In a recent article in Life Inc., reported a CEO of a 60-person public relations firm, threaten to fire the next employee who didn’t replace the empty carton of milk for the office coffee.  My first impression was this guy has too much time on his hands to worry about the milk.  Small business owners are more concerned with bringing in the bread then buying the milk.  The article goes on to state that the standing rule in the office is that the last person to finish the milk has an obligation to replace it (on the CEO’s dime).  This has been a repeated problem and the CEO felt he had to address it in a rather scathing email to the staff.

The most surprising part of the article, besides the trivial issue at hand, was that 12% of the readers thought he was very wrong and 41% felt he was very right (and the balance in the middle).  So the vast majority of the strong reader votes were in agreement with his actions.  The common theme amount the strong supporters were that the culprits (milk non-replacers), are inconsiderate, selfish, lazy and disrespectful.  They felt the punishment fit the crime.

So the next time you don’t replace the milk remember the way most people feel about you (not just the boss).