Can the drinks you provide for staff improve their productivity?

An army marches on its stomach, but in business, drinks can often be an important factor for your employees. Whether they want to keep hydrated with a cold glass of water or they need a quick shot of caffeine to get them going in a morning, what your staff drink is very important to them.

However, did you know that it can also have a big impact on how your employees work too? It has been found that the drinks that you supply for your staff can improve their productivity significantly, so here Craig Sellars, Operations Manager at Workplace Refreshments, takes a look at what you can offer and how it makes a difference to their work.

Coffee

We are now a nation of coffee drinkers, as the massive rise in high street coffee shops will show. Everyone now has their favourite latte, espresso or flat white and are willing to go out of their way and pay large amounts of money to get one. That is why offering barista style coffee at work can be a big benefit.

Those staff members who might have spent time travelling to get another coffee in the middle of the day can now stay at work if their quality coffee is close at hand. This saves a massive amount of wasted time, which will automatically improve productivity.

Of course, will all know that coffee provides the caffeine many of us need for energy, so allowing staff to have this at any time that they need it ensures that productivity levels can stay high all through the day and keeps your employees working at their best. It can only work on speed, but can also improve focus, alertness and memory, which all play their part in improving the work that is being produced.

Fruit Juice

Orange juice and others like are packed with some much needed vitamins, which can help to benefit the brain. Those with high vitamin C levels have been reported to have better memory, attention and language levels, and they also contain natural sugars which can provide a boost of energy in a controlled and long lasting way.

Offering healthier options as drinks can also work towards improving the overall health of your employees, which in turn leads to fewer sick days. If everyone is in work more often, then productivity will naturally increase.

Smoothies

Smoothies can take the benefits of fruit juice one step further as they can combine many of the healthiest and brain boosting ingredients in one go. With smoothies that can include anything from cucumber, spinach, avocado and bananas, they are sure to give a real hit of goodness to both the brain and the body as they are packed full of nutrients.

Teas

As Brits, our hearts will always be with a good old cup of tea. Whilst the traditional cuppa can provide that much needed caffeine rush, there are also some great green and herbal options as well. Ginseng tea is thought to promote brain function, rhodiola tea can improve mental fatigue, sage tea boosts mood and memory and gingko bilboa has been thought to protect against cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

Green tea has lower caffeine content tan coffee but does still contain some. However, it is also thought to improve attention, focus and memory. It is thought to be very good for your health and is a natural brain booster.

Water

Hydration is the key to all kinds of productivity levels, and there is no better source than water. Whether it is bottled or comes from a water cooler, making sure everyone has enough fresh, cool water throughout the day can be a big deal when it comes to your work. Becoming dehydrated can show itself in a number of different ways including headaches, irritability, increased heart rate, quicker breathing and tiredness, which can all have an obvious impact on how your employees are working.

As many as 43% of British people do not think that they drink enough water, so having it available at work can reduce this number. As the brain is 75% water, dehydration can quickly impact on things like concentration and stress levels, so it is important to keep people topped up. Physical energy will also drop when cognitive functions start to get tired, so drinking water can increase energy levels, improving alertness and fending off lethargy.

Energy Drinks

When tiredness hits, an energy drink can be the perfect way to get you back on the straight and narrow. Energy drinks are packed with sugar and caffeine which can be vital to get you back up to speed when tiredness hits, although it is worth noting that after the high comes the low and a crash will usually follow.

Other benefits

Whilst the drinks themselves offer obvious benefits, the fact of having the drinks at work can also play their part in productivity. By offering a wide range of beverages, whether they are free or paid for, you can be seen to be offering more than other employers. These perks and benefits can change how people feel about their workplace, with many employees reporting that they feel more valued and looked after. This subconsciously incentivises them to work harder and better for a business that they feel cares about them.

We have all heard of the ‘water cooler moment’ where a TV phenomenon is the hot topic of conversation the next day. This comes from the fact that simply popping to get a drink of any type during the day gives employees the chance to mingle with other staff and forge better working relationships. When people feel more of a team, they are more likely to pull together harder and productivity can increase.

Offering drinks in the workplace can have a number of positive effects, so it is not something to be ignored. It can be easily achieved through hot drinks machines and vending machines, allowing you to offer a variety of options that can please everyone with a minimum of effort on your part.