Coffee Badging
What Is Coffee Badging?
Coffee badging is when employees stop by the office just long enough to get credit, and then leave to continue their work at home. This workplace trend usually appeals to hybrid employees required to be onsite a few days per week, but who prefer to work remotely. Essentially, they show up for a few hours in the morning (usually when everyone’s grabbing coffee) to get some facetime with their colleagues as proof of attendance.
How Prominent Is the Coffee Badging Job Trend?
According to Owl Labs, the organization credited with coining the buzzword "coffee badging," 58% of hybrid workers have done this at least once. The same report also indicates that while many Millennials lean into coffee badging, the trend transcends workplace demographics.
Employees from all generations do it to a certain extent:
- 63% of Millennials
- 54% of Generation X
- 43% of Generation Z
- 38% of Baby Boomers
Other statistics from their 2023 State of Hybrid Work Report showed that men tend to coffee badge more than women (68% vs. 38%) and 8% of the people who haven't tried coffee badging would like to.
Why Does Coffee Badging Happen?
Coffee badging is linked to return-to-office (RTO) mandates. Employees who prefer to work from home (WFH) use this tactic to get around their employer's hybrid work policy. Common reasons employees resist the call back to the office include:
- WFH saves time. Working remotely cuts the traditional commute out of the equation, which means employees get more of their personal time back.
- WFH saves money. Full-time onsite employees spend 3x as much as full-time remote workers. For many people, working remotely saves on food, gas, parking, and childcare costs.
- WFH is productive. Research shows that two-thirds of workers feel more productive while working from home.
Plus, employees may use coffee badging as a way to avoid unpleasant work interactions or the stress they feel on site or unpleasant work interactions. For example, if they like everything else about their job and don't really want to leave, coffee badging could be an easier way to free themselves from a toxic company culture than quitting.
The Negative Impact of Coffee Badging at Work
If your goal for RTO is to create a more connected workplace, coffee badging could make this more difficult. It's not a substitute for a healthy, well-balanced hybrid work schedule. Employees who are fully compliant with your RTO policy may view this behavior as an unfair way to game the system, which could wedge an unpleasant divide within your workforce.
Other negative impacts of coffee badging at work may include:
- Productivity loss: If your employees only show up to strategically socialize or attend in-person meetings, they could be losing out on valuable time to actually do their work.
- Job satisfaction: Many unhappy employees use it as a way to silently express their discontent, so it can lead to higher disengagement and turnover rates.
- Management and HR admin: Coffee badging makes it harder to keep track of time, attendance, and performance across your organization.
- Fractured company culture: If an employer allows this trend to continue, it could eventually impact your office environment.
How Employers Can Reduce Coffee Badging
If you suspect coffee badging among your employees, the first step is to find out why. A brief, team-wide survey can reveal the reasons behind this behavior. Your next steps will depend on these results, but here are some potential ways to reduce coffee badging at your company:
- Build flexibility into your RTO policy.
- Schedule team-building and social events.
- Make your office a more attractive placeplce to work (e.g., flexible workspaces, ergonomic furniture, natural light).
- Add commuting, parking, or daycare reimbursements to your benefits plan.
- Create a more positive work culture.
You could also give this trend a positive spin, branding it as the modern way to work. Some employees who enjoy working remotely feel they're missing out on the natural opportunities to engage face-to-face with their managers and peers. Acknowledging and even encouraging this trend shows you trust your employees to do what's right for themselves and the company.