Coffee Badging
what it means
Badge in, get a coffee, say hello to the right people, badge out. It satisfies attendance tracking without committing to a day in the building.
Coming into the office briefly to be seen, then leaving.
the origin story
Named around 2023 as hybrid-work attendance policies became widespread and measurable.
It was identified in workplace research reports before becoming a widely-used term, which is unusual. Its existence highlighted the flaw in badge-based attendance policies: measuring presence measures presence, not work.
in the wild
He was in for forty minutes.
Coffee badging. The system logged him as present.
Three days a week in office.
Measured how?
Badge swipes.
Then coffee badging it is.
how to use it
- Describing minimal office attendance
- Discussing hybrid work policy
- Workplace conversations
- As an accusation about a specific colleague
- In HR contexts without care
- Where it might get someone in trouble
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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