Explore the benefits of cultivating a coffee culture in your office.
Fresh Quality Coffee - A Great Way to Skyrocket Productivity
There should be no surprise that coffee gives us a boost of energy, and more energy equals more work, right? Studies support this theory, but we hardly need science to back it up. If you’re a coffee drinker, you know this from personal experience. The flavours, the rituals, and even the culture of coffee are a fantastic boost.
But how do employees feel about that much-needed morning or mid-afternoon energy lift? Some workdays, it’s everything. But here’ a surprising bit of info. Did you know most people drink coffee for the taste and not necessarily for the energy boost? (We’ll share more on this later.)
First, let’s dig deeper into creating a coffee culture at work. What is the link between coffee and productivity?
When you drink caffeine, it sets off a domino-like series of benefits. It looks like this: caffeine > alertness > cognitive performance > RESULTS. Caffeine speeds up messaging between our brain and body. It stimulates our brain and nervous system’s activity. This makes us feel more awake, and it happens soon after drinking caffeine (within 5-30 minutes.) A heightened state of alertness means you have enhanced higher cognitive functions. This gives a positive effect on your problem-solving and decision-making. Studies also suggest that caffeine can have positive effects on memory retention.
But to create these positive effects, your caffeine intake needs to be the right amount. You’re alert without being jittery, and you can focus better. This magic amount differs from person to person, and it can vary from one cup to six cups a day. Experiment a little to find the right amount for you. Hit that sweet spot, and your productivity goes up.
Staff Feel Valued and Appreciated
Do you feel valued at work? It’s a simple question, often without a simple answer. There’s many variables to consider. Some aspects of your work life may make you feel more valued than others. Some people also want or need to feel a sense of appreciation more than others. And appreciation also can take many forms. What works for one doesn’t always work for everyone!
The more valued you feel, the more loyal you are to your workplace. The more loyal, the more invested you are in the success of your company or department. Feeling valued contributes to long-term commitment.
When employees feel appreciated, there follows a host of other benefits too:
- Performance levels go up
- Productivity levels increase
- Employees feel empowered to work on their professional development
- Staff communication improves across as well as up and down
- Engagement goes up
Turns out, having a great coffee culture at work is a great way to show staff members how much they’re valued. Free coffee at work is an employee bonus, but freshly roasted gourmet coffee is a more valuable perk. Great office coffee can contribute to employees feeling appreciated. The more care given to providing quality coffee at work, the more appreciated staff may feel.
What to Consider?
Here are some key factors when choosing an office coffee solution:
- Coffee beans: Are they Arabica, fresh roasted, and/or ethical sourced? Are there a variety coffee roasts and blends to choose from? How fresh is the coffee, when was it ground?
- Brewing methods: Are you opting for a one-size-fits-all single-cup brewer that produces blech coffee? Are you providing extra brewing methods that staff can use to create coffees? (Keep reading for more info on this.)
- Sweeteners and alternative milks: More and more people are looking for healthy sweeteners besides sugar. Non-dairy milk options are also increasing in popularity.
- Pantry items: Think of snacks and treats. Are you choosing with care? Are you providing local-made, healthy options?
- Other drinks: Are you providing quality tea options, or other drinks such as canned cold brew?
When your staff knows that they are getting the best coffee, they are more likely to feel appreciated.
The Right Coffee Machines for an Engaging Work Culture
Why encourage coffee culture at work? It sounds like something that will take valuable time, energy, and focus away from work. Is that a good thing? The answer is a resounding yes. Coffee can become an entertaining, benefits-driven pause off of work. This is more and more necessary to fostering a productive and healthy workplace.
Coffee culture encourages micro-breaks which often consist of short social interactions. The act of brewing, choosing snack items, etc. are all part of the coffee break. These micro-breaks help people recharge and refocus.
Micro-breaks centered around coffee can become a social function of the workplace. They help foster positive employee relationships. Short social chats can ignite creative thinking and problem-solving. This often leads to increased levels of cooperation and collaboration.
How you answer these questions dictates your coffee culture:
- How do you make coffee in an office coffee maker?
- Do you have an office coffee machine that requires some training to use and maintain?
- Is one person in charge of making coffee?
- Is everyone involved in maintaining and cleaning the brewers?
- Do you have a scheduled rotation for these tasks?
This is where choosing the right coffee machines for your office becomes key. As the person in charge of the coffee station, you might think convenience and cost is the most important. If that’s the case, you’ll likely end up choosing a brewing method that works against coffee culture.
What Do Your Staff Want?
Try switching your perspective to what your staff actually want. They feel more appreciated by quality flavour and freshness. Often convenience feels more like it’s for the benefit of the company than the employee.
There’s nothing wrong with tried-and-true pour-over drip coffee makers. They’re easy to use, make good coffee, and serve several people. Alongside the pour-over machine, you might also consider providing some single-brew options. Think of an Aeropress or French press for example. This also allows for hot water for the tea lovers in the work place.
If you want to create a valuable coffee culture, you might consider a small espresso machine. Provide tools like milk frothers that create foam for lattes or cappuccinos. Additionally, you might provide a cold coffee brewer for those hot summer days. Provide your staff with information on how to make their own cold brew at the office.
The costs of creating an office coffee culture are much lower than the long-term benefits.
Make Coffee a Soul-Nourishing Ritual at Work
Forward-thinking owners and managers know how important personal mental-well being and balance is. Encourage employees to be in balance with their life and work. Although you might not think of work as a place to experience a calming ritual, think again.
Creating a coffee culture at work helps foster rituals. Calming rituals can be any soothing, repetitive task. Performed on a regular basis, they can:
- Help curb anxiety
- Soothe turbulent emotions
- Help focus
- Result in more effective and productive work
In the large picture, small moments of peace, especially at work, help us be happier and more balanced. We can learn to be more chill, more laid back, more serene, better able to navigate the pressures of work. Calming rituals are part of a mindfulness practice which you experience anywhere, anytime. These rituals don’t need a yoga mat or meditation music.
You can have quiet moments, and the accompanying sense of inner peace and calm. It may seem paradoxical that the simple acts of making coffee can have calming effects. After all, coffee is energizing, right?
Coffee as Meditation?
Coffee-making and coffee-drinking can be a moving meditation. Bringing focus and attention to the moment. This is where the stand-alone brewers like French presses or Aeroscapes shine. They need nothing more than your undivided attention.
Brewing and savoring your coffee are activities that can actually reduce anxiety. There are many studies that suggest a discontinuity between focus and anxiety. Focus helps reduce anxiety, and vice versa. High levels of anxiety often makes focus difficult.
These mental wellness benefits add up and become noticeable over time. Rituals are all about repetition. Many of Cupper’s customers tell us how pleasurable their coffee routine has become.
The energy you get from coffee is a physiological boost. You shouldn’t take it for psychological anxiety. The two are very different.
Our master roaster at Cupper’s Coffee says that he often goes into “the zone” when roasting our coffee. Have you ever felt “in the flow?” Same thing.
“In essence, flow is the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one’s sense of time.” (Flow, psychology)
Take a break at work. Brew coffee. Focus on the process. Savor your beverage. Enjoy the ritual of it, and feel calmer.
