In your business

I’m well aware of the trend toward people parking themselves at coffee shops to work, or look like they’re working, tapping away on their laptops while yapping on their mobile phones. Lord knows, I don’t think there’s a low- to medium-end restaurant in the Bay Area that doesn’t offer free Wi-Fi to encourage this lollygagging clientele.

But you can take this a latte too far.

The other day I was at my local Panera Bread in a booth next to a woman who was giving employee reviews—in-person reviews, right there in the booth—as well as taking conference calls regarding a lawsuit brought by a former employee.

I’m telling you, this woman has a clear, loud voice, & she enunciates very distinctly. The employee being reviewed when I sat down (sales rep for office supplies & equipment) apparently had already acknowledged that she’s been having problems getting motivated, but of course she’s going to do better.

& I’m sure her bonus & salary increase her boss announced will help.

The manager invited her to state some career goals—short-term ones, you know; for August. But the poor woman couldn’t cough up anything immediately, so that’s an action item for her.

Shortly after the hapless employee left, knowing that everyone at the three tables immediately around her had heard everything, the manager got on a con call involving this lawsuit. Apparently the former sales rep is suing for wrongful termination, but this manager had discovered that instead of making actual sales calls, he’d just gone to coffee shops & then falsified his route reports.

Looks like he hasn’t a chance, though, since he couldn’t recall the month he was terminated, & it’s clearly documented that he turned in fraudulent route reports.

Look—I understand that this manager works out of Santa Rosa, & apparently she needs to meet with her sales reps close to where they are (although 100 miles isn’t extreme for California standards). But couldn’t she have chosen some place with a little more privacy? Instead of using one of the back rooms in the restaurant (one of which was completely empty), she planted herself in the second booth in the main room, surrounded by tables.

Maybe it’s an extension of that invisible shield people with mobile phones seem to think surrounds them. You know—the one that enables them to shout into their hands while in restaurants, mass transportation & public restrooms without having to worry that they’ll be overheard.