to be "coffee badging" when I'm working from home

[pearlbeach]

Just read something on social about the 'new' trend of coffee badging - where you go into the office, grab a coffee, get seen by your boss and then leave to work from home - but ...loads of people log on to their work computer when they're WFH, fire off an email, go to one teams meeting, then leave and put the washing on, etc...during work hours. It's basically coffee badging from home??? Personally, my number one job that I get done when I WFH is the washing (would be higher than bunkbeds if I went into the office). I do get my paid work done. But AIBU to do life/home stuff as well, am I coffee badging from home?

Kind of depends on your employers view.

My employer is largely remote workers. It is percieved as a benefit and part of your package. But, on that basis, there is an expectation that you take advantage of that flexibility and step away to put a wash on, empty the dishwasher etc. As long as work is done, and you are generally available as needed, no issue.

I think it’s all irrelevant anyway. People who are going to work hard will do so at home or the office. People who are going to take the piss will do so at home or the office (maybe with a preference for hone where taking the ouss might require less effort).

Checking the Daily Mail ...

Must be a fire safety nightmare not knowing if staff are in the building or not. Especially if you've seen them an hour earlier and now they're nowhere to be found.

I have to be on hand all of the time. An urgent email could come in, my manager could video call me or instant message me. It's just like being in the office but I get to control the temperature/noise levels. I use my lunchtime to make a nice lunch instead of a crappy sandwich or to have a nap, which i couldn't do in the office. I sometimes put a laundry load in on my tea break and take it out on my lunch but I really wouldn't get away with swinging the lead. I have one colleague who is sometimes 'away' for a suspicious amount of time roundabout 'kids arriving home from school' time, but she often sends a performative email at 7pm so I think that's why she gets away with it.

My wfh job is flexible and I run my team and expect them to be flexible too. I've done a load of laundry today. I popped it on when I went in the kitchen to make coffee and stuffed it in the dryer when I went in to make lunch! I also did my strategic plan for 2025 and wrote up most of the team's EOY reviews, met my boss and finished off a proposal so I feel I've had a good and productive day.

WFH I can u load the dishy while the kettle boils.
Bung on a load of washing between meetings
Hang a load of washing between meetings
Receive deliveries/have workmen in.

At work I can MNet between meetings, like now.

I usually render about 45 to 50hpw so if anyone had an issue they can get stuffed.

Why is it called badging? I wouldn’t do it, our office coffee sucks balls.

The phrase "coffee badging" specifically refers to going into the office to swipe in (for those of us who have employers that do regular reporting and check on who swiped in). So if you aren't really working at home then you're obviously skiving, but not technically coffee badging.

@pearlbeach and yet people still wonder why bosses dislike wfh!

‘Coffee badging’ sounds like one of those bullshit SM trends that doesn’t actually happen. If someone swanned into our workplace, made a big fuss of being seen, then buggered off - everyone would notice!
My boss would want to speak to me if they thought I was in… there’s no way a ‘hi’ in the morning would cover it.
What a load of shite.

I had a colleague who did a version of this. We work from home but say we had to come in for a meeting that finished at 12 he would then leave the office so do his travel in works time. We are senior and he was on a decent salary. It irked me as he’d complain about his commute but the office hadn’t moved since he started and everyone else stayed for the day. But a lot of bosses wouldn’t say anything in my experience.

Don't you have to tell someone or clock out in case there was a fire, they might look for you.

A shining example of the misuse and abuse of WFH

I still don’t understand what it means. Coffee badging?

can you explain again?

My boss does this. Then tells everyone they should be in the office more. Do as I say not as I do springs to mind.

People in my office used to do this before the pandemic tbh, it was a reasonable way to deal with the school run. They’d work 7-1 or 8-2, travel home, then pick up again from 3.30 until 6-7.

OP sounds about 14

It's a bit like the 'leaving your jacket hanging on your chair to make it look like you've gone to a meeting and are coming back rather than having gone home early'. Or grab an 'internal envelope' (for the younger readers it was a thing we used in olden times when a hard signature was required for something) and bustle out in a way that looked like you had been summoned from on high when you're actually popping to the shop.

The means change with the times but human nature (on the part of some people) doesn't.

I have never done either but I do some household tasks when I WFH like sort laundry. It doesn't take long, probably as long as a corridor chat when in the office so I don't see how anyone can complain really.

Where does the 'badging' part of this ridiculous phrase come from? I don't do TikTok and have never heard of it, but can see no relevance to a badge.

As long as you do the requisite hours, I see no problem. Everyone has breaks from work and working from home is no exception. It doesn't take long to put a load of washing on. If your firm is one that requires you to be face-timing for meetings at the drop of a hat, that could be problematic (not least because you'd have to be dressed :)), however it doesn't sound as though that is the case.

I've never before heard the term, 'coffee badging' and it sounds very silly. Someone I know, an accountant who does some work for my son and for me, works from home. Does the school run and some child care during the holidays but gets the work done so no problem.

As long as you're available and whatever work needs doing gets done, why should it matter what else you do. Obviously if you're doing nothing at home and just wiggling your mouse sending the odd email that's not great. I'll agree with my manager my plan for today is to write x paper and do x tasks, she says great. As long as that's done I'll sometimes fit in a workout, wash load, load a slow cooker, run the hoover round.

My organisation requires us to swipe in twice a week. There is no room for personal circumstance, so I have to drive 1.5h to be in a London office where my work mostly consists of sitting on video calls with people in America. I've started going home at lunchtime to continue working from home because my drive gets reduced by a third as it only takes an hour to drive at that time, and it means I am at home when work finishes and can get my son from nursery whom I would otherwise not see on my office days as I'd be busy sitting in traffic. That's the answer to the people wondering why you wouldn't stay once you've made the effort to go in.

I do household tasks, cooking, a quick laundry etc when I'm on my break.

Yesterday I treated myself to a hot bath on my lunchbreak. It was great.

Working from home is wonderful for me.

I can drop off and pick up my kids from school and nursery.

I always reach my targets as well, I work in sales. So definitely not slacking or leaving my computer for hours 😄 wouldn't work in my industry!