Coffee Badging simply means the act of showing up to work for a brief time to sip on some coffee, or chat with colleagues to show your presence before you leave to work from home again.

The trend has accelerated because more people are expected to come to work for the first time since the pandemic, and not many of them are keen on it after they have seen the benefits of working from home and experts believe it was waiting to happen.

Mumbai-based HR consultant Srinivas Kulkarni says if people are responsible for the results, it doesn’t matter how they get the work done and how often they have to come to work, especially in roles that don’t require them to come.

Farzana Suri, city-based life and victory coach, says the key isn't just about clocking in anymore. It is time for an open conversation, a fresh look at workplace policies, and an acknowledgement of the evolving nature of workplace presence. If you make that move, your employees are likely to reciprocate with a positive response. 

If workplaces force employees to come to the office leading to coffee badging, people will tend to find remote jobs or hybrid ones, points out Kulkarni, as they would go to work at their choice and plan better to ensure the bonding exists and at the same time, they get their flexibility.