Does Caffeine Make Office Workers More Productive?

What’s the thing that can make people wake up at 6 a.m. and waste an hour commuting to work everyday? Well, admittedly, not a lot of things have this effect, but great coffee for offices is potentially just the thing. In a post-lockdown world where employees are dreading returning to their cubicles, great coffee for offices could make the difference.

It’s harder than ever for employers to convince their workers to come back to the office. Most employers have only succeeded in bringing back their staff a few days a week at most. After two years of lockdown, office employees have enjoyed better sleep, no commuting, unsupervised breaks, and the list goes on. And, they’ve proved that they can be just as productive (if not more productive) working remotely.

However, for those employers who truly do need their employees to return, you’re going to need a bold tactic to bring them back. Read on to find out how great coffee for offices can be a juicy offer.

Why should I provide good coffee for offices?

Providing great coffee for your office can communicate a lot of things to your employees.

Do you ever shake your head at that employee who shows up late every morning with a take-out coffee in their hand? Try to understand it from their perspective. Getting to work everyday is a grind, not just on account of the long, unpleasant commute, but the work environment. It can be even more difficult for employees who have bosses supervising them all day. Combine a lack of sleep, an early morning, a rough commute, and a job where you can’t relax, and you’d need a coffee, too!

In general, office workers reported feeling drained, anxious and taken-advantage-of pre-pandemic. Introducing a great office coffee program can be one step to making your employees feel valued. It can also make the workspace feel less intimidating, somewhere they can feel comfortable.

Coffee is inherently social, and it can be a way to get your employees to get to know each other. Encouraging socializing can improve staff morale, especially if morale is low.

Frequent breaks improve productivity

Among employers, there seems to be an importance placed on productivity in the workplace. Many employers don’t seem to understand why surveilling their employees while at work doesn’t make them work harder or better.

While it may sound counterintuitive, frequent breaks actually make people more productive. People get more work done throughout the day when they take several mini-breaks. Coffee is synonymous with a mid-day break.

In Sweden, there’s a ritual called fika which entails coffee and sweets. In many Scandinavian countries, work culture revolves around a shorter work day, more breaks, and sometimes, a 4-day work week. Studies show Scandinavian workers are just as productive as non-Scandinavian workers.

Taking breaks during a long day can help workers with their mindset. It’s easier to tackle large projects by breaking them into bite-sized pieces, punctuated by breaks. When work is presented this way, the worker views the project as achievable.

Additionally, offering great coffee in the office can make your employees less likely to wander out for coffee, which can be a time drain.

Does caffeine make office workers more efficient?

The main productivity benefits of coffee are down to the breaks that come with it. However, your brain on caffeine is more alert than without caffeine. Office workers generally show up to work tired from lack of sleep due to stress and commute. Caffeine helps to keep workers from nodding off, which is more likely to happen when sitting at a desk.

Too much caffeine, however, can cause that signature crash. To truly reap the benefits of caffeine, limit your intake to 2 cups a day.

Health benefits of coffee

High quality coffee also comes with some health benefits. Freshly roasted coffee (ie. roasted within the last 2 weeks) contain antioxidants. Antioxidants have powerful anti-aging and disease prevention properties. They reduce oxidative stress caused by free radicals in the body. Upping your intake of antioxidant-rich foods is recommended if you live in a big city with air pollution.

In general, great coffee is delicious without the need for excess sugar and milk, making it a healthy, if not harmless, drink.

Which coffee should I choose?

When choosing coffee, look for crowd-pleasing tasting notes. The majority of coffee drinkers prefer chocolatey, smooth, nutty flavours over bright, fruity flavours. We recommend the Godfather Espresso Blend ™, with milk chocolate and caramel notes. It works well as an espresso and as a drip coffee.

What’s the best way to offer office coffee?

Depending on your budget, there are a lot of ways to offer up great coffee for offices. If you have a moderate budget, you can invest in a high-quality drip coffee maker. Cheaper drip coffee machines don’t make great coffee, so definitely invest in something good. Drip machines like the Technivorm Moccamaster make delicious coffee. You’ll also want to invest in a proper burr grinder. We recommend the Baratza Encore Grinder.

If you have the budget and have a huge team, you can actually hire an in-house barista for your office. You’ll have to invest in a high-quality espresso machine and grinder, too.

Setting up great office coffee programs is old hat to us. We work in collaboration with many office coffee service supply companies for offices of all sizes. These companies provide everything from kitchen installation to brewing and cleaning equipment. For help setting up an in-office cafe, get in touch with our consultation team.

Stop and smell the coffee

If you want to improve morale and productivity, offering great coffee for offices is a great move. It shows that you value your workers’ sanity and wellbeing. By offering good coffee, you are being realistic and encouraging your workers to take breaks throughout the day. Sometimes, it just takes a little empathy to understand your employees’ behaviour.

Looking to improve your office coffee program to entice workers to return to the office? Get in touch with our wholesale team, and drop us a line at info@fratellocoffee.com.