Costs Versus Benefits of Coffee Breaks

And the verdict is in!!!!! Coffee breaks are a net benefit! No, the Passing Scene Cafe is not propagandizing to drum up more business.

Coffee Break – The Science And History Of Coffee Break

"The next time that your boss complains about the obligatory coffee break, point him in the direction of MIT. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently made a discovery that strongly suggests that coffee breaks – or at least, breaks from activity – are a necessary part of the learning process.

Of course, we didn’t really need MIT to tell us that the coffee break, that time revered workplace tradition, is good for business. Good employers have always known that a break from work increases productivity."

I thought about this issue as I was scouring a popular economics blog---I'd plug it here if I could remember which one it was---and a blog "commenter" referred to coffee breaks as "thefts of employer time"---econ-speak for time at work for which you are being paid and doing very little work, if any.

That can't be right. My income does not depend on time spent at my desk per se, although it behooves me to be present at my desk during market hours. But is the occasional walk to the break room..or even down the block to the coffee shop... to get your caffeine fix sapping your employer of productivity?

Most of us who sit at desks all day know otherwise. My eyes scan over financial headlines and stock/option data for six and half hours. Many of us read briefs, memos, articles, papers, and emails all day...and our retinas fry like eggs on a griddle. Without the occasional coffee break, most of us would go insane!

So grab that extra cup! Til next time!!!