How to have your cake and eat it

Having a regular break in the working routine has been shown to reduce stress and boost productivity. In many workplaces, especially fast-paced call and contact centres, Cake Friday is when this happens.

Small_Call_1At 3pm anyone not needed for direct customer activity downs tools for 20 minutes and enjoys the treats baked by colleagues.

Some workplaces request a charity donation and the MS Society even has Cake Break packs it uses to help volunteers and supporters raise money for research.

After a chat – cake breaks are ideal for career networking! – and a chomp on some fine home baking, everyone should feel charged up and ready to tackle the afternoon’s work.

But what happens when Cake Friday gets a little too competitive? It only takes a couple of people to take the Bake Off theme too seriously and, before you can say Victoria Slices, the Krispie Cakes are being replaced by ever-more elaborate creations.

Alison Wilson is a keen home baker and works in the call centre of a well-known travel company.

“Baking is my hobby and my chocolate brownies are a favourite with colleagues, but there are one or two in the department who’ve always got to go one step better,” she reveals.

“When it’s their turn to bake we end up with cocktail-themed cupcakes or eclairs that could have come straight from a patisserie in Paris. They’re seriously sniffy about anyone who brings in bought cakes or admits they got their mum to do the work.”

When this happens, what’s meant to be a workplace de-stressor turns out to be anything but.

“I love making pancakes with my children so I always make a big batch for Cake Friday,” says Adam Chalmers, who works for a financial services call centre in North Lanarkshire.

“Now the whole thing has stopped being fun because a few people have taken it to be a competitive sport.”

So what can you do if your colleagues are losing sight of the whole purpose of Cake Friday?

After landing a job as a call centre supervisor, David Muirison from Glasgow is able to offer one solution.

“I wouldn’t know a recipe if I tripped over one so when it was my turn I pitched in with a tray of Krispy Kreme donuts and challenged the fussiest eaters not to touch them. Funnily enough my donuts disappeared in minutes!”

And that goes to prove you really can have your cake and eat it by getting your teeth into the latest Call and Contact Centre vacancies on s1jobs.