You’re probably familiar with company happy hours. You might even have a bottle of nice whiskey stashed at your desk for special occasions. But chances are Champagne isn’t just a button push away from being delivered to your desk. Unless you’re a financier in London.
Finance workers in London will soon have desk Champagne buttons for the ultimate 5 o’clock summon. “Press for Champagne,” a cue card in a gold-plated frame states. Below the card is a black button that’s about the size of an elevator button. In other words, big enough to hit no matter how exhausted or uncoordinated you are after a day of work.
That’s not all they get, either. There’s also full meals like sushi and caviar, as well as a range of cocktails. These buttons make Don Draper’s bar cart look quant. They make Jordan Belfort’s office perks look like perks for a secretarial position.
The idea comes from the London restaurant Bob Bob Ricard, which also features the Champagne buttons. But of course, it’s not all fun and games. The buttons allow the staff “to host meetings in their offices and work later,” Simon Lyons, the CEO of the investment group behind the development, told CNBC. Focus on “work later,” because if you thought free snacks and coffee was ruining your work life balance, just imagine what Champagne and caviar would do.
If you’re thinking about getting into business so you can get a taste of these buttons for yourself, you’d better start rising through the finance ranks quickly. The installation at the offices of 40 Beak Street are expected to be complete by early March of 2018. It’s not entirely clear which companies will work out of the space, but it’s hard to imagine a group of workers who wouldn’t want to be there.
