Workers Turn to Coffee Badging to Navigate Return-to-Office Mandates
The beginning of a new year often brings new return-to-office (RTO) policies, as companies try to get employees back into the office after years of remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. But workers are finding ways to adapt, and one such strategy has gained attention: *coffee badging*.
This is called coffee badging. It is a scenario where employees swipe their office ID badges to record their attendance, spending only enough time to greet fellow colleagues, get their coffee, and then head off to work from home or wherever.
Employees will simply show up and may have very brief conversations with each other in hallways. Some workers, on the other hand do not even make an appearance by asking their peers to swipe them in.
This practice has been around since RTO mandates started but is becoming more common as more companies implement stricter office attendance policies. According to HR experts, the trend reflects growing tensions between corporate leaders and employees over remote work preferences.
Many companies are pushing for employees to spend more time in offices. Some are making it mandatory to five days a week, including Amazon, AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, Walmart, Disney, Meta, and Apple. The Amazon company moved recently from its three-day policy to a full-time office requirement due to a need for face-to-face collaboration and culture building.
For many workers, the resistance comes from frustration with the perceived inefficiencies of office mandates. Employees argue that they’ve proven they can be productive remotely, avoiding commutes and gaining better work-life balance.
Other than that, a report reveals that some managers even practice coffee badging: almost half of the respondents according to an Owl Labs survey.
Companies cannot enforce their attendance policies with many employees getting caught and the others getting the leeway and understanding from the managers who understand the bottom lines before the people showing up or not.
Says HR Consultants: The prime reason for weak enforcement is probably fear of employee loss. Excessive turnover rates and disengagement can create problems in efficiency and increase expense. Some bosses, therefore look away.
Companies can mitigate coffee badging if they reassess their RTO policies:
Workers will continue to view full-time office mandates as unnecessary and counterproductive without such changes.
Mixed opinions have been voiced over coffee badging. – Some find it an innovative approach to balance between personal and professional priorities and also meet the company requirements. – Others see it as a strategy that undermines the goal of developing meaningful, in-person connections that can improve teamwork and creativity.
Ultimately, the growing coffee badging is a symptom of a much larger problem: distrust between employers and employees. Companies that mandate strict RTO policies will push their workers away, but companies that allow for flexibility are more likely to have loyalty and engagement.
As Tim Barnhart, former manager, once said, “When you support employees, they become more invested in the company.”
