Today, coffee breaks are a staple of office culture and so ingrained in our lives that it's hard to know where our passion for all things coffee ends and the tradition began.
Even today, no one would know what to do without this daily ritual. Vending machines didn't always exist, and every office or factory didn't have a coffee break room.
The history of the coffee break has gone hand in hand with the workday, so much so that it has become one of the pillars of workers' rights since the beginning of the century.
Before that, skipping coffee during working hours was considered sacrilege, and the idea of providing workers with an automatic coffee machine was definitively rejected by management.
In the early 1900s, coffee breaks became an official employee benefit. Several companies claim to be the first to introduce the benefit. Some speculate that coffee breaks are linked to the invention of the espresso machine. Seeking to get his workers to drink their coffee faster, Luigi Bezzera designed one of the first espresso machines in 1901, which used steam pressure to force water through the ground beans.
One of the first companies to offer an official break during the workday was the Buffalo, New York-based Barcalounger Company (then known as the Barcalo Manufacturing Company), the reclining chair manufacturer, which introduced a 15-minute break as part of its employee benefits package in 1902. Free coffee for employees was included in the company's expenses in 1901.
After World War II, the first coffee vending machines began appearing in offices. But it wasn't until 1952 that the "coffee break" gained its official name, when the Pan-American Coffee Office invested $2 million in a year-long press campaign to promote what would become an office habit, urging people to "Take a coffee break and reap the benefits coffee gives you."
But arguably the biggest turning point for the institutionalization of the coffee break was when, in 1964, the fight for the coffee break as an unassailable right of workers nearly led to a strike between members of the United Auto Workers and the major auto manufacturing companies (the Big Three: Chrysler, Ford, and GM) who came to negotiate a daily 12-minute coffee break.
The current value of the coffee break
Naturally, employers quickly noticed their employees' improved performance after these coffee breaks, which was a pretty compelling incentive for them to keep the habit on the clock.
The space in front of the hot drink vending machine in companies has become one of the prime places to exchange opinions about work and personal life. In front of the vending machine, you socialize, exchange jokes, and share points of view on a wide variety of topics: the weather, vacations, soccer, public transport strikes, weekend programs, political and economic situations, your children's final exams.
The vending machine within a company establishes itself as a place of convergence and, at the same time, a break from the daily routine, a meeting place where people can relax, have a coffee , or grab a snack. One of the great added values of vending is precisely this intense potential for communicative exchange.
Other coffee breaks in other cultures
In Germany, they have "kaffeeklatsch" to get together and discuss the day's events over a cup of coffee.
In Sweden, "fika" is a kind of coffee break twice a day (morning and afternoon), but it has little to do with the classic break at the counter or in front of the coffee maker. It's the secret to happy work. Fika is a well-established tradition, a sacred ingredient for reducing work-related stress. In fact, these opportunities for exchange and socializing increase efficiency and improve productivity so much that many Swedish companies have made them mandatory. Even on the IKEA website, we read that some of the best ideas and decisions are made during "fika."
No one knows the true origins of the coffee break. But one thing is certain (proven by organizational studies and workplace wellness advocates): no matter who you are, it's good to take some time off work and enjoy a hot, caffeinated beverage every now and then. It's good for your productivity (which is good for the company) and for your physical and mental health (which is good for your happiness).