Day to day perks
Traditionally financial packages are the main lure when employees are hired, but once in place the source of motivation tends to shift. Employees have a physical and emotional need to be happy in their employment role, and to most importantly stay happy.
A happy workforce is essential for business because no matter what product or service your company provides, you need people to make things happen. And, happy employees not only work harder, they stay longer, take less days off sick, and take greater care of customers… all key factors that positively affect the bottom line and creative a competitive advantage.
What do the stats say?
In 2014, PR company Pressat surveyed 10,000 professionals and found that 85 per cent said they drink at least three cups of coffee per day, and 70 per cent admitted they would struggle to get through the workday without a daily hit.
A more recent survey, carried out by the Office Coffee Company, highlighted that 47% of office workers are leaving the office during the working day to purchase coffee from the high street.
Indicating that people spending time away from the office, perhaps unnecessarily, but they are also spending their own hard-earned money on coffee… because it’s not available in the workplace.
These, along with other survey findings, show just how important a great cup of coffee is to office workers. Coffee culture has evaded our lifestyle on the high street, and increasingly at home, so the workplace needs to keep up. Workers not only want great coffee, they want a choice of hot drinks…. espresso, americano, latte, cappuccino, even hot chocolate.
Forward-thinking companies are addressing the issue, with LinkedIn’s most recent staff satisfaction survey finding quality coffee at the top of employees’ work wishlist.
The effects of coffee on increasing productivity are well documented. It’s important to note that coffee as a way to take ‘time out’ from a task, or to get together and talk with other people in the workplace is also a good thing. Creating the opportunity for employees to get to know each other and develop better communication is an all-round win-win situation.
Happiness is infectious
Employee happiness also plays a part in attracting new talent (just think about all those ‘best companies to work for’ lists). The coffee it keeps in reception areas and meeting rooms can easily affect a company’s reputation. In fact, a recent study suggested that 11% of people reject a job offer based on the coffee they got at an interview!
Employees also want to work for a company they can be proud of. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives need to be authentic and reach across all areas of an organisation.
In this years’ survey office workers were asked about the importance of their employer’s green credentials. 63% answered ‘very important’ or ‘quite important’. Despite this, only 25% of office workers surveyed could be confident that their employers provide ethically sourced tea and coffee.