麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Workplace habit of 'coffee badging' prompts reported new policy at Amazon

In this stock photo, a woman is shown in an office-like setting holding a laptop and a coffee cup. (Pexels) In this stock photo, a woman is shown in an office-like setting holding a laptop and a coffee cup. (Pexels)
Share

Add to the list of post-pandemic workplace culture coinage to keep track of in 2024.

The term, which was coined by video conferencing tech company Owl Labs in 2023, has gained some new significance this week with multiple outlets reporting Amazon is allegedly taking measures to counter the habit it refers to.

According to Owl Labs, "coffee badging" is when employees of companies with return-to-office (RTO) mandates go into office to "show face" for a few hours, then head back home to finish the work day.

The company's report found more than half (58 per cent) of hybrid employees they surveyed admitted to having done it, while a further eight per cent said they haven't, but would like to try.

Now, Amazon appears to be taking aim at the trend.

Earlier this week, and the reported they had obtained Slack messages from Amazon workers who said there has been some talk among management of a minimum number of hours per day employees could be expected to spend in the office in order to meet the company's RTO mandate. Amazon announced in 2023 it would require employees to work from the office at least three days a week.

The daily minimum hours expectation is not a formal policy change, the and does not appear to apply uniformly to all departments. The Seattle Times also reported some teams within Amazon have been told they must be in the office for two hours each day, while Business Insider reports some were told there would be a six-hour minimum.

This is just one development in a trend that has seen some large companies use punitive measures to get employees back into the office.

Business Insider reported last fall that Amazon had allegedly begun telling managers that employees who refuse to comply with its return-to-office policy may be

Earlier this year, Dell made headlines after it reportedly warned they would not be considered for promotions, or be able to change roles, while hybrid workers would.

Workers and employers at odds

Policies like these come as a growing body of research shows employers and workers are at odds over RTO mandates and remote work policies.

According to a nearly 20 per cent of Canadians were working most of their hours from home as of November 2023, up from seven per cent in May 2016.

Among employees mostly working from home in late 2023, nearly a quarter said they would ideally work a greater proportion of their hours from home than they already were, while one in eight said they would prefer to work a greater proportion of their hours while in office.

Moreover, 90 per cent of employees working from home as a result of the pandemic in February 2021 they could accomplish at least as much work per hour at home as they did in the office.

A on RTO mandates appears to bear this out.

Researchers from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh studied the performance of S&P 500 companies with RTO mandates and found "no significant changes in financial performance or firm values鈥 after the mandates.

In fact, the authors reported their findings suggest mandates negatively impacted employee satisfaction, and that the results are "consistent with managers using RTO mandates to reassert control over employees and blame employees as a scapegoat for bad firm performance."

The same that coined the term "coffee badging" also concluded that employees feel "more productive, balanced, and loyal to their companies" when they are afforded flexibility at work.

The study found 62 per cent would take a pay cut of 10 per cent or more, and four per cent would quit their job if they were no longer able to work remotely or hybrid. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

A body has been found in the vicinity where a woman went missing on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ont. while kayaking Tuesday night, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected