Editor's Note
Hacking RTO. That Didn't Take Long
I recently, like 15 minutes ago, learned about "coffee badging." Apparently, coffee badging is swiping your employee badge at the office, having coffee and being seen for a couple hours, then going back home to get some work done. It's how some employees are dealing with return to office mandates and hybrid work schedules. (At least they didn't call it quiet coffee badging.)
Well, that didn't take long. Of course it didn't.
Finding creative ways to get credit for being at the office but not spending all your time there isn't new. I was doing it 30 some years ago when all the associates would show up at the office on weekends to make the rounds and be seen. Then we'd leave as soon as the last partner took off (almost always by noon). When the firm started checking to see what time we turned our computers on in the morning (which employers have been doing since the 80's when networks made it possible), we'd take turns getting in early and logging everyone on.
Everyone knew it was happening, even the big bosses. And nobody ever got in trouble. Why? Because we got our work done and that's what really mattered. And because employers and employees have been playing policy whack-a-mole forever. I think they believed it was more important to have the rule than care about the rule.
New technologies make new forms of employee surveillance and monitoring possible.
My advice here is pick your battles. If the rule isn't worth enforcing, then it's also not worth having. This is partly because it's too easy to enforce inconsistently or arbitrarily, which causes real problems.
If you're spending a lot of time and resources enforcing a rule that doesn't really matter to the work, then you're in a power struggle. Figure out what the power struggle is about and see if you can deal with that. (Power struggles are fraught.)
Before you get into another game of policy whack-a-mole, consider what the real problem is. As you consider possible solutions, ask whether they will address the real problem or simply create new ones?
Here's a nice discussion of approaches to coffee badging and some fascinating data on employee sentiment toward return to office.
- Heather Bussing
As a result of recent return-to-office mandates, numerous workplaces are seeing a rise in “coffee badging”—when workers pop into the office for just a few hours to fulfill return-to-office mandates. To identify how often employees are “coffee badging,” some employers are using data from security badges.
Quick Hits
- To technically comply with new return-to-office requirements, some workers are entering their physical offices, clocking in, and leaving just a few hours later.
- To understand how frequently this is occurring, employers are permitted to use technology to verify on-site attendance and duration of attendance.
- Corporate leaders and managers can align as to how many hours in the office are sufficient to meet the company’s requirement for on-site work.
In the last two years, many companies have ramped up their in-office requirements and started monitoring data to ensure that employees are complying. However, not all workers are on board with returning to physical offices. As a result, a new trend called “coffee badging” has arisen when employees swipe in, makes an appearance at the office, and leave after just a couple of hours.
This technical compliance with in-office mandate by coffee badging is likely a response to long commutes, rush-hour traffic, family responsibilities, and a desire for work-life balance. It is also likely a symbolic response from employees with remote-capable jobs who have increasingly grown accustomed to working from home. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eleven percent of U.S. workers ages sixteen and older worked all of their hours at home in June 2024, and another twelve percent worked some of their hours at home. Meanwhile, 60 percent of employees with remote-capable jobs prefer a hybrid work arrangement, according to new research from a private-sector survey firm. and about one-third prefer fully remote work. Perhaps unsurprisingly for those with remote-capable jobs, less than 10 percent prefer to work on-site full time.
That being said, in an effort to foster greater collaboration and teamwork—and in the hopes of improving worker efficiency—in-office requirements are trending up. However, not all in-office requirements are identical. Individual managers may decide how many hours their employees must work in the office, which might vary based on job type and seniority level.
Moreover, some employers may track compliance with in-office requirements more diligently than others, or for different purposes. In an effort to combat “coffee badging,” some employers have let their workers know that their badge swipes are being monitored individually, and the information may turn up in performance reviews. This, the employers hope, will ensure employees stay at the office for the entirety of their workday. Other employers may simply use the badge swipe data for internal purposes to guide policy changes as to in-office requirements. Indeed, some employers may identify attendance trends during certain seasons or months. Overall, this type of monitoring of badge swipes generally does not violate the privacy rights of employees under state and federal laws and can provide helpful data to employers.
Next Steps
Employers may wish to review their policies for hybrid work arrangements, attendance monitoring, and progressive discipline for workers with attendance violations. Progressive discipline for attendance violations can be outlined in an employee handbook. During the hiring and onboarding process, it is helpful to be clear with every employee about the company’s expectations for on-site work hours, use of security badges, and monitoring of employee attendance through badge swipes.
