The Ultimate Employee Benefit: Beer in the Workplace

By Kim Schimke

I am almost certain that the liquid in the phrase “creative juices” is directly referring to beer. I have no evidence, call it intuition. Because I am a supporter of beer and am supportive of an innovative, happy workplace, I am compelled to present my case for why craft beer belongs in the office. Beer makes people happy. Content employees are more productive. Ergo, providing one’s employees with a sudsy, hopped beverage leads to a greater return on investment (ROI), higher output of widgets, acts as a retention strategy, and encourages company compliance. Allow me to state the facts.

Randstad Staffing has recently released their Employee Engagement Index. 54% of employees ranked recognition of their efforts as one of the most important components that impact how they feel about their job. What is a good reward? Beer. It is easy to find, supply, and cost-efficient. One-in-five individuals report their employers don’t make an effort to engage their employees. We know that beer is a social beverage. A higher level of socialization sparks participation. Increased participation correlates to employee engagement. There, problem solved. Only 54% of employees think morale is high in their workplace. You know what would boost that percentage? Beer. Hops, water, barley, and yeast are ingredient for success. Though an employee may be ambitious, his or her performance will suffer if their work environment is not a supportive one. If a tall glass of an Imperial Stout doesn’t say ‘I support you, you are amazing, you are the most kick-ass employee who has ever worked for this company,’ I don’t know what does.

You may be thinking that I simply used a Randstad brochure to arbitrarily utilize the percentages to work in my favor for my ‘beer in the workplace’ argument. Well, your assumption would be accurate. However, I feel my points are no less salient. Yelp has a Kegbot that dispense beer. CrowdFlower has a fridge of beer. Is it a coincidence that these thriving organizations provide their employees with beer and are successful? No, no it is not. As an employer, high turnover is a pain in the ass. Implementing an effective retention strategy is crucial. Again, the answer is so simple. Providing craft brews is a reason to come in to work. So why would an employee that has a delicious Saison available to them for eight hours a day choose to leave the institution that supplies that draft? No logical human being. If you are an employer, I implore you to explore craft beer distribution in your workplace. All organizational ills can be cured by a pint.