Coffee Badging: What This Trend Reveals About Work Culture and Return-to-Office Mandates
Coffee badging involves employees swiping their badges or making a brief appearance in the office before leaving to work elsewhere for the rest of the day. The term has gained traction as more companies like JPMorgan Chase and Meta enforce stricter in-office requirements.
Why Is Coffee Badging on the Rise?
The root cause is a growing disconnect between what employers want and what employees value. According to recent surveys, 79% of CEOs expect a full return to the office within three years, while 58% of white-collar employees prefer to work remotely at least three days a week. As Viv Paxinos, CEO of AllBright and Everywoman, notes, “There is a real disconnect between employers and employees at the moment”.
What Does Coffee Badging Say About Work Culture?
A Demand for Flexibility: Employees are signaling that flexibility is now a top priority. Many have demonstrated high productivity while working remotely, and rigid mandates are seen as out of step with modern work expectations. “Flexibility is now a top priority when evaluating career opportunities. This represents a fundamental shift in workplace values that many organisations are still catching up to,” says Paxinos.
A Trust Gap: Coffee badging often arises where there’s a lack of trust or perceived value in being physically present. Employees and even managers are participating, sometimes because they feel their output is not trusted unless observed in person.
A Call for Purposeful Presence: Employees want in-office time to be meaningful. When the office experience lacks value-such as purposeful collaboration, development, or connection-coffee badging becomes a way to comply with the letter, but not the spirit, of RTO policies.
Culture and Engagement Risks: The trend highlights the risk of disengagement and turnover if policies are too rigid. As one expert notes, “Coffee badging amounts to a powerful statement by employees… In instances where they leave shortly after arrival, this is due to toxicity in the workplace or the fact that there is low or no value in being physically present”.
How Should Business Leaders Respond?
Reframe RTO Mandates: Shift from blanket mandates to outcome-based policies. Focus on the “why” behind in-office requirements and communicate the value of purposeful presence.
Foster Trust and Flexibility: Build a culture of trust by measuring performance on outcomes, not attendance. Allow flexibility wherever possible.
Make the Office a Destination: Invest in making the office experience worthwhile-collaborative spaces, meaningful in-person activities, and opportunities for connection.
Listen and Adapt: Engage employees in open dialogue about what works best for productivity and engagement. Use feedback to continuously refine workplace policies.
Lead by Example: Leaders should model the behaviors they wish to see, demonstrating the value of in-person collaboration while respecting employees’ need for autonomy.
Conclusion
Coffee badging is more than a trend; it’s a signal that the future of work needs to be flexible, trust-based, and intentional. Organizations that listen to their people, adapt their policies, and focus on meaningful outcomes will be best positioned to thrive in this new era.
