There is little chance that you have ever been to an office without a coffee machine. Maybe even as small as the chance of winning the State Lottery. After all, the coffee machine is a symbol for chance meetings and fulfils many different functions. Not only can colleagues experience the connection of discussing a weekend at the coffee machine, but there will always be the long-cherished desire to meet George Clooney there. 

Since this year, that long-cherished desire for George is further away than ever. Hybrid working is gaining in popularity, with the result that not only the office, but also the coffee machine is receiving fewer visitors.

Wanted: digital coffee machine

When people are in the office, they can feel the energy of being together. People also experience a sense of common purpose in the office by bumping into colleagues and talking about goals achieved, new developments and strategy. When colleagues are physically separated, some of this can still take place virtually, but it will drastically reduce. In addition, it shows research shows that employees in a remote setting experience a lack of perspective. From a remote setting, the direction of the organisation is naturally more likely to be overlooked and you are less likely to know what colleagues are doing. 

So the office coffee machine actually fulfilled many more functions than we initially thought possible. Functions that ensure that employees remain involved and perform well. And what did we find out? All that caffeine really does give employees a boost. Fortunately, there are plenty of performance management tools available that can act as digital coffee machines. 

As with the purchase of a coffee machine, first make an inventory of the required functionalities. Do you only want good coffee, or also a nice cappuccino? This can be tricky and time-consuming, which is why we're helping you on your way by dividing these tools into three clear categories:   

1. Coffee type: The Talker

Create an open working culture by using a feedback tool. Experience that employees talk to each other about the performance delivered, which leads to more involvement and even higher retention. This can create a continuous feedback culture within the organisation, even when employees start working in a hybrid format. What are the benefits?

• Employee development

• Increase in commitment 

• More connection 

• Increase in business productivity  

2. Coffee type: The Learner

Through clearly defined organisational - and personal - goals 

employees can perform optimally. With the help of a performance management system, objectives are clear to everyone and employees can easily give and receive feedback. You can seamlessly integrate this data into the HR cycle, allowing you to evaluate employees on the basis of substantive information. The benefits?   

• Save valuable time

• Increase performance and engagement 

• Create a real-time understanding 

• Evaluate efficiently and fairly  

3. Coffee type: The Happy One 

Develop a strategy for your employee engagement and make sure you are in touch with your employees. Make feedback and ideas from employees transparent and show that the organisation is working on them. That increases employee engagement. With engagement tooling, this process runs digitally, efficiently and effectively. The result?

• Increase in commitment 

• Bottom-up management

• Valuable insights 

• Prevention of outflow 

Are you ready to Unfurl?

For many people, the coffee machine will have a special meaning in the office. The symbol of chance meetings serves many people - besides coffee - a smile. The hybrid way of working - which many organisations are embracing - means that we have to look for a digital coffee machine. This allows employees to still be in contact with each other, even if they are not in the office. In addition, we recommend simply hiring George Clooney once at a company party, so that the long-cherished dream of all your employees will still come true. 

Do you want to know more about selecting the right tooling? Or about a correct implementation of a performance management tool? We would love to have a digital cup of coffee with you! Press 'Let's Unfurl' to contact us.