As some companies are adding more in-office days to their hybrid work policies, employees unhappy about the adjustment have found a way to skirt the requirements. A controversial trend called “coffee badging” has seen renewed popularity in recent weeks. Coffee badging is where an employee badges into the office and stays only a few hours— long enough to grab a coffee and maybe attend a meeting before heading home to beat the afternoon rush hour. Employees are using coffee badging to maintain control over their office hours and work-life balance. It could be viewed as an alternative to fully quiet quitting—meeting the technical requirements while still setting their own parameters around the workday.
