UK workers return to the office: Scanomat’s smart coffee machines provide insight into workplace trends

Office coffee consumption is on the rise

According to commercial coffee machine manufacturer, Scanomat, office coffee consumption in the UK and Ireland rose by up to 65% in September (versus August 2021) – an indication that UK workers have begun returning to offices since Government guidelines to work from home were relaxed and the Summer holiday season drew to a close.

Scanomat’s ultra-smart TopBrewer coffee machines, which are predominantly installed in corporate offices, send real-time data to its integrated CoffeeCloud platform to provide valuable insights on consumer coffee trends in the workplace.

Working patterns may be changing

CoffeeCloud has also provided Scanomat with an insight into new patterns of working with Wednesday and Thursday being the most popular days for consuming coffee at the office. The data correlates with many firms adopting a flexible return to work with a blend of office and remote working. In contrast, Monday and Friday are the quietest days for office coffee drinkers, with employees choosing to avoid the commute at the beginning and end of the week.

Scanomat customers can even drill into peak times of day, with 9am being the busiest time around the coffee machine on average. A second peak happens between 1pm and 3pm when workers are most likely to need an afternoon pick me up or a break from their desk to interact with colleagues.

Interestingly, Scanomat’s findings also shows a trend towards earlier starts to the working day along with later finishes – indicating employees are choosing to travel at quieter times to avoid rush hour.

As the TopBrewer serves speciality coffee, steaming hot water for tea and still/sparkling water – CoffeeCloud is capturing very accurate consumer behaviour, not just from coffee drinkers.

A recent study by the Leesman Index ranked coffee, tea and refreshments as the third most important feature of the office, behind only the basic desk and chair.

Simon Bracken, Managing Director of Scanomat comments:

"Reports of the office’s demise over the past year have been largely exaggerated. Instead, our customers have been proactively adapting their spaces to create more social hubs, with TopBrewer playing a central role in creating flexible, communal spaces designed to foster creativity, teamwork and a sense of community that was lost during the pandemic."