Coffee At Work [Infographic]

Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 3m 785 #coffee

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Everyone has their pick-me-up at work. The obvious is coffee. Without coffee, they just don’t function at all. For others, they may prefer water or tea. And for me, a web designer, I don’t drink coffee. I prefer to get up, walk around, and mix quick oats and peanut butter with a banana at work. My drink of choice: Coconut Water from O.N.E., Goya, or Blue Monkey (all unsweetened). I am not a fan of coffee at all.

A good night sleep will help you stay awake and focused at work, but there are days where it just is not happening, and sometimes the project you are working on could put you to sleep. I always thought the smokers were taking too many breaks, often going out every half hour to forty-five minutes, thinking they were not doing as much work as they should have been doing. Meanwhile, I’d spend that extra time at my desk, not realizing that I was sometimes dozing off, or slacking off and checking my email, Facebook, or something else, simply because I was tired or bored.

The smokers, believe it or not, had it right. Not only did they go outside to socialize with each other, taking their minds off what they were working on for just a few minutes, but they were getting fresh air, going out into the cold or hot weather, to simply get away for a few minutes. That is a great time to wake up! Taking a break at least once every hour for five minutes, seemed beneficial, and it never seemed to take too much time away from their tasks.  Of course, most jobs will normally only allow two 15 minute breaks and a lunch break.  But it is possible to try and break up those two 15 minute breaks into six 5 minute breaks.

While I am not a smoker, I began setting points in time to take a break. If my workday starts at 8:30 AM, I would take a break at 10 AM for a snack and a quick stretch, 12 PM for lunch, and after lunch I’d go for a ten to twenty minute walk, and then again at 3 PM for a quick stretch and bathroom break, all which did not cast a whole lot of lost productivity.

Taking time away from your desk will actually help you to focus, so long as you return to your desk with work on your mind. Remember to write yourself a post or sticky note so you know exactly what you were doing and don’t lose your place.

So what do you do for your pick-me-up at work?  And how many breaks do you take during your workday?

Here is an infographic from Dunkin’ Donuts on Coffee Habits at work.

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Coffee At Work
A Pick-Me-Up for Workers’ Careers

Some drink their coffee black; others with a touch of French Vanilla. Some enjoy a dollop of sugar, while others load on the cream, skim, or whole. Whatever the perk preference, some workers aren’t just enjoying coffee, they’re using it to boost their careers.

Un-Maniac Mondays

34% need coffee to get through the workday (up from 32% last year)
16% say they need it most on Mondays

Workers are Guzzling it Down…

28% drink 3 cups or more per day
61% drink 2 cups or more per day

…But they won’t drink just any old brew

Most likely to take it black: Hotel Worker, Attorney/Judge

Most likely to take it fully loaded (cream and sugar): Human Resources Professional, Personal Caretaker

Most likely to take it flavored: Editor/Writer, Government Professional, Teacher

The Perks to Perking Up

United States Average:
46% of Workers claim they are less productive if they don’t drink coffee

Northeast:
49% of people cain they are less productive without coffee

Midwest:
45% of people cain they are less productive without coffee

West:
47% of people cain they are less productive without coffee

South:
45% of people cain they are less productive without coffee

Professional most likely to say they’re less productive without coffee

Scientist/Lab Technician
Marketing/Public Relations Professional
Education Administrator
Editor/Writer
Health Care Administrator
Physician
Food Preparer
Professor
Human Resources Professional
Social Worker
Personal Caretaker
Nurse

How Java has Given Workers a Career Jolt

Provided opportunity to socialize/network with co-workers 20%
Kept them focused before a performance review 12%
Provided an extra energy boost for a presentation they were giving 10%
Helped them gain favor with a client when they treated them to coffee 5%
Pumped them up for a job interview 3%

by CareerBuilding and Dunkin Donuts
Source: CareerBuilding Q4 2011 Employee Survey (Harris Interactive); 4721 U.S workers; August 16 – September 8, 2011.

About the Author

Matthew Gates is a freelance web designer and currently runs Confessions of the Professions.

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