Offer Coffee at the Workplace and See its Amazing Benefits

"If it wasn't for coffee, I'd have no discernible personality at all." - David Letterman

Coffee's origins date to 800 AD in Ethiopia and Yemen. An accidental discovery of energizing berries helped monks pray and meditate better. No matter where the discovery took place, coffee is mostly drunk in workplaces today across the world.

Coffee at the workplace constitutes a significant part of employee productivity and daily wellness. More than one in five office employees claim it is hard to make it through a six-hour workday without coffee.

According to a 2011 survey conducted by Alterra Coffee Roasters, about 65% of US workers drink coffee. Also, 30% of these employees claim that the availability of coffee in the workplace helps them focus and concentrate better.

So, with a head start on the significance of coffee for productivity, let's dive into why it is important to provide it in the workplace. It is more than just the aroma, and employees prefer it over any other drink.

10 Benefits of Providing Coffee in Your Workplace

"Behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee"
– Anonymous

Undeniably, a manager or owner always looks for ways to boost their employees' productivity and workability. While providing employee health benefits and perks does work, it fails on a daily basis.

There is a more straightforward solution to this workplace issue of decreased productivity. It is coffee. Providing free coffee or minimal pantry services at work can tremendously affect the employees. Let's find out how!

1. Boost in Productivity and Energy

One of the benefits of providing coffee at the workplace is boosting employees' productivity and energizing them. Medical research has shown that drinking coffee can improve brain function and energize people so that they can work longer without tiring.

The caffeine in coffee increases dopamine levels, the hormone that boosts the 'feel-good' emotion. It makes us feel pleasure and de-stressed. However, it also blocks the adenosine receptors, fooling our body into thinking we are not tired or sleepy.

Coffee also helps employees be more productive. When employees take coffee breaks with each other, their stress levels decline. Therefore, they become more productive and punctual with their work.

Coffee breaks also help employees overcome mental blocks or cognitive overload at work, further improving their overall well-being.

2. Improved Morale Towards the Organization

The simple act of offering coffee in the office or allowing coffee breaks can significantly improve the morale of your employees. It can raise the common consensus among the employees that you care for them.

• According to a 2008 McKinsey & Company research, 61% of workers believe their company cares about their well-being when they offer hot beverages.

• In the same research, 85% of workers said good coffee boosts morale and productivity.

• According to a 2014 Staples poll, 82% of workers think drinking coffee at work improves their mood.

Besides, allowing coffee breaks builds a positive work environment. It can spark positivity in the workplace and help engage the employees better.

3. Better Social and Workplace Relations

Have you ever wondered why cafes and coffee shops attract many social crowds? It is because they are a great escape for people to catch up and relax. This same effect can happen when you offer free coffee in the workplace.

Surveys and reports have consistently shown that employees bond well when refreshments are offered. A 2011 survey conducted by Alterra Coffee Roasters study in Australia by Statista says that 68% of employees feel coffee breaks help with workplace talks and conversations.

This data also shows that office spaces lack the freedom to communicate with each other. A break from the screen and a chat over coffee can nurture healthy friendships and professional relations.

4. Reduced Waste of Time

Frequent coffee breaks are a waste of time for employers. But otherwise, that is true in this case. Employees spend a lot of time procrastinating and idling their time when feeling lethargic or sleepy.

A coffee break from time to time would keep their energy up and help them focus on the task. This way, they work more, procrastinate less, and deal with stress properly. This whole process prevents the waste of time during working hours.

Suggested Read: 10 Effective Ways To Combat A Sedentary Lifestyle

5. Better Meetings

"Almost all my middle-aged and elderly acquaintances, including me, feel about 25, unless we haven't had our coffee, in which case we feel 107."
– Martha Beck

We all have meetings where one person talks and we listen, but no outcome comes out of it. This is because of a lack of participation from other members. These meetings can be made engaging with a little bit of enthusiasm and productivity.

Since coffee increases productivity and focus, it can make meetings more engaging and fruitful. It can be served as a refreshment between meetings or before the start of the meeting.

6. Better Overall Health

Despite the belief of a few decades ago, a controlled amount of coffee can actually improve your overall health. Drinking up to two cups of coffee is linked to several health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiac diseases. It also improves liver function in many people.

Moderate coffee drinking also results in healthy weight loss. It increases brain function and keeps your energy level up. These benefits can result in a healthy workforce that takes fewer sick leaves.

7. Support for Fasting at Work

Fasting at work or fasting for weight management is becoming a trend. Therefore, providing coffee at the workplace can help the fasting employees work better on fasting days.

Coffee reduces hunger but keeps the energy level up. Thereby, you feel less hungry and drop those extra pounds.

8. Convenience for Coffee Drinkers

"Even a bad cup of coffee is better than no coffee at all."
– David Lynch

Every office has coffee drinkers, who can't go a day without coffee. Research and surveys show that an average office worker drinks about 1000 cups of coffee annually.

Hence, making coffee available at the workplace saves them the time to go out to have coffee. Plus, the free aspect of it further increases employee happiness and satisfaction.

9. Inexpensive Employee Benefit

Coffee at the workplace is also an inexpensive employee benefit that makes an employee feel good. It can motivate employees by making them feel good or at home with minimal effort.

Of course, coffee alone is not going to attract or retain employees. There are other employee health benefits that you can consider to boost morale and productivity.

10. Increases Creativity

Cognitive Enhancement Through Caffeine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 2017 points out that coffee can improve focus and working memory. Thus, it reduces cognitive block during work and facilitates creative processes.

This can result in better workability and reduced stress at the same time.

How Can Over-Caffeination Hurt Your Workplace?

Here's one thing about coffee: it can be addictive. Numerous reports have shown how coffee lovers become so habituated to it that it is impossible for them to spend a day without it.

The real problem happens when over-caffeination affects your work. Here are some ways it can hinder your workability on a daily basis.

"Even though caffeine makes you feel energy, it's important for people to understand that it doesn't replace a night's rest."
– Dr. Dustin Cotliar, Sleep Physician.

It Can Make You Jittery

Doctors have always pointed out that the caffeine content in coffee can make you more anxious and jittery. It can also temporarily raise blood pressure and speed up the heartbeat, exposing you to the possibility of cardiac arrest.

These symptoms can severely affect work and reverse all the benefits we have mentioned above. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you control your coffee consumption.

It Can Affect Sleep and Work

Drinking too much coffee can disrupt your sleep cycle. The caffeine in it blocks adenosine receptors that promote sleep in our brains. This can lead to insomnia or similar symptoms.

A CDC report says that 80% of American adults consume at least one cup of coffee daily. This can silently portray that a large part of the US workforce drinks coffee and that sleep problems are present in this workforce.

Doctors have also asked people to control their caffeine intake, pointing out that it affects sleep quality, if not the sleep schedule. It reduces deep sleep time and leaves us restless during waking hours.

Lack of sleep will definitely hurt work during the daytime. It can make employees irritable and unproductive.

Suggested Read: How Sleep Deprivation Affects Work Performance

It Can Lead to the Wastage of Energy, Too

Yes, coffee does increase energy levels, but only if taken in moderation. Too much caffeine can actually lead to a waste of energy.

The human brain can focus on a thing in one go for up to 2 hours. In practice, it is mostly 25 to 30 minutes before it needs a break. This break can lead to a waste of the energy you gain with coffee.

This energy loss is further rebounded with intense fatigue in a time window of about 2 to 12 hours.

It Can Lead to Headaches

Too much coffee is also linked with headaches and migraines. Office workers who work at desks with computers can expect an aching head and an irritated mood due to the increased caffeine in their systems.

Therefore, we must keep track of the amount of caffeine we put into our systems. Remember, coffee does not contain caffeine alone; tea and other energy drinks also fall into the same category.

Suggested Read: Effective Strategies for Coping with Migraine at Workplace

How Much Coffee at the Workplace is Appropriate?

Every job requires an increased energy level. Coffee, taken in moderate and controlled amounts, can help achieve that level throughout the day. But, as is true with everything, too much coffee (and the caffeine in it) can have adverse effects.

Therefore, finding the balance that works for your brain and system is paramount. The Food and Drug Administration's dietary guidelines for Americans say that an individual must not consume more than 400 mg of coffee.

If a cup contains 95 to 100 mg, then no more than 4 cups daily is recommended. Nutritionists and doctors also recommend not having any caffeinated beverages after 2 p.m.

Different Ways to Offer Coffee in the Workplace

Vending Machines with Premium Coffee Option

A great way to offer coffee in an office is through vending machines. These vending machines come from various brands, such as Nescafé, Bru, and others, and they offer various coffee types, such as cappuccino, latte, espresso, and more.

Coffee Subscriptions

A slightly less popular but quite convenient system is a coffee subscription. Many companies offer recurring delivery systems for beverages like coffee and tea for employees. These subscriptions include options like latte, cappuccino, espresso, tea, and other customized types.

Coffee Stipend

A coffee stipend is an amount that companies offer employees instead of providing coffee at the workplace. This gives the employee the liberty to choose the kind of coffee or any beverage they want to have, whether they want to spend it at a local coffee store or buy their own coffee and bring it to work every day.

In Closing

Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. Approximately 2.5 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day worldwide, but its popularity in an office setting is tremendous.

It has become a daily ritual for millions of corporate employees. Coffee stimulates their energy levels, increases their dopamine, and makes them feel aware and focused. American culture especially patronizes the consumption of coffee daily.

However, exercising control over every kind of beverage is crucial. The main element of coffee, caffeine, can increase blood pressure, cause headaches, digestive issues, and many other physical and mental symptoms like anxiety.
Our employee wellness platform, Vantage Fit, is a good way to track your beverages, water intake, and overall health in the office. You can create challenges where you can incentivize your employees to drink coffee.

It is a great platform to track your fitness activities and earn redeemable points for them. If you are involved in your organization's decision-making, book a demo of the app today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is coffee free at work?

Coffee is offered for no cost st work because it helps boost emplyees' productivity and keep their energy level up.

2. Is coffee good or bad for productivity?

Coffee in moderation is very good for productivity and concentration. However too much of it can make people anxious and jittery.

3. What is a good quote on coffee?

There are many good quotes about coffee mentioned in the article. Pick what you like the best.

4. Why coffee breaks are important at work?

Coffee breaks offer employer to socialize with one another. This de-stresses them and improves their mood and creativity. It also helps build healthy workplace relationships.

5. When should I drink coffee at work?

Coffee is mostly healthy and uplifting during the early hours of the day. It is advised not to have coffee after 2 PM.