Lighter side: Is coffee the new currency?

It takes more than money to keep a talented team happy but, according to one survey, a top-quality coffee could make all the difference.

Lighter side: Is coffee the new currency?
We all know it takes more than money to keep a talented team happy but one survey is suggesting it’s the small stuff – or rather the black stuff – that make all the difference.

Earlier this year, Nespresso partnered up with ComRes to interview 2,500 workers across a variety of different business sectors. Their mission? - To learn more about the impact small perks have on employee engagement, talent retention and office morale.

It turns out that a good old cup of Joe could be just the ticket to improving your team’s overall happiness.

The survey showed that respondents ranked high quality coffee as one the second most important amongst a list of ten small perks, second only to ergonomic office equipment. Free Friday drinks, fresh fruit and birthday cake were all among the perks deemed less desirable.

But it seems high-quality caffeine doesn’t just keep your office workers happy - it keeps them cognitive and creative. Thirty-six per cent of employees surveyed said they’d solved a difficult business problem while brewing up.

And for HR professionals, it seems sipping on the hot stuff works particularly well – 46% said they’d had a creative idea on a coffee break, outstripping the overall average by 5%.

Finally, and this one might come as a shock to some, an incredible 11% of workers said they would reject a job offer based on the coffee provided in an interview.

So if you were surprised when that potential new hire turned down your offer it might be time to reconsider your coffee quota. If the survey is to be believed, upgrading your Arabica might just be the answer.

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