Why every Aussie employee should be worried about the new ‘coffee badging’ trend sweeping the nation

A new office trend called ‘coffee badging’ is spreading across workplaces, but many believe it could harm your career and put an end to remote work.

‘Coffee badging’ involves hybrid workers going to the office, drinking a cup of coffee and interacting with colleagues before going home early to work.

The craze took over TikTok last year, but the trend caused an uproar among thousands of people, with some claiming the unfairness could lead managers to end hybrid work.

However, others said that if work is completed, behavior such as coffee badges should be acceptable.

Coffee badges have become increasingly popular in an effort to help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance. It also demonstrates the continued demand for hybrid working arrangements and flexibility post-pandemic.

Melbourne author and career expert Sue Ellson told FEMAIL employers need to be clear about what needs to be done and how employees can maximize their time and input.

“It may take some difficult conversations, but you can’t afford to make assumptions and most employees will want some degree of flexibility and autonomy,” she said.

‘Managers who do not make attendance and output requirements crystal clear see employees working ‘within the rules’, but also ‘to their advantage’.

‘Coffee badging’ involves hybrid workers going to the office, drinking a cup of coffee and interacting with colleagues before going home early to work (stock image)

‘If someone can take work home, use AI to get it done faster, commute to work, swipe on and off to meet office time and still get a full paycheck while also working a part-time job or has other tasks, I think many will try it.’

Ms. Ellson believes that workplaces are moving closer to a task-based economy in which employees are paid for the completion of work or tasks rather than for hours in the day.

The trend sparked conversations on TikTok with many agreeing with this behavior.

“When the older generation finally retires, we will be free to work wherever we want… thank goodness,” one person wrote on TikTok.

“This is the quiet best move. You get the best of both worlds. You can communicate and be seen, and also enjoy the quiet, focused time of working from home. We can have it all!’ added another.

“Coffee badges happen when business leaders prioritize perception over productivity. Often due to a lack of self-awareness – they often don’t even realize they are rewarding people just for attending,” a third added.

Someone else said: ‘Work is a position, not a location. Is the work getting done or not?’

‘If the employee works well at home, he does not have to be in the office. It’s about control, not productivity,” another added.

Last year, ‘slow quit’ was a trend in people’s minds.

The phrase follows a series of ‘quiet’ practices – including ‘quietly quitting’, ‘quietly hiring’ and ‘quietly firing’ – but this time it’s employers slowly scaling back an employee’s responsibilities in the hope that he will eventually quit.

Ms Ellson believes the controversial corporate trend is an “old practice with a new name” that could create distrust within a company as employers make silent cuts.

“The modern workplace is changing very quickly and silent cutting appears to be another symptom associated with this change,” Ms Ellson told FEMAIL.

‘Employees must be aware that a job is much more than just ‘completing tasks under direction’. There is an exchange of payment for tasks and a relationship that requires careful management on both sides.”