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Hi all -
First time poster, long time listener.
We have a weekly pizza night for anyone working late in the lab. It's a thank you for the engineers' nocturnal efforts and a good opportunity for them to meet and build relationships.
We've just gone through a small layoff and have increasing messages from the upper management team to contain spending. As such, we've been considering discontinuing this perk even though it is a very small percentage of our budget.
So my question: is the symbolic gesture of cutting this expense more valuable than the goodwill and networking opportunity that pizza night presents?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions,
Chris
Pizza night
Can the managers chip in and buy the pizza? That would probably mean a lot to the engineers.
My folks don't look at providing them dinner when they are working late as a perk. We're in Corporate Acct/Finance and at month end have folks in here both days of the weekend and late Monday night. We usually bring food in so that they can keep working and because their normal source of food (cafe) is not open. Even though we also just had a layoff and announced salary freezes I would not consider stopping our normal practice. (Now I did just get a group $50 gift cards for working year end and bought them out of my own pocket where in other years I probably would have expensed it.....)
Cathie
Keep the Pizza - Use Judgement on who pays
Chris,
I recommend keeping the pizza meet up. It is likely good for members that participate. Just use your judgment as to who pays. Look at sometimes staff chipping in and other times the company paying.
Frankie
"even though it is a very
"even though it is a very small percentage of our budget"
Thats the most important bit. Pizza nights/pizza lunches/paying for pizza cause someone is putting in a late night - is a fantastic ROI. Pizzas are so so so cheap, but people (particularly the early 20s engineer/IT type) absolutely love getting free pizza. If you were shouting the team to a pricey restaurant, I could see the justification in cutting it - but pizza is so damn cheap that I recommend to keep it. Try to find cuts elsewhere.
It's not Pizza, it's a message
When you buy your people pizza you send them a message. That message is "We value you and the contribution you make to the company. Thanks, please keep it up."
Stopping buying you people pizza also sends a message. Unfortunately that message is more like "We don't value you and frankly couldn't care less about you." This message is reinforced if they see other groups apparently not having their 'perks' cut by the same austerity programme, and they will see other groups apparently not having their perks cut in the same austerity programme.
Right now you'll probably get away with it, give the state of the job market. Once things begin to recover you may find that some of the goodwill you used to have is gone.
Look elsewhere for cuts first and, if you do have to cut the pizza evenings, make sure the employees don't see management continuing to enjoy perks whilst being told how tight money is.
Stephen
Your considerate comments
Hi again -
Thanks for all of your comments folks. I appreciate them. My plan is to recommend we keep the pizza but transfer the costs to my fellow manageres and me.
Cheers,
Chris
I would wait until
I would wait until management comments on the pizza expense. Seriously, if an occasional pizza expense is being examined by senior management, it might be a sign to start looking for other opportunities.
Its so fascinating to see
Its so fascinating to see the different corporate cultures present.
Regular pizza purchases (other than annually or semi-annually) would fly like a lead baloon where I work. Its a cost and therefore needs to be cut. ROI is rarely brought into the equation.
I think your tack is smart one though Chris. Also, I agree with you somehwat asterisk as well. Its frightening how short-sighted we can be with controlling expenses sometimes.