While it’s irrefutable that coffee is crucial for office work, there are some who downplay the importance of having your own coffee machine in the office. After all, people can make coffee at home and bring it to work or they can visit one of the numerous coffee shops around their company’s headquarters, right? Although both of these solutions may work in theory, the truth is that they’re impractical, complicated and can even be outright frustrating for your staff. On the other hand, there are so many advantages of having a coffee machine at the office and here are just six of them that will be enough to prove the point.

1. A more efficient routine

The first major benefit of having a coffee machine at the office is the fact that this trend will allow your employees to sleep longer. How? Well, by giving them a chance to drink their early coffee at work instead of having to rise up early in the morning to prepare it at home. Add to this the fact that they can drink this coffee with their coworkers instead of doing this alone and you’ll get an extra bonus. Sure, there are some people who prefer to do this alone but there are plenty of areas in the office where, early in the morning, they can find their solitude.

The next thing you have to take into consideration is the fact that there are some serious studies supporting the fact that the first two hours after we wake up tend to be the most productive. If that is the case, drinking the first coffee of the day at home would be a waste of potential. Instead, why not rush to the office, pay a visit to the coffee maker and head straight to your desk with this cup. Sure, for some, this kills the comfort and enjoyment of the early morning coffee, but there are a lot of people who find more pleasure in handling the most difficult tasks with greater efficiency.

One more thing you have to keep in mind is the fact that routines are one of the most important things for productivity and sipping coffee is a crucial part of this routine. In other words, by having a coffee machine at the office, you’ll provide your staff with a reliable source of coffee at any given point. Even if there is a coffee shop across the street that they can visit on a break, chances are that they A) won’t want to waste their break waiting in line and B) might encounter a longer line than they expected.

1. Better employee performance

As far as the performance goes, the first benefit of coffee is the fact that it has a particular way of enhancing one’s focus, which is a direct boost to one’s productivity. In the office where there are so many tasks which require focus and dedication, your employees will need all the help they can get. Due to the fact that caffeine is a known focus enhancer, you, as a manager or entrepreneur, will get a chance to directly help your staff achieve it.

Perhaps the best-known effect of the coffee is the fact that it increased alertness. This means that it will help wake your employees up (which is important for the reason we’ve mentioned in the previous section), as well as keep them awake. The majority of office work is repetitive (a lot of people find it to be outright boring) which is why one’s focus might dwindle. Here, coffee may come to the rescue. Also, keep in mind that one is close to falling asleep, chances of them making a mistake (or even causing an accident). In other words, coffee can be a safety measure, as well.

Another thing worth keeping in mind is the fact that coffee might help enhance the rate at which one is learning. For instance, digital tools that you use for work may be quite sophisticated, which means that they will still learn new features for months after they’ve first started using them. In other words, even for their day-to-day interactions at the workplace, they’ll greatly benefit from a boost to their learning abilities.

2. More efficient breaks

It goes without saying that in order to improve the efficiency and satisfaction of your staff, you need to make sure that they have enough breaks. Keep in mind though that it’s not just the frequency and the duration of the breaks that matters but also their quality. This quality depends on the efficiency of your breaks and this is directly affected by the design of your break area. This break area usually consists of two separate units – the break area and the kitchen. Needless to say, both of them are more than suitable for a coffee maker. 

Now, if you decide to go for a coffee maker, it’s paramount that you go for a high-end one. Why? Well, previously, we’ve already discussed a plethora of benefits that come from owning a coffee maker so why not heavily invest in this device. Also, keep in mind that the question of how well your office is outfitted may affect the way in which you’re seen by your staff. In other words, an appliance such as this may add to your prestige and improve your internal branding efforts.

The only problem with getting a high-end coffee maker is the fact that they can be quite expensive. However, so are the vending machines yet nearly every office out there has one. How? Because they hire them. Fortunately, in this day and age, you can access the website of a prestigious coffee maker brand and look for the coffee machine rental services. This way, you’ll also have someone to take care of the maintenance, if things go wrong.

3. Better networking

Interpersonal relationships in the office are one of the most important factors when it comes to the cohesion of your team, talent hiring and retention efforts and many other similar factors. By providing them to the access with high-quality coffee on-demand, you’ll ensure that they’re all in a slightly better mood, which will increase the chance of them getting along. In other words, an investment in a coffee machine at the office is an investment in the concept of internal networking.

Previously, we’ve mentioned the fact that some people prefer to drink their coffee with others and by developing a habit of doing so with your coworkers, you’ll create a basis for a great personal relationship. Some people start out their friendship like this and then carry on to drink coffee together long after neither of them works for the same company anymore. Therefore, it’s irrefutable that providing these options does wonder for the internal unity of your office. 

One more thing worth mentioning is the fact that your office coffee maker is at the crossroads of the office. The majority of people will head out there straight away when the break starts and even those who don’t wear going to walk right past it. Why? Well, because it’s in the kitchen or a breakroom which are a popular transit in the office. Needless to say, this is an amazing opportunity for people from different ends of your office to meet. Otherwise, this might not have happened.

4. It’s an investment in their happiness

You also need to understand how the purchase of this appliance will be interpreted by your staff. First of all, it’s a sign of managerial care, seeing as how you could have gone for a number of cheaper appliances but you didn’t. Instead, you went for the state-of-art appliance and in this way demonstrated that you care for more than the performance boost that comes from coffee. Even the cheapest, most tasteless coffee contains caffeine and in the absence of anything better, the majority of your staff will drink it. Nonetheless, by heavily investing in the quality you’ll send a strong message of managerial care.

Other than this, you need to keep in mind that they don’t know if it’s bought or rented appliance. Even if they did know, they just wouldn’t care. All that they’ll see is the fact that they had a need and that their management went above and beyond to figure out a way for them to get it. You should also keep in mind that a coffee maker is not like any other appliance (like printer or work computers). Even though it’s an appliance that boosts productivity it doesn’t do so directly. No one in the office will interpret getting a coffee maker like an investment in productivity. Instead, it will be seen as an investment in employee satisfaction.

5. Overtime

Finally, keep in mind that staying overtime might be necessary even in the best-organized on offices. Other than providing them with suitable pay for their effort, you also need to take into consideration their comfort in the office. Also, we’ve already mentioned the importance of alertness and the longer your staff works, the more it will plummet. This is why, by allowing them to supplement this with a coffee, you might help increase their efficiency. 

While this is not always as easy, you should be aware of the fact that these small luxuries will make it easier for your team to stay longer hours. Why? Well, because they’ll feel less regret for the fact that they’re currently not at home. It still won’t be the same thing (after all, it could never be the same thing), however, by bridging this gap just a bit, you’ll create a scenario that goes a lot more in your favor.

In conclusion

As you can see a coffee maker creates a lot more difference than you’ve initially expected it to. Also, the device itself can be just as relevant as the coffee that it produces. Therefore, with so many options and benefits available, you need to start making your plans and find a unique angle that will allow you to fully exploit this phenomenon to your benefit.