Sad state of Australian offices revealed as weary employees share what 'work perks' look like in 2025

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

Forget bean bags, barista coffee and ping pong tables - for many Aussie workers, having a functioning microwave or a string on their tea bag is the real luxury.
A grim Reddit thread has highlighted the 'sad state' of offices in 2025 after a public sector employee sarcastically celebrated their workplace's short-lived filtered water supply.
'In the public sector, we don't get Tim Tams. We get filtered water on tap and we're grateful for it,' they wrote.
'But our Zip tap broke and management decided against replacing it. No more filtered water for us.'
Thousands chimed in to share their own tales of stingy workplaces, broken appliances, and wildly inconsistent snack offerings across industries.
'Mate, your office sounds amazing with its filtered water. Our built-in microwave died ages ago, and instead of fixing it, an employee just dumped a dodgy bench-top one in its place.
'We've got a Zip tap that doesn't do hot water, or cold water, or any water really. The filter light has been flashing longer than some staff have been employed,' one wrote.
That wasn't the end of it.
'We've got three toilets, but only one that actually flushes properly. And even then, the cubicle door doesn't shut properly. You can make full, uncomfortable eye contact with someone mid-dump.
'At this point, I reckon prisoners are doing better than us in local government,' they added.
While some offices offer modest perks like shared fridges and basic beverages, others go without the absolute essentials.
'Our fridge has milk for tea and coffee. Everything else we have to bring ourselves,' one person said.
'Dude, we don't even have forks,' said another.
One user revealed a shocking turn of events that came from a sarcastic HR survey reply.
'About a dozen years ago my firm acquired another. HR did a culture survey and for sh*ts and giggles, someone responded that they missed Friday Tim Tams since the merger. After that, we got Tim Tams every Friday. Ended up costing the office something like $7k annually,' they said.
Others recalled workplaces that tried to be generous - but ended up being unintentionally hilarious.
'At my last workplace we got around ten bananas in a bowl a couple of times a week to be shared between the 200 people on that floor.
'Of course two people always took the lot within five minutes. We once had a banana hoarder call security and demand a CCTV footage investigation to find out who took one of the bananas from their desk,' one woman wrote.
Then there are the dream offices.
'We get a fruit bowl topped up twice a day, an assortment of high protein and healthy snacks, an open fridge with soft drinks and beers for Friday, and regular multicultural food days.
'We do have Tim Tams, although I prefer Kingstons. We are also expected to work till 7:30 or 8, so…'
Others shared their own strange assortments.
'No Tim Tams. We have those little MasterFood squeeze-on tomato sauces and Milo. Although I'm sure the parents take the sauce and Milo home for their kids because I've never seen anyone use it and it's always being replenished,' a man said.
Another revealed, 'My new work doesn't have Tim Tams, but they do have bread, butter and cheese. As well as the usual biscuit jar. But the best thing is every Friday arvo they have a charcuterie board with all sorts of goodies and alcoholic drinks.'
Even public hospital workers weighed in.
'I work in a public hospital. I get excited if the tea bag has a string,' one wrote.
The thread highlighted just how much - or how little - it can take to make Aussie workers feel valued.
Whether it's a cold drink, a working tap, or a humble chocolate biscuit, it seems the small things go much further than they once did.