How the ‘Coffee Badging’ Trend Is Brewing Trouble for Hybrid Work Models

“Coffee badging” is the latest work trend attracting attention. The practice describes workers who go into the office long enough to drink a coffee so they can technically comply with their employer’s requirement to spend a certain number of days in the office. However, once they finish socializing with coworkers, employees leave the office to work from home.

Workers may not have the same unanimous motivations for coffee badging, but there are common themes in the data. According to the 2023 Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes from the organization WFH Research, almost six in 10 employees said “no commute” was the top benefit of working from home. The second most popular benefit was saving on gas and lunch costs, closely followed by flexibility over when work takes place and less time spent getting ready for work.

Employees who coffee badge may be following hybrid work protocols on the technicality that they are making an office appearance. However, there are troubling consequences of this latest trend.

Employees who stay in the office for an entire day’s work may feel upset by seeing their coworkers take advantage of hybrid work policies and lose respect from their staff if they cannot adequately enforce them. Coffee badging can also reduce the time teams spend on collaboration and undermine attempts to build a cohesive work culture.

Coffee badging is another obstacle in efforts to convince workers of the value of the office. Employers need to make in-person work meaningful for their teams if they want to successfully combat coffee badging. Three successful tactics to do so are addressing commutes, creating opportunities to socialize or collaborate and practicing open communication.

READ: Best Hybrid Work Strategies — Success in the Post-Pandemic Corporate World

Minimizing transportation costs

Data shows commuting and gas costs are a major reason why professionals like to work remotely. In the case of coffee badging, employees may not be saving money on gas, but they may be avoiding a nasty commute. There are several strategies employers can use to make commutes more bearable for their teams. 

Flex hours can allow employees to come into the office before or after rush hour. While it is important their flex hours overlap with other team members, a few hours of overlap is often enough for productive collaboration and innovation. Leadership can introduce policies encouraging employees to call into meetings from the car, so they maximize the value of their time. 

Commuter benefits can also increase overall attendance at the office and convince coworkers to stay longer. Parking reimbursement, pre-tax funding benefits, public transportation coverage and gas gift cards can encourage employees to return to the office.

Finally, be creative about ways to bring fun to commuting. Cultural initiatives like employee audio book clubs or a company podcast can also give workers something to do during their commute. 

READ: Adapting to the New Norm — Post-Pandemic Work Culture and the Future of Remote Work

Create opportunities to socialize and collaborate

Despite the coffee badging trend, workers do see value in the office. The 2023 Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes also found 62% of workers said socializing with co-workers was the top benefit of working from the office, while 54% chose face-to-face collaboration. The challenge for leaders is to ensure employees understand the value of these in-person interactions.

One first step is encouraging employees to socialize at work. While it is important for employees to prioritize their job duties, their productivity and focus can benefit from short breaks throughout the day. Personal connections between team members can also help them work together more effectively. Consider setting up a coffee station in the breakroom to encourage conversation or hosting happy hours after work at a nearby restaurant.

It is equally important to create space for employees to collaborate. Promoting open discussion, incorporating team-building activities, setting goals and expectations, encouraging personal bonds and offering learning and development (L&D) opportunities can all increase collaboration. When more employees see the benefits of the office as a space to socialize and collaborate, they will naturally want to spend more time at work of their own accord.

Focusing on open communication

Transparent and open communication is the final crucial element of addressing coffee badging. For employees who participate in coffee badging, the trend might seem like a harmless way to balance their work and life. They may not realize leadership might see coffee badging as an attempt to break the rules or a sign they lack interest in being a part of company culture. Overworked employees may see coffee badging as a way to ward off burnout, rather than approaching their manager to address the root of the problem.

Instead of “calling out” individual employees for coffee badging, it is important as a first step to openly address the trend with staff.

Begin by acknowledging leadership has noticed employees are only coming into the office for a brief portion of the day. Express empathy for employees who coffee badge, but be firm that the practice is not in the spirit of the company’s hybrid policy. Finally, explain why it is critical for employees to adhere to this policy and outline any initiatives to make coming into the office easier, such as flex hours or commuter benefits.

A general announcement can help most employees recognize the need to stop coffee badging, especially if they feel like leadership understands and hears their concerns about returning to the office. However, follow-ups may be necessary to enforce hybrid policies. Once management has directly addressed coffee badging with the entire team, it is then appropriate to follow up with employees who do not change their behavior. 

Coffee badging may be a frustrating trend for leaders who want their employees to see the value of working together in the same space. However, coffee badging reflects the challenges employees face when coming into the office, such as long commutes and burnout. By lightening the burden on employees and highlighting the positives of the office, leaders can reduce coffee badging and improve their organizational culture.

Niki Jorgensen is a Managing Director of Client Implementation with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources offering the most comprehensive suite of scalable HR solutions available in the marketplace. For more information about Insperity, call 800-465-3800 or visit www.insperity.com.