Starbucks is Not Your Office.

This has happened to me more than once…

I have been sat in Starbucks enjoying my coffee and using the Wifi when suddenly I’ve become aware of the business meeting on the next table.

Now, I think this is fine if you’re having an informal catch up with a client or colleague but recently I was almost sat in on a job interview.  

There was a woman sat adjacent to me on a single table and a young man approached her inquiring if she was Helen.  She very formally stated she was, shook his hand and asked him to sit down.  She then located his CV and began to ask him a few questions.  In very close proximity to me.  I am sat on my own, I am not engaging with anyone, just surfing the net and recharging my caffeine levels.  Both of them have to be fully aware that I am privy to everything they are saying.  

There is no way Helen is going to get the best out of a prospective employee if she grills them in a public place.   The confidence one needs in a job interview situation can easily dissipate with a few strangers listening in.  It also speaks volumes about the company Helen works for - a popular travel agency.  If I applied for a job and was lucky enough to get called in for an interview - I would think twice if they asked me to come to Starbucks.  In fact, I wouldn’t go.

About a year ago, I was sat next to a disciplinary.  A young guy who worked in a local gym had been brought to Caffe Nero to get a ticking off about his poor performance.  His name was Darren and he had been watching DVDs on the computer when he should have been patrolling the weights room.  The fact I know this is because I could hear every single word as his boss had inexplicably decided to have this conversation with him on the table next to me.   Why did she think this was acceptable?  If she’s worked her way up to a managerial position, you might have thought she was bright enough to know she was broadcasting this poor guy’s deficiencies to the adjacent caffeine-addicts.

We are living in times of austerity.  I understand costs need to be kept at a minimum but outsourcing your meeting rooms to the nearest coffee chain is a terrible move.  How would you feel if a random member of the public came and sat next to you in your office and listened in on everything you were doing?  Would it make you feel uncomfortable?  Aware of how much information you were divulging?  This is exactly what happens in when you arrange meetings in Starbucks.  Next time it happens, I’m going to transcribe everything and post it on Twitter.  You have been warned.