Over time, the humble cup of coffee has firmly established itself as a key part of modern culture — whether you’re brewing one at home or picking one up on the go, it’s common for many of us to be holding a hot beverage more often than not. Despite the UK being widely known as a tea-loving nation, consumption of it has actually fallen by 19% since 2010, possibly due in part to a hike in coffee intake.
Based on figures compiled by the British Coffee Association, at present, the British drink around 95 million cups of coffee daily; a growth of 25 million over the last ten years. This should not come as a surprise however, as there are estimates of there being approximately 25,120 coffee shops already established in Britain — which is forecasted to see further increases of 50% by 2022 – emphasising the coffee craze that has swept the UK.
It must be noted though, that consumption of coffee doesn’t just end when we’re out and about or indeed at home; our places of working are transforming into coffee havens too. Over the years, office culture has seen significant changes and bosses are starting to recognise how coffee breaks can bring a whole host of benefits to their firm’s operations.
Coffee Breaks: An Evolution
Has coffee and coffee breaks’ popularity derived from employers’ lunch break attitudes in the workplace? While some workplaces do have nice communal areas, one survey questioning 7,135 employees in the UK found that 68% of workers are no longer taking their scheduled lunch time and are instead choosing to stay at their desks to complete work.
It should go without saying that neglecting lunch breaks can lead to negative effects on an employee’s productivity. If workers aren’t taking time away from their tasks, this can lead to reduced work delivery and efficiency.
Due to employees taking less time for their lunch breaks (or not at all), firms must start to encourage frequent breaks throughout day to ensure profitable delivery across all staff. This will allow employees to recharge during the day and reduce the impact of any potential stress that they may be experiencing in the workplace.
As the number of people removing lunch breaks from their day increases, this also eradicates valuable time to socialise with fellow colleagues in the business. By offering structured coffee breaks, you offer staff socially acceptable times between tasks that can help them improve working relationships and learn from their peers. 91% of employees say that these types of opportunities are essential in the workplace. Not only is this beneficial for an employee’s personal development but also reinforce the passion for the brand that they’re working for and to come up with new and improving ideas.
It was found that almost 80% of employees agreed that coffee breaks were the most resourceful way to improve team morale while increasing efficiency and depleting the risk of any conflicts. Fair trade coffee anyone?
All business worth their salt should care about keeping their staff happy, and believe it or not, coffee can play a part in helping to achieve this. According to the same survey, 67% of workers said that coffee breaks improved their job satisfaction, which in turn impacts on happiness and wellbeing.
As a whopping 87% of full-time workers drink coffee at some point each day, it’s imperative for businesses to acknowledge this opportunity as a way of bettering their workforce and embrace more regular breaks to compensate for workers who aren’t making use of their designated lunch breaks.
Sources:
http://www.cityam.com/278864/number-uk-coffee-shops-increase-almost-50-per-cent-2022
https://www.nespresso.com/pro/at/en/pages/nachhaltigkeit
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/29/desk-lunch-power-lunches-ubereats-maple-soylent
https://www.totaljobs.com/insidejob/price-lunch-breaks-research/
