What A Coffee Break Has Come To Mean
There is much debate about when coffee breaks actually started and where they started. Some people say it originated in Africa, others in India, and others still in the United States. Just about every continent has a claim on it. What they all agree on, however, is the proven importance of such a break.
Work definitely is draining. Not just on the body but more importantly on the mind. A constant stream of the same type of monotonous information has the effect of a dulling or a weighing down of the mind. Novel information or an injection of variety is necessary to stimulate it once more. A few minutes are also needed so that whatever energy or nutrient has been drained from the brain may be replenished. Add to that a dose of coffee and you have a worker who returns ready to put his nose into the grindstone once more.
It was once thought of as a privilege. When sweat shops were the rule and not the exception, even the hint of a coffee break was a fleeting breath of fresh air. It was something that had to be earned and was worn like a badge of honor or pride. This has changed radically in recent decades. It has been elevated to the status of a right. It has come to be an expected norm by most workers and considered integral to a normal working day. It has become an obligation that employers are mandated to provide. The wise ones do so gladly and reap the benefits.
Coffee breaks today have come to mean more than just that few minutes in which to drink the black aromatic stimulant. It has become a time to socialize. It has evolved into a somewhat ritualized office get-together where people talk about things other than work. They use it as an escape from the cocoon of toil and the focused hurdling of a task to accomplish. The break then becomes a welcome change of pace a ringing note of vibrancy on what might otherwise be a dreary day.
The quality of coffee breaks has also come to indicate the type of boss an office has. The relaxed camaraderie a good coffee break exudes, hints at the amount of productivity churned out and the additional productivity the group is about to churn out. Tension during coffee breaks are symptoms that there is a certain amount of unhealthy unrest within the office that needs to be addressed before it becomes a problem.
Of course, too much of any good thing has always proven detrimental. Coffee breaks like the amount of caffeine in a coffee cup or a cup of tea are best taken in small doses. Breaks that are too long lead to complacence. This is the same as too much coffee. It stimulates a person either to the point of nervous tension or worse, even beyond that, to the point of lethargy and drowsiness.
The coffee break, something that may have started out as a simple act of kindness, has been established by time and human nature to be a vital expression of humanity.
Work definitely is draining. Not just on the body but more importantly on the mind. A constant stream of the same type of monotonous information has the effect of a dulling or a weighing down of the mind. Novel information or an injection of variety is necessary to stimulate it once more. A few minutes are also needed so that whatever energy or nutrient has been drained from the brain may be replenished. Add to that a dose of coffee and you have a worker who returns ready to put his nose into the grindstone once more.
It was once thought of as a privilege. When sweat shops were the rule and not the exception, even the hint of a coffee break was a fleeting breath of fresh air. It was something that had to be earned and was worn like a badge of honor or pride. This has changed radically in recent decades. It has been elevated to the status of a right. It has come to be an expected norm by most workers and considered integral to a normal working day. It has become an obligation that employers are mandated to provide. The wise ones do so gladly and reap the benefits.
Coffee breaks today have come to mean more than just that few minutes in which to drink the black aromatic stimulant. It has become a time to socialize. It has evolved into a somewhat ritualized office get-together where people talk about things other than work. They use it as an escape from the cocoon of toil and the focused hurdling of a task to accomplish. The break then becomes a welcome change of pace a ringing note of vibrancy on what might otherwise be a dreary day.
The quality of coffee breaks has also come to indicate the type of boss an office has. The relaxed camaraderie a good coffee break exudes, hints at the amount of productivity churned out and the additional productivity the group is about to churn out. Tension during coffee breaks are symptoms that there is a certain amount of unhealthy unrest within the office that needs to be addressed before it becomes a problem.
Of course, too much of any good thing has always proven detrimental. Coffee breaks like the amount of caffeine in a coffee cup or a cup of tea are best taken in small doses. Breaks that are too long lead to complacence. This is the same as too much coffee. It stimulates a person either to the point of nervous tension or worse, even beyond that, to the point of lethargy and drowsiness.
The coffee break, something that may have started out as a simple act of kindness, has been established by time and human nature to be a vital expression of humanity.
