Free coffee in the workplace? Here's why you should consider it.

Coffee. A simple pleasure that makes the working week that bit more manageable. In fact, a whopping 65% of workers drink coffee in the workplace. For those 65%, it can total to an average of 3 cups a day which most say they couldn’t live without. So, more likely than not, your employees will fall within these statistics, and with rising prices from coffee giants like Costa and Starbucks, it should be within your best interest to help your employees, and save them some money by providing free coffee in the workplace.

 

Studies show that coffee can help your workforce learn faster, and it can support employees process information much more quickly. We all know that caffeine is designed to keep us awake, and in the workplace, it can keep us alert and focussed on the task ahead. This is especially beneficial to those of us who work long hours, or maybe even unsociable hours, as it’s proven to help concentration and reduce the number of silly mistakes that could be made from feeling tired. Another positive to this new-found alertness is a reduced risk of work-related injuries, which we all know can not only be painful, but also expensive.

Not only will coffee improve the performance of your employees, it can also make them feel better in their environment. Indulging in coffee breaks with other employees allows for conversation to flow and bonds to be built. When employees get to know their peers better in an informal environment, they feel more relaxed as they are working around people they feel comfortable with, making them more likely to feel fulfilled and happy at work. But don’t be fooled into thinking coffee breaks are just a time for employees to skive, oh no, they are also argued to promote and facilitate teamwork too. A whopping 40% of surveyed employees say that they’ve had productive conversations about work over a coffee.

Everybody loves a good freebie. Large or small, not having to pay for something makes us feel a little more important, and a little more valued. You might not believe it, but a lot of people would actually prefer to have free coffee throughout the year than they would having a lavish Christmas party in December. So even if times do get tough, and purse strings have to be tightened, hold on to the coffee in the break room, because it may just get your workforce through the tough times.

 

And you don’t even need to go all out and buy and expensive coffee maker. You can buy reliable coffee machines for under £50. Most of the time you don’t even need to buy a coffee maker either, the majority of people are okay with your basic coffee granules as long as they are getting their daily dose of caffeine. So, it really is a cost-effective way of improving the happiness of your workers and showing that you care.