If you’re looking for ways to improve employee happiness, productivity and talent recruitment, your organization is in the majority. 87 percent of today’s CEOs and company leadership are “deeply concerned” about improving their culture and employee engagement.
Your organization’s employee culture, including values, community and workspace, plays a real role in your company’s ability to field a creative, productive and engaged talent force.
Nearly 60 percent of today’s talent consider non-compensation perks when weighing job offers. These perks can also impact people’s decision to stay or go to work for your competitor.
Salary and health insurance matter, but so do your organization’s break room design, refreshments and other cultural factors. Read on to learn why coffee, particularly cold brew on tap, is actually the secret ingredient to positive office culture.
Why Cold Brew on Tap Improves Performance
In an experiment, a London-based company provided decaf coffee to their employees one week and regularly caffeinated brew the next to test the impact on workplace performance. Here’s how coffee impacts your team:
- 19 percent higher productivity
- 18 percent more motivation
- 15 percent improved mood
- 16 percent better overall performance
While caffeine is, unsurprisingly, important, there’s evidence that cold brew specifically could yield an additional edge.
Deemed the “hottest” cold beverage of 2017, the nitrogen used to cold brew coffee doesn’t just make the drink deliciously mellow and sweet-tasting. It also adds some health advantages that might make it a better option over good, old-fashioned “hot” brew coffee.
Dr. Josh Axe writes that “Nitro Coffee” contains 30 percent more caffeine than regular brewed coffee and, thanks to its non-bitter flavor, doesn’t require the same amount of potentially performance-decreasing sugar additives. There’s even evidence, per Dr. Axe, that cold brew supports energy expenditure, motor skills, cognition and working memory.
Could Cold Brew Equal Employee Happiness?
Productivity is important, but how does cold brew affect employee happiness aside from the research-supported benefits of a better mood when an individual is fully caffeinated?
Perhaps more importantly, are the benefits of cold brew potentially a competitive advantage for organizations with a limited budget for culture and engagement? Not every organization can afford to offer perks like unlimited PTO, an on-site medical clinic or fully covered employee tuition offerings.
As it turns out, even relatively low-cost perks like cold brew result in a meaningful lift in employee engagement and your recruitment brand.
Culture expert Taro Fukuyama, CEO of AnyPerk, has performed research that reveals caffeine and healthy snacks are a really big deal to your people. Fukuyama states “perks are more than a way for employees to save money; it’s a promise…[you’re] committed to making work fun and valuable to them.”
When your employees don’t need to leave the office and spend their own cash at the coffee shop for their mid-afternoon Cold Brew boost, your employees notice.
Little details like serving up the hottest beverage of the summer on tap can make a real difference in showing your employees that you want them to take breaks, enjoy the break room and enjoy their time at work.
Why Real Companies Swear by Cold Brew on Tap
For the real-life companies who’ve made the leap to offer cold brew on-demand in the company break room, there’s no turning back. One of these organizations is Classy, a California-based fundraising tech provider who provides cold brew and kombucha on tap.
In a blog post, Classy People & Talent Associate Anna Roberts raved about the “fun” company culture and wrote “these are the things that drive employee productivity and engagement… it’s the little things that create such a rewarding workplace.”
Online entertainment streaming company Hulu is another. Online reviews written by their employees point to the “strength” of office perks as a competitive differentiator. The “stocked kitchen” for Hulu employees includes cold brew and beer on tap as well as massage chairs.
Classy and Hulu are just two of many companies jumping on board with the nationwide “craze” over cold brew coffee. Hector Mai, a Brooklyn-based coffee shop manager predicts “one day, there will be no regular iced coffee.”
Some nationwide coffee chains are reporting that cold brew now accounts for 15-20 percent of their total sales revenue as demand spikes among caffeine-drinkers throughout the US.”
Cold Brew Isn’t the Only Ingredient to Add to Your Cultural Tool Kit
Cold brew may be a full-on craze, but it’s not the only chilled beverage of choice for everyone in the office. Offering a wide range of chilled, premium break room beverages can give your company a real cultural edge against your competitors who offer nothing more than a water cooler. A few of the coolest offerings by Corporate Essentials include:
- Coconut water: A healthy no-sugar-added alternative to sugared electrolyte beverages sure to help people recharge and feel refreshed.
- Cold-pressed juices: Pressed juices are a superfood that offers an edge in micronutrients and enzymes.
- Energy drinks: An array of healthier options for fizzy, chilled caffeine consumption.
- Probiotic beverages: Kombucha, kefir and yogurt drinks can ensure your talent’s digestive systems remain happy and healthy.
Unlocking Superior Culture Today with Cold Brew on Tap
If you’re looking to revolutionize the quality of your culture and employee engagement on a limited budget, the secret ingredient that’s missing from your people strategy may be cold brew on tap. Not only does it offer some real advantages in performance and productivity, it’s an incredibly on-trend way to show your people that they’re valued.
Corporate Essentials offers cold brew on tap through a partnership with Irving Farm, a leading New York-based provider of sustainably sourced, leading-quality roasts. Clients enjoy kegerators of Irving Farm’s Gotham Dark Roast, steeped overnight to provide maximum caffeine with no bitter taste. The kegs are delivered straight to your break room in nitrogen-powered kegs to be enjoyed plain or with cream, sugar or flavored syrups.
Regardless of your organization’s budget or size, offering cold brew on tap in the company break room could provide an edge for employee happiness, performance and engagement. While it’s a relatively low-cost perk in the big scheme of things, it’s a meaningful and on-trend way to show your employees that you really care about their workplace experience.
