"Free Soda" is a perk of the job. That perk was removed. It was 'taken away.' In the end, it's academic to quibble over whether or not the free soda was 'discontinued' or 'taken away.' It doesn't really matter. Free soda is no longer there, and this upsets him. His boss arguing the correct wording isn't going to make him happier.
Exactly. But why would he be touchy about an employee providing feedback? Where I work that's the escalation path, talk to your manager about things that bother you or that you're not comfortable with. A manager refusing to take my criticism means either the manager is failing at his job or that he's incapable of doing his job.
A simple, "I'll bring it up in our next meeting" would soothe me over much more than arguing over semantics and entitlement with me. Or even just being sympathetic: "Yeah, I know it sucks, but them accountants needed something to trim this quarter!".
But the defensive reaction tells me there is something lurking underneath the surface, be it frustration or resentment.
Having had to manage the worst possible situation (multiple rounds of layoffs), it's a shitty situation for everyone.
Obviously, it's the worst for the people who are being terminated. As a human, a good manager wants to assure them that s/he values their contribution, blah blah, but all they hear is what is said in the first 30 seconds. Hit the high points – we are laying you off, you are getting n weeks/months/years of severance, here is all of this in writing, plus your benefits package and final check, do you have any questions?
It's also very unlikely that the manager had much say other than in terms of force ranking people (if that). I found out at 9pm the night before that I would have to cut more people than planned.
Your boss may have been thinking something along the lines of,"20% of our company just lost their jobs and you're worried about the free chair massages???" because their brain is still in the context of not only "I can't protect my team," but also "I had an active role in their termination." They're often in the "bargaining" phase of grief and thinkin,"without x, I could have kept one person," or "One of my leads could do my job with this new team size, so my leaving will save 2-5 jobs in the next round." Those things go through your manager's head.
The best a manager can do is to take the "survivors" away from the office (conference room in another building, on a walk to a local park, whatever) while people have the opportunity to pack their personal effects. Tell the team everything you can about why the layoff took place, who was affected, and get as much of the bad shit out that you can.
They'll rant at their managers, they'll rant at the company, and the managers have to take it. Try to avoid the company party line and give people as realistic a view as possible of what is happening and what will likely happen. Try to bring in the highest execs possible to answer questions, because a manager may or may not know, or be able to tell, some details about the financial forces driving the decisions.
TL;DR - It sucks for everyone, including your manager, so s/he may be crankier than normal. Extend compassion their way as well. If you're a manager, see the blowback coming and get in front of it and be genuine.
I view the free soda not so much as a perk, than an indicator that the folks in charge "get it." Without the soda, I can just as well get some from the store, and bring in my own snacks for a negligible amount of money. But the cost to the business due to time wasted doing this must be gigantic. The fact that management doesn't see this is a clear sign that they don't merit respect.
