In times of recession, it can be the little things that really affect morale. And anecdotally, more and more people are reporting that removing the company water cooler to cut costs can have serious negative consequences!
"People forget that the water cooler is more than a cold drink," says Tina Dacin, director of the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Queen's University School of Business in America.
"Nowadays, organizations deal with problems that are complex, multi-dimensional. You need lots of people to come together and chat and share good ideas. When you take away the water cooler, where do people come together?"
Water Cooler and office well-being
Of course providing a water cooler for your office doesn't just provide potential morale improvements – taking breaks and drinking water has a huge number of benefits for company and office worker, including:
- Increased productivity
- Improved morale
- Decreased absenteeism
- Reduced injury claims and health benefit costs
- Improved corporate culture and image
- Lower employee turnover rates
At Eden we're dedicated to improving Well-Being@Work through our dedicate website. And don't forget that the Eden Springs virtual water cooler blog is here to give you the latest water cooler chat.