Title: The Rise of ‘Coffee Badging’ as a Form of Employee Protest
By Erica Lamberg, Fox Business
Published Dec. 18, 2023, 6:35 a.m. ET
In post-pandemic times, many employers and companies are continuing to mandate a return to the office for their workers — and some employees are responding with a particular form of pushback.
First, there was the trend “quiet quitting,” in which workers did the bare minimum on the job just to get by — and now, say workplace leaders and experts, there’s “coffee badging,” another form of employee protest.
As some employees are being called back to the office, many are subtly protesting by returning to the office for as little time as possible, a trend known as “coffee badging.” This trend, according to Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs in Boston, is when employees show up to the office for enough time to have a cup of coffee, show their face and get a ‘badge swipe’ — then go home to do the rest of their work.
The trend is reportedly in response to companies’ requirements that more employees return to the office. Weishaupt’s firm, Owl Labs, found that only about 1 in 5 workers want to be in the office full time. Further, the study found that more than half of hybrid workers are “coffee badging.”
Niki Jorgensen, managing director of client implementation with Insperity in Denver, suggests that businesses need to do their own research into “coffee badging” and find ways to address it. Strategies such as implementing flex hours, encouraging employees to socialize, and embracing open communication are recommended to halt coffee badging among employees.
However, when the practice becomes too widespread among employees, it can detract from organizational culture and reduce collaboration. This unpredictability and unrest in the workplace poses a challenge for many companies as they navigate through the post-pandemic work environment.
The rise of “coffee badging” reflects the changing dynamics of workplace culture and the need for businesses to adapt to the demands and preferences of their employees.
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