*This is a guest post on ways a coffee area can benefit your office
Does your workplace truly embrace the benefits of coffee breaks? A coffee area in your office can be one of the best ways to encourage employees to take 10, and to refuel. In this guide, we’re breaking down the top ways that a coffee area can have a positive impact on your office space.
Did you know that encouraging regular breaks can actually improve employee productivity? Letting your team take time away from the computer is not just good for their happiness and mental health, it is a fantastic way to get better results as a company.
If your office space regularly has visitors, you need to think about the sort of impression you are giving them. Do you take meetings in a run-down meeting room, or do you provide a nice place to sit and a nice hot drink, too?
As well as comfortable furniture and a selection of books and magazines, you can provide multiple coffee sets and a choice of drinks for your guests to enjoy. It gives off the right image, and shows that you have thought about these details. These may seem like little things, but it can actually help you to land that client or ensure you keep your customers satisfied. Even offices and workplaces with waiting rooms are starting to embrace coffee machines and create coffee areas as a way to keep people happy while they wait.
You need to ensure you reward the workplace once in a while. A coffee area can be a fantastic way to show that you’re thinking about employees and what might help them through the working day.
If you provide a way for employees to make delicious coffee, they are also likely to save money on those expensive deliveries or coffee runs they keep making during the day, an added bonus.
Rewarding your employees can boost their work rate and even improve the chances of them staying with you long-term. On top of the bigger aspects of reward such as a fair salary and other financial incentives, you can put small details like this in place and actually make your office an enjoyable place to be.
A sociable workplace is a happier workplace, and it could even be more productive. Obviously, if your staff spend the whole day sitting around drinking coffee, you’re not going to get much done. Most employees don’t do this, and encouraging them to take time to get to know each other and have a positive experience and positive relationships in the workplace can bring better results in the long term. Studies have shown that workplaces with a positive and vibrant social atmosphere can produce results and outcomes that are up to 35% better.
How many workplaces are full of people staring at a screen all day and never really getting to know each other? If your workplace relies on teamwork, this isolation can’t be healthy. A coffee area sounds like a small detail, but it is subtle things like this that can get staff talking in a natural way.
There’s a reason why so many of us love a coffee to kick start the working day or to get over the afternoon slump. It gives us energy!
Encouraging your employees and the others using your office to drink coffee means that their energy levels rise. There is an inevitable crash if you consume a lot, so it is important to find balance. However, almost 50% of people reported that they feel more productive when they are drinking it regularly. Even if that’s a placebo effect, it can give your employees the motivation and boost they need.
Have you ever noticed that after drinking a cup of coffee, the ideas may start to flow more freely? This is the stimulant effect of coffee coming into play. It can lead to more brain waves in company meetings or clever ideas that can go on to revolutionise your company and the way it runs. We’re not saying coffee is magic, but it’s certainly helpful. Why not ensure there’s a delicious cup of coffee always on offer for those employees who want it?
If your office is rows and rows of boring desks, maybe you need to do something about it. Not just for aesthetic appeal, but this is about making the office a nice place to spend time. Okay, your employees don’t expect Disneyland, but they do expect an enjoyable space to sit and spend their breaks and socialize with others. Having to sit at your desk for coffee breaks and for lunchtimes can start to feel a little bit soul-destroying.
While a coffee machine can feel like a small thing to a big company, a huge number of brits drink it every single day. It’s estimated that 95 million cups of coffee are consumed daily. Show your employees you know what they like and install a nice area, built around coffee.