Favorite Workplace Perk? Check the Break Room
September Marks National Coffee Service Month
CHICAGO, IL (August 30) — Forget vacation days and retirement plans. Day to day, it may be the office coffee service that employees covet most.
More than three-quarters of American workers say coffee makes them more productive during the workday, according to a recent survey by NAMA (National Automatic Merchandising Association). In fact, consumers drink nearly twice as much java at work than at gourmet coffeehouses.
“Coffee gets workers moving in the morning, fends off the mid-afternoon slump and encourages social interaction at the office,” says Dean Gilland, NAMA’s vice president. “This leads to more effective teamwork and higher levels of employee satisfaction.”
To honor these nerve centers of workplace productivity, NAMA is celebrating National Coffee Service Month in September. “It’s a fun opportunity to recognize the importance of coffee and its measurable value in the workplace,” Gilland says.
The NAMA survey indicates that consumers drink more coffee at work because of the convenience, the savings and the need to stay alert in the face of longer hours. It also found that younger workers (aged 18 to 34) are more likely to sip “joe” on the job if they can use single-cup brewers, enjoy different flavors and blends and make espresso.
Such discerning palates have inspired office coffee services to beef up their offerings. Soon skinny vanilla lattes and mocha cappuccinos may be as ubiquitous as the water cooler.
Here are some other coffee truths revealed:
• 83% “strongly agree” that coffee helps keep them productive throughout the workday.
• 37% of workers aged 18 to 34 drink more than one cup of coffee a day.
• 48% of people in the Northeast say they are less productive without their daily jolt, 45% in the South, 44% in the West and 34% in the Midwest.
• Nurses are the professionals who rely most heavily on the workplace pick-me-up, followed by physicians, hotel workers, architects and designers, and financial/insurance sales representatives.
• Coffee service professionals deliver more than 2.2 million gallons of coffee to workplaces across the country each year.
“That’s worth raising a mug to,” Gilland says. “Coffee is a social beverage, and this month is a chance to have some fun with colleagues and clients.”
Founded in 1936, NAMA is the association that represents the $42 billion U.S. vending and refreshment service industry. Serving more than 1,800 member companies — including many of the world’s most recognized brands — NAMA provides advocacy, education and research.
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