You are the personnel director of a large company. While there has been no written policy regarding coffee breaks, they are a long-established tradition, and all employees avail themselves of the privilege each morning and afternoon of the workday. In fact, company management has allowed a vending machine company to place their machines in several locations throughout the building in which the company is located. As a result, employees take coffee breaks, usually 10 minutes long, at any time of the day they desire. In general, this approach has not caused too much difficulty in work accomplishment, but in one department, in the opinion of its supervisor, the work has suffered. There was socializing around desks while the coffee was consumed; telephones went unanswered, and work came to a halt. In some instances, the employees in that department took breaks longer than 10 minutes, and this upset work patterns too. Because of this, the supervisor, Mr. Kobe, issued a memorandum to all employees under his jurisdiction. In it he reaffirmed the tradition of the coffee break, but he restricted it to 10:15 to 10:25 in the morning and 3:15 to 3:25 in the afternoon. He also requested all employees to be back at their desks at the end of each break. When the memo was received, many of the employees reacted negatively. Indignation ran high, and two employees were designated as spokesmen to come to you with their grievance without first going to their supervisor, Mr. Kobe. Discussion Questions 1. If you were a supervisor, how would you handle questions about employee breaks? 2. If you had a complaint about your manager, what would you do to solve the problem? 3. How would you handle the coffee break issue? What would you do or say to the employees? What would you do or say with Mr. Kobe?