Employees who have been “coffee badgering” to avoid returning to the office full-time could face a crackdown from their employers.
In the four years since the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, hybrid working seems to have become the norm for millions of people.
But maybe some workers are going a little too far in their quest to spend as little time in the office as possible?
This leads us to the “coffee badge” trend.
Employees who receive the “coffee badge” could face discipline. (Getty Stock Photo)
What is a Coffee Badge?
The controversial new trend follows a mass shift to working from home and sees employees essentially rebelling against their companies’ requirements to return to the office.
The idea is that on days when staff need to come into the office, they’ll tap their badge to log in and stay long enough to grab a coffee or take part in a short meeting.
Instead of working a full day like they did before the pandemic, they just show up at the office and then go home.
As it turns out, this isn’t quite what the employer had in mind.
But among office workers, it seems to be fairly common.
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In a recent survey, an overwhelming majority of employees admitted to giving out coffee badges.
A report from OwlLabs last year revealed that 58% of workers were joining the trend “to show their face.”
A coffee badge is a way to gain access to the office and “show your face.” (Getty Stock Photo)
But with everyone talking about it on social media, it seems employers are cracking down on the practice, making it harder to justify getting in and out simply by wearing a badge.
Crackdown on companies
Amazon, for example, is reportedly considering introducing a “minimum hours” requirement, which would effectively mean that employees would have to remain in the office for a minimum of two to six hours.
Slack messages reviewed by The Seattle Times showed employees discussing the possible new rules.
Apparently, some employees were told they needed to clock in for two hours, while others were told they needed to clock in for six hours, according to Business Insider.
The Seattle Times reported that an Amazon employee said on Slack that minimum hour requirements aren’t yet mandatory but are “under consideration.”
“We don’t know what this all means. This is becoming an increasingly difficult place to work,” they said.
Amazon is reportedly considering introducing minimum hours requirements (Dilara Irem Sancar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We mandated a return to the office because we believed it was in the best long-term interest of our customers, our business and our culture — and that’s what’s happened,” Amazon spokeswoman Margaret Callahan said.
“With the majority of our workforce coming into the office more frequently, we’re seeing increased energy, connection and collaboration. We’re hearing it from our employees and the businesses that surround us.”
She said the company “[speaking] Interact directly with employees who don’t regularly spend meaningful time in the office.”
UNILAD has contacted Amazon for further comment.
