Since the pandemic made working at home the norm, businesses of all sizes have been asking, “How do we get employees to want to come back to the office?” 

Commercial Office Space’s May 2023 National Office Report says office-using sectors added 67,000 jobs in April, representing a 2% year-over-year increase. But that’s a small drip in trying to fill the national office space vacancy ocean where, according to JLL, the rate is well over 16%.

And while many companies are throwing in amenities like workout facilities, daycare, food spreads and game rooms to keep their mostly hybrid workers coming back, some believe a partial solution may be as simple as a good cup of coffee. 

Conducted by One Poll for Italian coffee company Lavazza Group’s Flavia coffee system (purchased in 2021 from Mars Inc.), a survey of 2,000 onsite employees found that the average person spends 50 hours per year buying coffee at an average of 16 minutes a trip.  Other findings included:

• 60% turn to coffee during the day to improve their mood. 
• The average American buys an average of 2.5 drinks at $16 per visit.
• An average of three trips to the cafe per week amounts to spending over $2,800 per year.
  

So beyond Taco Tuesdays and Pizza Fridays at the office, is having a cup of coffee ready on demand a better lure? 

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“You have people who wake up and want coffee a couple of hours before they go to the office and make their own and read the news and get their second cup at the office. You also have a lot of employees who get up and immediately go to work and have their first cup there,”  Flavia Senior Associate Brand Manager Nate Route said. But in today’s world, it’s not as easy as making people happy with a burning pot of coffee in the office kitchen. Route says office employee coffee needs have changed with the times. 

“We’ve gone from an office space with a standard coffee pot and water cooler to elevating their choices. Now we have the desire for lattes and cappuccinos and cold brew. This started with companies like Chipotle that allowed customers to order what they want when they want it.”  

Even though the new office Flavia machines offer those choices, do employees really think that coffee is a factor in their return to work? Lavazza Group Americas Marketing Vice President Camille Vareille says the survey said yes. 

“Over eight in 10 employees said having free beverages as a workplace perk would make them feel valued, and offering free beverages was the most requested perk to encourage employees to work from an office,” she said. “Investing in an array of beverages on-site can not only save employees time and money but also help with bringing them back into the office.” 

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