Since last year, phrases like 'quiet quitting', 'rage applying', and 'great resignation' have become popular, capturing the fury and annoyance of some workers who were unable to maintain a work-life balance due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Many workers are getting more smarter and creative with their time in the workplace as employers ask them to return. According to a Forbes report, this has resulted in the rise of the "coffee badging" craze.

As per the expression 'coffee badging', employees arrive at work, get a coffee, mingle with colleagues, and depart with a symbolic 'badge' for their presence. The process specifically capitalises on the idea of showing up for work, going out for coffee with coworkers, and swiping your ID badge to prove that you have been there. Employees immediately leave the office after this and go home. This is ultimately seen as opposition to the most recent mandates about returning to work. What Is Rage Applying? After Moonlighting and Quiet Quitting, New Practice Being Adopted by Dissatisfied Employees, Know All About the Latest Workplace Trend.

Owl Labs, a company that develops 360-degree video conferencing technologies, said in its 2023 State of Hybrid Work report that "the yearly return-to-office power struggle that happens each autumn has arrived yet again." Employers like Zoom, Meta, Salesforce, JP Morgan, and others are requesting—and in some cases, even compelling—their employees to return to work.

The Owl poll indicates that there are several reasons why workers are declining to return to their jobs. Individuals prefer not to squander time and cash on recurrent visits to the office, but many businesses still "have work to do" in order to establish a warm, productive, and stress-free workplace that makes workers want to stay on staff. What Is Bare Minimum Monday? Australian Boss Introduces New Concept for Employees to Beat the Monday Blues, Here's What It Means.

However, as it highlights a lousy part of workplace culture, this practice may potentially have dire consequences. Workers would believe that coming to work is a chore that has to be avoided. Colleague resentment might arise if they see one another abusing the rules governing hybrid work. This could be problematic for people who work in the office all day. Coffee badging may also shorten team meetings and undermine efforts to foster a positive work atmosphere.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2023 01:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).