The One Thing You Didn’t Know About Having a Coffee Machine at Work

When it comes to office devices, the majority of people think about printers, laptops or even the BYOD system. What they don’t immediately think of is the coffee machine, yet, this incredible appliance is affecting your work in more ways than you can imagine. The majority of office managers, when choosing the appliance, don’t give it much thought, seeing as how they fail to fully understand its significance. With that in mind, here’s what you didn’t know about the impact of having a great coffee machine at work.

1. It improves mood

One of the reasons why coffee can help you turn your office into a more pleasant work environment is due to the fact that it improves mood and, therefore, creates the necessary conditions for the better interpersonal relationships. Sure, some people just click while others don’t but it’s not just who you meet, it’s also about what you’re like when you meet them and how they’re feeling at that exact moment. This means that coffee’s mood-enhancing properties might increase the odds of these better interpersonal relationships.

People in the workplace make mistakes and these mistakes alone are what can make one anxious and even hostile. While coffee may help reduce the likelihood of error by keeping you awake (something we’ll discuss in a bit), this will also improve the way in which you cope with these mistakes. Needless to say, being able to embrace those things that you can’t change is one of the most important things in the workplace.

2. It keeps one awake

Caffeine is known to help 
keep one awake by borrowing the energy from one’s reserves. This is particularly important when it comes to the office work, seeing as how the majority of office tasks are incredibly boring and repetitive. Even if not all of these tasks are boring, the ones that are will lull you into sleep by the time you reach those that are more mentally demanding or those that require a great amount of creativity. During these tasks, however, it enhances your creativity.

By increasing your attention span, these methods are also reducing the likelihood of a lapse of judgment or attention. This is the effect that reduces the likelihood of errors that we’ve previously talked about. When you take into consideration that some of these mistakes may be expensive or dangerous for your staff, getting a machine maker becomes an investment into the overall safety in the workplace. In other words, coffee can boost the competence with which you’re handling these materials and equipment.

3. It improves one’s learning ability

One more thing that’s well known about coffee is the fact that it enhances your learning ability. Needless to say, this is beneficial in every position in the company, seeing as how there are always new skills, abilities and tools to master. When employees increase their knowledge, become more productive and confident. In turn, this makes them able to perform their tasks a lot better. As for the managers, seeing as how you expect your staff to learn and self-improve on a regular basis, it’s only fair that you respond in favor.

Now, when it comes to the concept of learning, the majority of people immediately think about formal education or something similar. In fact, coffee helps even with the learning of the smallest of things like the name of the client that you’re talking to. Being able to memorize the name of the person, their position in the company and the name of the company can help you leave a great impression on them while failing to do so may ruin your attempts to establish a relationship based on trust with them. If sipping coffee during the meeting helps you handle this better, then it can rightfully be considered a major boon to your operations.

4. It’s more than just coffee

Previously, we’ve talked about the positive effect of coffee on your office life, however, it’s not just the beverage but the coffee machine itself that makes this positive impact. You see, a coffee maker is not unlike the watercooler, seeing as how it gives people an office hotspot to mingle at. This is especially true if it’s a 
satisfying bean coffee machine experience that it introduces to your kitchen or break area. The conversation while the machine is brewing is usually a casual small-talk, which serves as a base for great inter-office relationships.

5. A nice addition to your office

From the financial or managerial standpoint, a coffee maker, especially a high-end one like we’ve already discussed, is an asset. Since it also boosts productivity, it would be fair to say that it’s an asset whose benefits are quantifiable and immediately noticeable. Therefore, instead of just looking at the cost, you might want to consider that it’s this particular investment that will bring a positive ROI. Needless to say, this will justify an even more expensive purchase than you’ve initially intended to make.

Other than a tool for work, a coffee maker can be interpreted as a clear sign of managerial care and attention. Why? Well, because it’s not a tool that’s directly tied to the production or productivity, it can be seen as a token of gratitude for the staff, rather than something that you’re getting in order to make them work faster. After all, if you wanted to fuel them with coffee, you could have taken a cheaper device, instead of going for something high-end.

6. Establishing a routine

Another advantage that this method provides is through the creation of the office routine. You see, a routine is what keeps you organized and disciplined, despite the fact that the word itself may sometimes have a negative connotation. For instance, if you know that your 
first two hours after waking up are the most productive, you can utilize them by brewing the coffee as soon as you get to the office and begin with work while sipping the beverage. This will help you use these two hours working instead of drinking your coffee at home and postponing your commute.

Apart from this, once you figure out exactly how much time you need to brew the coffee, and set up everything for work, you’ll also become a lot better at scheduling. At first, it may be hard to get accustomed to a routine, however, by combining stimulating elements it might quickly turn into second nature. A taste, a smell and a sound of your routine may give it a whole new dimension. In this regard, coffee can provide with at least two of these three crucial elements.

7. It’s beneficial to one’s health

When drank moderately, coffee is great for one’s health, which may result in fewer sick days. When a person goes on sick leave, they’re not just hurting your company’s profit (by not working) but causing a ripple effect of another kind, as well. For instance, their income is lowered, which causes stress and dissatisfaction. Second, the rest of your staff is getting overworked seeing as how they need to make up for the shortage in manpower. Lastly, the likelihood that someone else will soon go on sick leave is making these things even worse.

By avoiding all of the effects discussed above, you’ll create an overall better atmosphere in the office. Positive effects of this can be felt throughout the enterprise as a whole. Remember that this slight tween in the atmosphere in the office might help you with your employee satisfaction, talent retention and talent attraction. To make a long story short, by just getting an office coffee machine of decent quality, you’ll quickly turn into an office that everyone wants to work for. This benefits you in more ways than you can imagine.

In conclusion

As you can see, when outfitting your office, the choice of the right coffee machine is as big as it gets. In order to make these things work to your benefit, what you need is to find an adequate appliance, as well as the best place to put it. Due to some of the above-listed factors, the location and the exact position of the coffee machine in your office may also count towards making it into a spot for socializing. Either way, just don’t try to skimp on the coffee maker and realize its importance to your staff. With just these two tips, you’ll be well on your way to get the most out of it.