Coffee and/or tea are staples in almost every household in America. Over half of Americans who are over the age of 18 drinks coffee every day and per the 2017 National Coffee Drinking Trends report, over 60% of respondents said that they had had coffee in the last day. And it’s not just the amount of coffee drunk, it’s also the quantity. The average person who drinks coffee in the United States has a little over three cups a day. Tea also boasts quite a following — at any given moment, almost 160 million people in the United States are drinking tea. The United States is the third largest importer of tea globally (behind Russia and Pakistan). Given all this, it’s no surprise that many workplaces are offering complimentary coffee and tea to their employees, as a way to boost worker satisfaction and morale.
Why is Coffee Beneficial in General?
Did you know that drinking your cup of coffee could be helping get you the daily fiber you need? One cup of coffee has just under two grams of fiber and it’s recommended that you have 20-38 grams of fiber in your diet per day. And, as most coffee drinkers can report with confidence, caffeine helps you feel more awake, which can lead to increased concentration and retaining memories better.
However, it can have other health benefits as well. The Harvard School of Public Health did a study that showed that women who drink four plus cups of coffee every day were 20% less likely to have depression. And, other studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of coffee can reduce your risk of getting colorectal cancer by over a quarter.
It can also help lower your risk of type two diabetes, liver disease and cancer, can increase longevity, prevent gallstones, and can lower your risk of heart failure. Clearly, there are tons of reasons to be a coffee drinker!
How Can Providing Tea and Coffee in the Office Help?
However, drinking coffee in the office has other positive benefits for businesses and employers. Over half of workers in the United States say that coffee helps them stay productive while they’re at work. Coffee bumps up the energy levels in your brain, which improves how much you concentrate and how much information you retain, which in turn, leads to improved cognitive performance. Studies have also shown that having 200 mg of caffeine will let you identify words and phrases at a quicker rate than if you didn’t have coffee.
Beyond increasing productivity, providing coffee and tea in the office helps boost morale. Even if you’re not getting specialty coffee, having an office coffee maker and/or kettle shows that you’re thinking about the wellbeing of your employees. It can make a nice spot for a little office chitchat and developing interpersonal relationships while one waits for coffee to brew or tea to steep, and most people associate the smell of coffee with something pleasant.
What Should an Office Have on Hand?
If you’re going all in for a coffee maker or tea kettle, you’ll of course want to have coffee, coffee filters, tea bags, milk and creamers, and sugars and sweeteners on hand. You’ll also probably need to get coffee stirrers, coffee cups, and lids.
Another easy alternative is to choose to buy a single cup coffee machine for the office, you’ll just need to get the coffee pods and not worry about coffee filters. For those looking to make the office a little greener, suggest that employees bring in their own coffee mugs or travel mugs to carry their coffee or tea in, instead of using paper coffee cups and lids.
Keeping coffee and tea in the office is an easy way to make employees happy. It’s not a terribly expensive investment, nor do you need too many frills. You don’t even need to have a full kitchen in your office — just a plug and access to water. What could be easier?
