Business
Why coffee breaks are essential in your start up business
Eager entrepreneurs will be living off coffee when starting up their business, and it’s a trend that everyone is jumping on — we can’t get enough. Although we’re a nation known for drinking tea, its consumption has in fact dropped by 19% since 2010, perhaps connected to an increased coffee intake.
Coffee consumption has increased significantly over the last ten years with Brits currently drinking 95 million cups each day. However, this is not a surprise as it has been estimated that there are 25,120 coffee shops already established here in the UK — which is set to increase by 50% by 2022 – highlighting the craze for both regular and fair trade coffee.
Office culture has changed dramatically over the years and business owners are recognising how coffee breaks really do benefit their operations. Which is something start-up businesses are now looking at.
The shift to coffee breaks
As more workers opt for coffee breaks, less people seem to be taking advantage of their designated lunch times. While some workplaces do have nice communal areas, one survey questioning 7,135 employees in the UK found that 68% of workers are no longer taking their scheduled lunch time and are instead choosing to stay at their desks to complete work.
From an early stage of starting your business, you should understand that employees not having lunch breaks can become corporate issues. If workers aren’t taking time away from their tasks, this can lead to reduced productivity.
As more people reduce their lunch breaks, it’s time for businesses to begin introducing regular coffee breaks throughout the day. This will allow employees to recharge during the day and reduce the impact of any potential stress that they may be experiencing in the workplace.
Not only can cutting lunch breaks out have a negative impact on productivity, it can also isolate your staff members from one another. By offering structured coffee breaks, you offer staff socially acceptable times between tasks that can help them improve working relationships and learn from their peers. 91% of employees say that these types of opportunities are essential in the workplace. Not only is this beneficial for an employee’s personal development but also reinforce the passion for the brand that they’re working for and to come up with new and improving ideas.
If you’re looking to boost the morality of your staff as a start-up, coffee breaks can achieve this — according to 79% of employees. According to the same survey, 67% of workers said that coffee breaks improved their job satisfaction, which in turn impacts on happiness and wellbeing.
Since your business is in its beginning stage, you don’t want to miss out on this coffee-craze opportunity — with figures suggesting that 87% of full-time workers consume it. Implement regular coffee breaks if you do see a trend across your team where lunch breaks are cut out of their day to ensure profitable delivery across the company.
Sources:
http://www.cityam.com/278864/number-uk-coffee-shops-increase-almost-50-per-cent-2022
https://www.nespresso.com/pro/at/en/pages/nachhaltigkeit
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/29/desk-lunch-power-lunches-ubereats-maple-soylent
https://www.totaljobs.com/insidejob/price-lunch-breaks-research/
http://www.eganreid.co.uk/business-benefit-coffee-break/
