Who First Thought of Taking a Coffee Break While at Work?

The coffee break is considered a kind of refuge in modern working life. To get away from a busy work day for a short while, the smell of coffee It offers the opportunity to inhale and enjoy a drink that will energize you until the end of the evening work. If you work the night shift, this cup of coffee becomes an even greater necessity. We all know more or less the relationship between caffeine and sleep. Coffee slows down your sleep for a while by replacing the sleep hormone melatonin. In this way, our body can stay awake for a while even during tired working hours.

Of course, coffee has benefits for sleep and energy, but let’s say that bosses actually use this feature of coffee. We view coffee as a relaxing escape or an energy boost because that’s how we’re programmed to experience it. So have you ever thought about why we are programmed this way? Why do we take a coffee break?

The coffee break is actually based on the journey of caffeine and capitalism.

Journalist and caffeine enthusiast Michael Pollan says:Capitalism and caffeine go hand in hand. If you want proof of this, just look at the coffee break tradition… Not only do employers offer you a free drug at work, they also provide a place and time to enjoy it twice a day. Do you think employers would do this if it didn’t provide them with more benefits than costs? We clearly see that these breaks benefit employers. They enable people to work more.” he said. So, we understand from this statement that employers do not actually take coffee breaks to make you happy. The main purpose of these coffee breaks is to make you more energetic and make you work harder during and even beyond working hours.

Actually “coffee break” What we consider to be based on a 1955 case that took place in the United States.

The acceptance of the coffee break in society is directly tied to Phil Greinetz’s Los Wigwam Weavers case. Greinetz ran Los Wigwam Weavers, a tie factory in Denver, and II. world War Afterwards, he had difficulty finding personnel for his tie factory. Especially in these years when the male population decreased, it was necessary to benefit from the power of women in heavy work. However, women could normally be tired because they were dealing not only with work, but also with housework and children.

Greinetz to encourage productivity workers remaining fully alert to provide energy to complete their shifts. It introduced mandatory coffee breaks. Actually the term “coffee break” until 1952 It wasn’t popular. In these years, people were getting used to coffee breaks with the Pan-American advertising campaign. With these ads, people are told: “Give yourself a coffee break and get what coffee gives you.” It was emphasized that coffee and business world go hand in hand.

Greinetz wanted the workers to work harder, but he didn’t want to pay them for the time they spent drinking coffee.

Of course, employees started to rebel against this situation. It was not something they could accept for people who were barely trying to make ends meet with the little money they earned, and also receive less money because of the short time they had to rest and drink coffee. Eventually, the U.S. Department of Labor stepped in, and the court ruled that employers could bar caffeine-fuelled workers for its positive effects on the job. welcoming coffee breaks He decided it was necessary.

Are we all numb workers ritualizing our own daily drug habit? Probably yes, but still, a hot, strong coffee is a great help to wake up for the day.