Workers who leave the head office to buy a cup of coffee are costing an Australian mining firm too much money, according to its boss.
Managing director of Mineral Resources Chris Ellison said during a financial results presentation on Wednesday he wants to “hold staff captive all day long”.
“I don’t want them leaving the building,” he said.
The head office in Perth has a restaurant, nine staff psychologists, a gym, and other facilities designed to encourage staff to stay in the office.
“We have a lot of different benefits that we have brought on,” said Mr Ellison, whose company has a strict “no work from home policy”.
"Why have I done that? Because when I get them first thing in the morning, I want to hold them captive all day long. I don’t want them leaving the building.
That seems to be the main thrust of the interview. Employees leaving the building is bad for productivity, therefore I provide a variety of services, food, and support inside the building. Employees don’t have to ever leave, which boost productivity.
Whether or not that is true, that’s another matter. In fact, I would hazard a guess that the CEO’s statements are all “I want” statements precisely because he isn’t interested in debating the actual effect on employees. Is it more productive? Does the data support the expense? Doesn’t matter, he wants it.
I find it helps me be more creative to leave my working space for a change of scenery, but it also helps me focus on mundane tasks to have things at my fingertips to avoid leaving my workspace. I doubt there’s one universal answer, but a workplace that provides coffee and food isn’t preventing employees from leaving the building, it’s encouraging them to stay.
But I also work from home. I wouldn’t work for a company with a strict in-office policy, even if they provided coffee and daycare.