It would be fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic changed pretty much every aspect of our lives for a couple of years at its height. Thankfully, the majority of daily life is back to normal at this point, but if you take the time to really consider it, you will notice that there are a few different hangovers and leftover changes that are a noticeable consequence of the changing world. This is especially the case in the workplace, where office environments in particular suffered a heavy culture change that some places have still to return from. With this in mind, here is an interesting insight into how water cooler refills are playing a part in gathering data about the state of the post-pandemic workforce!
MORE WATER COOLERS = MORE OFFICE WORKERS!
It might not be the first thing that you think about, but it makes perfect sense that you can calculate how active a post-pandemic workspace is by just how many water cooler refills are being ordered. At the height of the national shutdown, water cooler refills were at an all-time low due to the fact that offices across the country were shut and a work-from-home policy was adopted. Moving into 2021, 2022, and 2023, however, the data has shown that the percentage of business has steadily increased year by year.
What this shows is that more and more workers are starting to get back into the office. Water cooler refills are now being identified as a return-to-office benchmark.
THE RETURN OF WATER COOLER MOMENTS!
Of course, what this also means is that there is a much-celebrated return to the old office culture of water cooler chat and gossip! The tradition of congregating around the water cooler is one that spans decades of office work life, and after a couple of years of lost communication and isolation for many, this kind of return to normalcy can make a huge difference for both mental health and professional motivation and productivity. Even if you have felt that water cooler moments in the past were disruptive, don’t interfere. They help the health of your workforce.
POSITIVE TREND
Put simply, the amount of water that people drink at work turns out to be a perfect indicator of how much time they are spending at the office. The fact that this trend is one that is solidly moving upwards means that more and more offices and businesses are returning to levels of in-person activity that they were operating at before the pandemic forced everyone to adapt in a different way. Who would have thought that water coolers would be so insightful!?
For more information about everything and anything else related to water cooler refills, don’t hesitate to browse the Urban Oasis website for all of the answers to any questions that you might have. Feel free to get in touch with a member of the experienced team and they will be more than happy to assist you in any way that they can. We look forward to hearing from you.