Almost Half of Professional Workers Surveyed Leave the Office for Coffee

A recent survey of office professionals revealed that nearly half of those polled leave the office during the workday to purchase coffee for up to 15 minutes a trip. With businesses stiving to improve productivity, free office coffee could save up to six days of lost productivity a year.

Fairfield, NJ (PRWEB) October 18, 2005 -- At a time when U.S. businesses are striving to find new ways to increase worker productivity, a recent survey of office professionals revealed that nearly half of those polled leave the office during the workday to purchase coffee – a factor that could be negatively impacting employee productivity in the workplace. The survey, conducted by Insight Express, an independent market research firm in Stamford CT, polled 100 office workers and confirmed that 46.8% of respondents travel between 5 and 15 minutes to purchase “an excellent cup of coffee” outside the office. Not surprisingly, this figure corresponds with the percentage of workers (48%) who say coffee and tea are unavailable in their office.

According to Judson Kleinman, president of Corporate Essentials – a beverage service firm for professional businesses in the NY-metro area – providing premium quality coffee and other refreshments to workers can curb productivity-sapping java trips. “A fifteen-minute trip to the coffee shop each day may seem benign enough,” Kleinman notes, “But it accumulates into approximately six working days per year of lost productivity. When you consider nearly half of those surveyed think that a good cup of coffee is worth that trip, the effects on worker productivity could be significant.”

Indeed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ productivity report for the second quarter, in fact, confirms that overall workplace productivity experienced a growth rate of 2.2%, which was down from 2.3% from the previous year, and a sharp decline from the 5% growth rate in 2003. While there are countless factors that contribute to a slowdown in office productivity, Kleinman insists that there are also a number of easy, creative and low-cost ways to boost output and morale in the office.

“Providing great coffee to workers is an easy, cost-effective ‘perk’ that offers a solid return-on-investment,” he says, adding that the cost per employee per day is usually less than a dollar.

It’s a fairly sure investment as well. According to the National Coffee Association (NCA)’s 2005 report, 52% of Americans drink specialty coffee – up from 49% in 2004. Of those gourmet coffee fans, the percent that drink gourmet coffee away from home spiked by 11%, and the most popular place cited for drinking specialty coffee other than home was at work. “Premium coffee consumption has risen steadily over the past several years, and every indication is that this trend is unlikely to slow down,” Kleinman says.

The Insight Express survey confirms these findings, as nearly 40% of respondents ranked the importance of coffee in the workplace at least a five on a scale of one to ten – with 14% admitting they “can’t live without it.” And a number of scientific studies indicate that such sentiments may be truer than once thought.

For instance, Terry Graham, PhD, who has studied the effects of coffee and caffeine for nearly 20 years at the University of Guelph in Canada, recently told WebMD1 that drinking two mugs of java could be enough to signal the brain to ignore fatigue or recruit extra muscle power for physical performance. As for mental stimulation, researchers in the U.K. reported in the Journal of Psychopharmacology 2 that caffeinated coffee consumption protected study participants from a drop in noradrenaline levels in the brain. Those who drank decaf in the study did experience such a drop, which led to reduced alertness and impaired performance on a number of cognitive tasks.

Yet, beyond the science and the special reports, Kleinman believes that it is the simple enjoyment of a good cup of coffee, the socialization of the coffee break, and the symbolism of their employers providing something of value to them that drive workers’ appreciation of a premium Office Coffee Service. “According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of respondents would provide employees with gourmet coffee in the office if they were the boss,” Kleinman reveals. “And that’s a great insight into what workers really value on the job.”

1.     “Coffee: The New Health Food?” www.my.webmd.com/content/Article/80/96454.htm

2.     “Caffeine and central noradrenaline: effects on mood, cognitive performance, eye movements and cardiovascular function” J Psychopharmacol. 2003 Sep;17(3):283-92

Bio:

Judson Kleinman has more than 25 years of experience in positioning and promoting refreshment services to professional services companies including law firms, advertising agencies and accounting companies. Mr. Kleinman has been at the forefront of the recent trend by employers to offer their employee’s gourmet coffees and refreshment services as a perk to improve job satisfaction and productivity. From his position as a reseller, Mr. Kleinman has a broad view of the many makers of coffees, teas, waters and snacks and is on the cutting edge of the beverage brewing technology and trends. As the founder and president at Corporate Essentials, a New Jersey business to business beverages and refreshment services firm, Mr. Kleinman oversees purchasing, sales and servicing. Mr. Kleinman has been quoted on numerous occasions on the subjects of coffees, teas, waters, and on a variety of topics involving running a small business, customer services and sales management. Mr. Kleinman holds a business degree from State University College at Oneonta. www.drinkcoffee.com

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