Coffee Talk

At Blo in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bryan Nunes believes that a squabble between staff members needs to be addressed within 24 hours, and if the parties can’t come to a resolution, they must go:

“This is a common approach by many companies, but where we differ is we keep a stack of $5 Starbuck’s gift cards at the front desk that can be accessed by anybody at any time,” says Nunes. “Our program is called ‘Take Five.’ When there is a conflict or situation that needs to be addressed, it must be handled outside the environment and involve only the main players in the situation.

"One person asks the other to ‘Take Five’ and both parties go next door to Starbuck’s and have a cup of coffee together. This gives everyone the opportunity to sit with their initial emotions before confronting one another, and allows them to see the other as human rather than an obstacle. Something good always comes out of it.”