listen to this.
The hot cups of coffee enjoyed by about

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twenty seven million American is costing
industry more than a billion dollars

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annually. Now think of that over a billion
dollars. Yeah that's those national

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figures for you. Thousands of industries
millions of people. Well let's bring it

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down to our own level. What would you
guess a coffee break is costing us? You're

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really serious about this aren't you?
We're not a big operation Joe. 400 people

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on the payroll. Even so I bet my bottom
but the coffee break is costing us at

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least thirty thousand dollars a year.
What? That's right. Thirty thousand

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dollars. All that has to happen and it
does happen is for half of our people to

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take an extra ten minutes. Now figure it up.
A daily loss of one hundred and

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thirty dollars multiplied by two hundred
and go on and figure it out. Thirty

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thousand dollars.
Okay but what can we do about it.

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A coffee break is almost an American
institution. You can't just call them off.

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You'd start a revolution. I'm not talking
about the break itself. That's another

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ten minutes. Another thirty thousand.
I'm talking about the abuse of the break.

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The thirty grand I don't think we should
have to pay. Well now there's more to

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this than meets the eye. You can say
that again a lot more. For the past two

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weeks I've studied the coffee break
habits of our people. Now that ten minute

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starts when they get their hands on the
cup of coffee. What happens before and

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after is a matter of small
concern to them that is.

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[...] of the box that time.

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That you are so right shop early in the boy to
[...] that got a match I think so

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that's my mind of the bowling
alley last night here we are.

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[...]

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[...]

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[...]

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And that's the way it starts somebody
leaves early first thing you know they're

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all gone. Well almost everybody at
least the coffee break starts five

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ten minutes ahead of time maybe they do
avoid the rush maybe it's better if they

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don't all go at once sure except
for the fact that on the way.

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A strike a boy I'm delivered up in a hurry.
What's up we're going to get this

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thing out be through in a minute.
Take your time.

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[...]

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Yeah what's that something new.

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This is my pride and joy well it's a.
Time is a way of getting away from us Joe.

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Those minutes that mean nothing
to the employee cost this

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organization a lot of dough.

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Well well you're the boss we'll do
whatever you say however I do think that

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there's a danger of losing sight of the
workers viewpoint OK I go along with that

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that's one of the reasons why you're here
as personnel manager I expect you to

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represent the people speak up. Well I'll
the average worker thinks of himself as

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being chained to a desk with mountains
of work around him that never gets done.

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That clock on the wall with the magic
hours of ten and three is a key to

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momentary freedom and he needs that freedom.
Oh Joe that's ridiculous you're over

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playing it we all have to conform to rules
and regulations you do I do everybody

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does true but but that's too general
let's let's nail it down monotony

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is our problem monotony can cause a worker
to forget logic and common sense that

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coffee break stands for something take
it away and it suddenly becomes very

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important the laws can result in bigger
and more costly problems I'm not asking

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that it be taken away all I'm asking is
that they take their ten minutes and let

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it go at that OK but is that possible.
Well that sounds like a leading question

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but let's have it now if the worker has
only ten minutes is it possible for him

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to get to the place get his coffee and
get back in that length of time. Well I

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need to put it like this Joe but that's
not my problem well it isn't and yet it

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is if the situation results in lost time.
Any suggestions what

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about coffee dispensers located in certain
areas no good I'm not going to try

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that I really did it up brown stood the
expense had an attendant come in twice

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daily and at first everybody thought it
was a great idea it was something for

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nothing right away the boss was a
great guy but it wasn't long until

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this is coffee gets worse every

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day she would have chintzy out to and it
wasn't long before human nature began to

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show through in other ways.

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Speaking of problems the company sponsored
coffee break has a few of its own but

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getting back to this matter of ample time
I'd be more lenient than my thinking if

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the abuse did stem from having to wait
for service usually it's an entirely

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different situation. I thought you liked
it where you were I did I did but you

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know Jake have you guys heard no one of
the former you know Jake the former. Me

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and Jake get into it over a matter of
policy can you imagine telling me telling

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me how to run the shop.

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I'll tell you listen there's two things
when they take too long at the coffee

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break they start yakking and slipping the
knife into each other like a bunch of

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old women but on the other hand now
it can be a place where business is

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transacted Oh sure it can be a period for
goofing off but it also can be a good

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thing a time when your people get to know
each other that's good don't you work

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better with people you know you're working
around strangers you spend a lot of

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time trying to size them up or you're a
worthy opponent I'll say that but now

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let's consider one of my pet peeves when.

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Of course they all have to stop by the powder.

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Their 10 minutes is gone with a
cigarette and putting on a new face.

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Harry's diner or the Waldorf it's all the
same you never know who might be there.

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And talk about the grapevine.
Brother this is where

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the original seeds are planted.

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Another complaint is that all too often
the few that fear each other get in their

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own little circle and other people are
left out. And where do they go on the way

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back to the office you guessed it the
powder room again and all the readiness

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procedures and the countless little
adjustments known only to a woman.

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How for the first time in our whole
discussion you're on tilt do I detect a bit

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of personal prejudice to a degree perhaps
but there's a lot of truth in what I've

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said certain people take from 30 to 45
minutes for a coffee break well I can

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remedy that now I draw their good workers
otherwise you'd have had their names

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long before this no there has to be
another solution this is human nature now

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you're the expert so I'm giving you the
problem and I'm expecting a solution ouch

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now you may have an educational problem
on your hands but one way or another I

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want our people to realize management side
of this problem the dollars and cents

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angle our people must be taught not to
take advantage of a situation that just

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grew like topsy there's a present for
you Joan for me oh thanks go on open it

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I know you've seen one of those before
but this one's special turn it over

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instead of an hour this one
measures 10 minutes the theoretical

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length of time of one of our coffee breaks
I want you to use this twice daily at

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10 and three for the length of time
necessary for you to come up with a solution

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to our problem a solution
to the problem hey Joe

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didn't see you down for coffee man I
thought maybe you might be hurting I'm

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hurting all right I think oh nothing never
mind you'll hear about enough this is

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a cup of coffee thank you for the
coffee yeah anytime Joe anytime

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well at least it keeps me close to the problem

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but it still leaves me with
one vital unanswered question

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what can be done about it