Fact or fiction? The workplace coffee machine makes employees more productive?
From skipping the daily coffee run to beating the afternoon slump, could a workplace coffee machine mean better focus, enhanced mood, and better teamwork? Let’s explore the links between the office coffee machine and your employees' productivity to find out.
Boost employees' focus
Coffee is well-known for its ability to improve focus. The caffeine in your cup is a stimulant that works on the central nervous system to boost the production of the hormone dopamine - helping our brains to focus. Dopamine also helps our brains to maintain concentration, keeping your focus dialled in on your task for longer. Plus, research shows your morning cup of coffee also improves your ability problem solve.
Improving employee productivity and morale is an ongoing focus area for most companies. Seems like a bit of a no-brainer to add a high-quality, self-service office coffee machine to the mix!
Create connection
Coffee is so much more than a sum of its parts. It's an excuse to have a conversation, a builder of culture, a connector of people, and a moment to share between colleagues. It's also a great way to encourage teamwork in your workplace.
Research has found that participants felt better about their own contribution and gave more positive reviews for their group's performance on a task if they drank coffee beforehand. Plus, a secondary study found the participants who had coffee beforehand talked more in a group setting and were more on-topic than those who had decaf.
Improve the mood
In a world of 'don't talk to me before I've had my coffee' mugs, it might seem obvious, but coffee really does boost your mood. And the science is thorough and extensive.
A study by the Harvard School of Public Health study suggests that the caffeine in coffee boosts mood. Boost the mood further by choosing a coffee solution partner who aligns with your company values and CSR goals as well as provides a portfolio of coffee choices to keep your employees more than satisfied.
Beat the 3 pm slump
The dreaded 3 pm slump is not only well-known by office employees the world over, but it's also very well documented. The reason behind that sudden drop in energy? It's your body's internal sleep clock, your Circadian Rhythm, dictating your energy level. There will be a strong urge to sleep sometime between 1 pm-3 pm and 2 am-4 am for most adults.
Unfortunately, afternoon naps aren't necessarily accepted or achievable for most of us. Enter stage left, espresso! During the day, you become sleepy as the molecule adenosine binds to receptors in the brain. The caffeine in your cup of coffee acts as an adenosine-blocker by attaching itself to those same receptors, therefore keeping you feeling alert rather than sleepy.
Skip the daily cafe run
A quick Google search will show you that employees are spending a lot of time visiting the local coffee shop. Estimates range from 15 minutes to 40 minutes a day, depending on the article you read.
We'd never want to deprive people of their beloved coffee, but what if they could get that same cafe-quality cup in the office kitchen? What if 40 minutes at the cafe turned into 10 minutes in the office kitchen?
With consistent, high-quality coffee at their fingertips, your people, visitors, partners, and clients will still get a screen break, get their daily caffeine boost, and could be more productive to boot.
Tip: Keep up the efficiency, ensure you choose a coffee machine solution that is high quality, low-maintenance and with little downtime.
All that coffee talk, we bet you're ready for a cup yourself! Now you've got the facts on how a workplace coffee machine could improve your workplace's productivity, maybe you’re looking for other insights from office managers and leaders? Download our Office managers of the future ebook for more.
