Employee health and well-being may have always been important to employers, but in recent years it has been more to the forefront of company strategies. It’s pretty clear that sickness from work is not good for either party involved, what steps can be made by employers to reduce sickness rates and boost well-being?

More and more companies are working on initiatives to improve this, which can come in an array of different forms, whether it be company benefits, recognition programs, onsite classes and other ideas to spark loyalty for the place they work. In general, the aim is that being looked after by the company you work for can reduce sick days and ultimately have a positive effect on business performance too.

“Happy, Healthier, Professionals.”

This is the name a current study being run by What Works for Children's Social Care. This is actually a collection of several research projects, but the pilot we are looking into relates to providing social workers with access to free, high-quality tea and coffee in the office. The aim to see whether 'a display of recognition' their randomised control trial can improve practitioner wellbeing and cut absences. The thinking behind this is that this will increase their sense of appreciation or recognition in their role.

This did spark some debate across some social media channels, mixed reactions from affected parties. Some thought the money for this could be better spent elsewhere in the industry, however others welcomed the opportunity for some free great tasting coffee.

Here’s our favourite response:

“Personally, I think decent coffee (much like FGCs) should be a human right! ”

In terms of employees being happy, there is a general movement around company cultures adapting to give employees more to boost happiness. By more we don’t mean money… Forbes recently shared this article with some interesting findings:

• almost half of UK businesses have workplace well-being initiatives in place – nearly a fifth (19%) of employees report they are mostly unhappy or even miserable in their job
• If work is making them unhappy, employees are far more likely to find ways to change that and are even willing to take a pay cut in order to do so

Free high-quality coffee in the workplace

So, question is can offering great coffee make enough of a difference? Let’s break it down a little more. Can it contribute to culture of the business and help employees feeling more valued in the work place? Definitely!

Happy, loyal employees work hard and if their wellbeing is high it will have a positive effect on the business as a whole. Not to mention the extra kick from the caffeine flowing around!

It is easy to jump on board with the movement. There are a variety of different machines we could offer for your workplaces, even to fit in compact spaces. Machines anyone can use themselves for a great coffee. Download a brochure to see our full range.