December 11, 2020 Why Barista-Made Coffee is a Great Workplace Perk

Premium and gourmet coffees now account for almost two-thirds of overall coffee consumption.

Even in a pandemic, recruitment and retention can be a major challenge. Skilled, talented, and experienced staff are always in demand. The challenge can be greatest for companies that need, or just want, their staff to come on-site at least for part of the time. Fortunately, Cema Vending shares its tips on ways to address this challenge without blowing your budget.

Make your office a destination

Work may be an activity not a place, but the quality of a person’s workplace can make a whole lot of difference to the quality of their work. Even if you’re renting, it makes sense to do what you can to make your office an inviting destination. This can do a lot to overcome resistance to on-site working, especially during a pandemic.

Realistically, there’s probably going to be a limit to what you can do with decor. Health and safety has to be a consideration, as does the fact that everyone will have different tastes. There is, however, a lot you can do about other facilities, especially food and drink (and places to enjoy them).

Coffee is an office essential

Few people could get through an average day without coffee, especially not if they had to go to work. That’s exactly why the regular coffee vending machine has become a staple in offices throughout the world. These days, however, many people see instant coffee as being for emergencies only. They want and increasingly demand better options for their regular brews.

According to the National Coffee Data Trends report, premium and gourmet coffees now account for almost two-thirds of overall coffee consumption. This report is based on U.S. data, but there is a similar picture in the UK as evidenced by the fact that recent years have seen a huge growth in the quantity and quality of coffee shops.

Off-site coffee shops may be convenient for picking up coffee on the way to and from work (at least when they’re open). They are, however, not necessarily handy for lunchtimes. They’re even less likely to be handy for picking up coffee to drink during the working day itself. That’s exactly why many companies have started offering on-site, barista-made coffee in the form of modern coffee vending machines, which offer a whole menu of different coffees.

Coffee fuels productivity and facilitates meetings

Part of the reason why a cup of coffee has become a morning ritual is that it helps to get the brain in gear. This is more than just an urban myth. It’s backed by science. For example, a study conducted at John Hopkins University showed that caffeine does enhance short-term memory consolidation.

Coffee has plenty of other benefits too. Studies in both Denmark and Hong Kong have suggested that coffee at least plays a role in helping people to bond with each other. The Danish study focuses on coffee’s ability to reduce the impact of workplace stress through the building of “coping communities”. The Hong Kong study focuses on its benefits in developing cooperative behaviors.

In short, a good cup of coffee fuels exactly the sorts of behaviors most companies strongly want to encourage in their team members.

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