In my now 15+ year accounting career, I have worked for a number of different companies. I worked for a Big 4 firm (and visited many different clients) and several organizations in private industry. I have developed what I believe to be a solid test for determining how "employee friendly" a company is, and this test can be applied during a job interview prior to accepting an offer: The Coffee Test
It is my assertion that you can tell a lot about how a company treats its employees by the quality of coffee they offer at their offices. I've worked for companies that offer a wide variety of flavors and creamers and the latest brewing technologies. I've also worked at companies that provide such putrid coffee that I found myself brewing coffee for myself at home before work. In pretty much every case, I've noticed that that the companies that provide good coffee generally treat their employees much better that those that provide lousy coffee. So now when I go for a job interview, I always ask if I can get a tour of the accounting area, and I'm always on the lookout for the type of coffee offerings that are provided to the employees. This has become a significant factor in my decision of whether or not to accept an offer. (I'm a one cup a day guy, so coffee quality itself isn't that important to me…but I think its an important indicator of the employer/employee dynamic at a company).
From your experience auditing companies and working in private industry, what companies can you think of where good or bad coffee is provided to employees (and auditors)? Do you see a correlation between the quality of coffee and the manner in which the company treats its employees? Thank you for contributing to my scientific study.
