Is ‘Coffee Badging’ The Next Evolution of ‘Quiet Quitting’?

‘Quiet quitting’ is to work productivity what ‘Coffee badging’ is to work presence.

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While doing essentially the bare minimum at work is by no means a new phenomenon, the post-pandemic years gave quiet quitting a name that appears to have stuck.

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The actual practice of quiet quitting seems to have more than just a toehold across the workforce, as well, with at least 50% of workers admitting to being quiet quitters themselves.

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In light of the the impact that the pandemic has had and continues to have, it is understandable why so many people reevaluated their relationship with their employer and their resulting obligations in the midst of such a profound disruption to their and most everyone's lives - both on a macro scale with regard to the economy and society in general, but also on a human scale as people as individuals and households navigated the changes to their routines. 

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Coffee badging, while a somewhat more recent phenomenon than quiet quitting, seems to also grow in part from a similar disruption and reevaluation cycle, except the disruption catalyzing coffee badging isn’t the result of being required to stay at home and work from there, but instead by being forced back to the office. 

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The current routine being disrupted is the now the entrenched remote/hybrid work schedule that is being challenged via the back-to-office pushes that many organizations have conducted with mixed results over the last year, and coffee badging is the pushback to those updated work requirements.

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What is ‘Coffee Badging’?

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Coffee badging in the literal sense refers to an employee that uses their identification card to enter work premises just to have coffee before leaving again without staying for a full day of work, but the phrase applies more broadly to any situation where an employee makes an appearance on-site for less time than they are supposed to, primarily for the sake of appearances.

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The goal with coffee badging seems to be at worst giving the impression that one is complying with in-office work commitment expectations without actually fulfilling those expectations, and at best taking advantage of uncertainties and gray areas that have arisen as companies continue to experiment and adapt to a seemingly ever-shifting new normal when it comes to work scheduling.

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Whereas quiet quitting typically involves employees doing that which is explicitly required of them and no more, however, coffee badging is often more explicitly insubordinate in practice given that many ‘coffee badgers’ are likely knowingly falling short when it comes to the amount of time they are spending on-site.

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Who is ‘Coffee Badging’?

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At least one recent survey indicates that coffee badging has become even more widespread than quiet quitting, with 58% of hybrid workers claiming they have participated in coffee badging while another 8% reported that they had not yet done so but would like to give coffee badging a try at some point.

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And the practice isn’t limited to those workers occupying the lower rungs of the ladder, for that matter, with an even larger percentage of managers (64%) claiming that they have personally coffee badged already while another 6% of managers intend to do so at some point in the future.

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How Companies Can Better Manage ‘Coffee Badging’

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While noting that coffee badging is but one of many obstacles and hurdles that employers must overcome when competing for talent in a competitive labor market, one managing director for HR specialists Insperity recommends addressing coffee badging via:

• Maximize Schedule Flexibility so that employees can continue tailoring their work schedule to better meet the requirements of their lives away from work while also providing some additional structure to better facilitate collaboration and team interaction when needed;
• Offer perks that encourage non-work related interaction both on and off-site, such as parties, delivered meals, restaurant tabs, etc. for employees to socialize and to incentivize employee attendance and open communication; and
• Determine The Cause behind the coffee-badging, which can often be a symptom of burnout among overworked employees who may just be attempting to claw back time and some control over their working conditions however they can. 

You can read more about coffee badging and how best to handle it here.