Coffee badging

In human resources and remote working, coffee badging refers to the practice of employees clocking in for a brief period at the office, typically long enough to grab a coffee, before departing to work from elsewhere.^[1] This is done to fulfill office attendance requirements by hybrid and remote workers which arose following the return to in-person work following the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2][3][4]

Coffee badging highlights that employers struggle with attractive, productive and stress-free office environments where employees willingly gather and reflects an erosion of trust between employees and their employers.^[2][5] Coffee badging has been described as a challenge to organic office participation.^[6]

Coffee badging has been criticized for incentivizing participation over productivity and contributing to empty office space.^[7][8] Coffee badging is a form of impression management in response to employee surveillance.^[9]

The term was coined in June 2023 by Owl Labs in a workforce management report.^[2][10]