Are you a coffeeholic? Is your morning incomplete without a steaming cup of coffee? Did you know? Coffee is one of the most preferred beverages worldwide, consumed by around 30-40% of people globally. If we were to count the daily coffee consumption in the United States, the numbers are higher – amounting to around 65% of the total population.
Coffee isn’t just a beverage that boosts your mood and prepares you for a long day. Sipping coffee with your loved ones or acquaintances is even more enjoyable than having coffee alone. Isn’t it? You could take your beloved on a coffee date or plan the same with your pals. How about the role of coffee in the workplace in enhancing your bonds with your colleagues? That’s important as well. With deadlines to meet and to-dos to be completed, a refreshing coffee break with your co-employees will help boost your morale.
In the following article, we will look into the importance of excellent office coffee in improving your company culture. Read on to know more about how coffee can improve company culture.
Importance of Coffee for the Betterment of Company Culture
For umpteen reasons, coffee stations in offices have always been a preferred choice among employees. With the pandemic, when most of the population began working from home, coffee consumption in locations away from home decreased drastically. However, when things returned to normal post-pandemic, the importance of coffee in workplaces returned to its previous form. In a recent poll, around 32% of Americans mentioned having a coffee station installed in their office. So, how important are coffee stations in offices? Let’s take a look.
1. Improves Productivity
You may be wondering how coffee breaks in workplaces improve productivity. Right? There is a logic to it. The function of coffee in enhancing cognitive function has been deduced through numerous findings. It effectively boosts one’s mood and even helps them work for long hours without getting tired.
So, when your employees get their cups of coffee between work, it helps them meet their deadlines efficiently, positively impacting the company’s productivity. There is a science behind this. The chemical adenosine found in human cells has several functions, one being promoting sleep drive. Caffeine blocks the adenosine from functioning in the brain cells. When this happens, it prevents one from feeling sleepy and increases their activity levels.
Another piece of information about coffee that I cannot help sharing is its role in improving long-term and short-term memory, as shown through specific studies. If you have coffeeholic people at work, then as a manager, you could boost their efficiency by providing a constant coffee supply at the office.
True, coffee provides the impetus to work, but overconsumption may trigger several side effects like digestive issues, palpitations, etc. So, even if coffee helps you work better, you must watch your intake to avoid health hazards.
2. Lowers Unproductive Work Time
This is another statement that may have left you pondering in deep thought. Right? Well, let’s get into a detailed explanation. A survey showed that around 68% of the participants drink coffee during working hours.
If there isn’t a coffee station at the workplace, it will prompt employees to visit cafes outside for their coffee breaks. When they have easy access to coffee at their workplace, they won’t have to go out to get the same. This will save a lot of unproductive time.
The survey I just mentioned revealed another interesting fact about the patterns of coffee consumption among employees. The significant demand for this beverage was in the morning, which has also been mentioned to be the most productive time by around 40% of the employees, specifically the 9-11 am slot. The next preferable time slot was the lunch hours between 1 and 3 pm. By evening, the demand for coffee had lessened. So, this justifies that if the employees get their coffee readily available at the office, they would not have to compromise their productive hours.
3. Enhances Socialization
Isn’t a cup of coffee with a quick chat with your co-employees an excellent way to bond with them? The discussions one can have over a cup of coffee are endless. Suppose your workplace has a designated coffee station. In that case, it will be a great meeting point for employees of different designations, giving more scope for exchanging fruitful conversations, brainstorming sessions, and creative ideas.
While you could get a chance to interact with your seniors, whom you do not meet much throughout the day, it will even give you scope to break the ice with new joiners. Though coffee breaks aren’t the only way to socialize in offices, there are other ways. Yet, it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to catch up with people.
A cup of coffee and the numerous chatterings with other employees you bump into at the coffee bay is a refreshing way to take a break from sitting in front of the computer for long hours.
4. Boosts Morale
For many, a cup of coffee isn’t just a beverage but also an emotion. Say someone has had a rough patch at work and wishes to destress by relaxing and sipping coffee. Then, what could be a better option than the coffee bay?
For many, spending a few minutes at the coffee station and interacting with their co-workers daily is one incentive for coming to work. It makes them happy. When one comes to work with a positive frame of mind, it helps them deliver better.
Moreover, it’s a caring gesture when the management arranges coffee at work. It shows that the authorities care for their employees. These things take to count when it comes to fostering a healthy employee-employer relationship.
A Few Facts to Consider
We just discussed having a designated coffee area in the workspace for employees to help them take a break from work and refresh their minds. In this aspect, some points need to be mentioned.
- There is a difference in how small and big companies make coffee available to their workers. The small companies may often make provisions for boiled water and sugar. However, they may leave it to their employees for the coffee. While in some organizations, employees carry their coffee supplies, in a few, there is a coffee fund as well managed jointly by all. Bigger organizations arrange for coffee machines.
- The next thing is if coffee and tea come for free or no In the majority of the offices in the United States, it is a free service employees can avail of.
- There also comes the matter of equality. Do all employees get access to similar kinds of coffee machines, or are the better ones reserved for high-ranked executives? Professing equality is always essential for a better work culture.
Conclusion
A coffee session with colleagues amidst work is undoubtedly refreshing. It will boost your working spirit and strengthen your bond with your co-workers. Coffee machines in offices may sometimes be expensive and often have an environmental impact due to piled-up paper cups. So, when employers plan to install coffee machines at work, they should also consider the upsides and downsides.
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