Unlike my boss, the vending machine engineer didn’t belittle me. There was no judgment, no condescension – just mutual respect. Photo: Office Bantomime.
James Mason recalls a difficult time in his working life when he found support and advice from an unlikely source.
When you think about your closest friend in the office, you probably imagine a colleague or even someone from your team.
In my case, the person I connected with most wasn’t a manager, a peer, or even someone I regularly worked with. It was the vending machine engineer.
In 2006, I was working as a project manager for a software company in the United Kingdom. The industry was booming, but the role came with immense responsibilities.
The pressure of meeting constant deadlines was wearing me down, and to make matters worse, I had no colleagues I could connect with and a boss who micromanaged every task.
As the months passed, I found myself struggling to cope.
Then one day, amid complaints about the vending machine jamming and failing to dispense food, an engineer arrived to fix it.
He immediately gave me a smile and said hello. After having various conversations over the times he visited to carry out repairs, I found he actually listened to me and took an interest in what I had to say. It was not in that polite ‘’nod and smile’’ way some people do, but with genuine curiosity. He asked questions, and followed up on things we had discussed sometimes weeks earlier.
Conversations with him weren’t just superficial small talk about the weather or complaints about office life. They were refreshing and real.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Unlike my boss, he didn’t belittle me or make me feel small. There was no judgment, no condescension – just mutual respect. In fact, in those moments when I felt unheard or undervalued at work, he was the one who helped me regain my sense of worth.
You’d expect to get that from your superiors, but it turned out the vending machine engineer was better at making me feel understood than my own boss. He was far more interesting than anyone in the office, too. Every time he came by to fix the machine, I found myself looking forward to our next chat.
He had stories, experiences, and insights that went beyond the typical office gossip. He had lived a life that offers perspectives most of us haven’t considered, and I genuinely enjoyed learning from him.
What I really appreciate, though, is that he gave great advice. I could talk to him about pretty much anything – whether it was work-related frustrations or personal dilemmas – and he always made me feel optimistic, even when things were tough.
He was the kind of person who encouraged you to see the bigger picture, to not sweat the small stuff, and to keep moving forward with a positive mindset.
The most important thing is that he was not just a casual acquaintance or a guy who happens to fix your snacks. He was the only person in the office I could actually call a friend. There were no hidden agendas or office politics. With him, it was simple – we connected as humans, not just as employees in the same building.
In a world where the workplace can sometimes feel isolating or stressful, finding a friend who genuinely cares makes all the difference. For me, that friend just happened to be the vending machine engineer.
If I happened to tamper with the vending machine from time to time to keep our chats going … well, could you really blame me?
So, next time you see the engineer fixing the office vending machine, take a moment to chat. You might just discover your next best friend.
James Mason has worked for various organisations over an 18-year career. A seasoned blogger, he has created the blogsite Office Bantomime. This article first appeared on the Office Bantomime website.
