It’s not a negative practice [Video]

Love it, hate it or wished it stayed under wraps, the secret on coffee badging is out, and not everyone is a fan.

Coffee badging, or the act of going into the office for a few hours to show face, then finishing the remainder of the workday from home or another location, took off in the last year after a 2023 report showed a majority of hybrid workers were in on the act.

But the latest report from Owl Labs, the videoconferencing tech-maker, found that the share of people working in this way dropped in the last year to 44% from 58%.

Some have faced repercussions: 70% of workers said they’ve been caught coffee badging by their bosses, and 16% are now required to be in the office for the full day.

That said, a majority, 59%, of coffee badgers said their boss doesn’t mind.

“There shouldn’t be a negative connotation to coffee badging,” says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs, …