Rediscovering simple pleasures of being back at the office

Over the best part of this year, many have adapted to working from home, leveraging video conferencing tools for virtual meetings and tapping on cloud-based technologies for collaborative projects. With the COVID-19 situation stabilising here, more and more staff are slowly returning to the workplace as Singapore's economy re-opens.

For those well-accustomed to working remotely, it might take some adjusting to get back in the groove of a typical day at the office. After all, it's been so long since most of us had to commute to the office that a regular work day on-site seems like a distant memory - one that is well worth rediscovering.

For starters, the ergonomic design of workplaces will bring welcome relief. Built to boost the efficiencies and well-being of employees, they optimise productivity and business performance via features such as height-adjustable desks, chairs with proper lumbar and neck support, or something as simple as ample natural light or pockets of greenery that inject a sense of serenity.

Another pillar of office life is the people. While working from home offers some conveniences, it does not have the ease of a quick brainstorm huddle at a colleague's desk, or nipping into a room to discuss a campaign idea. Cultivating robust engagement among employees has also been known to establish a healthy office culture, and improve productivity that ultimately leads to higher profitability.

Employees who develop friendly relationships with each other work better together. Face-to-face interactions are still crucial in fostering collaborations and synergies in the workplace that spark creativity and new ideas - often over a cuppa, or two.

Anna Haotanto, Partner & COO at ABZD Capital, says: "What a lot of people like is having face-to-face interaction with their colleagues. They like the social aspect of meeting and having debates and discussions with their colleagues, as well as separating their work and personal lives."

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Brewing meaningful connections over coffee

What's arguably the biggest perk of the workplace? A good office pantry. The biggest social space, the pantry is where people gravitate to - as part of the morning routine, at lunch time or when one needs to catch a breather in between hectic meetings.

Ong Choon Fah, Chief Executive Officer, Edmund Tie & Company, says: "It's in those unintended moments of making small talk when ideas start to spark and have that 'aha' moment in the pantry. It may be less formal but it's a very important part of the creative process."

In view of safe-distancing measures, getting your dose of java is now more convenient without having to leave the office or waiting at coffee joints during peak periods.

Nespresso Professional, which offers cafe-quality coffee and high-performance coffee machines, has the perfect solution. Its range of intuitively-designed machines can brew numerous hot and cold coffee and milk recipes with a nifty touch of a button. With its two-head extraction system that brews two cups of coffee at a time, Nespresso Professional's coffee machines can meet the daily high-volume usage in offices.

Similar to Nespresso's home range, the ground coffee beans are also packed in hermetically sealed capsules, which preserve the freshness and aroma of the java.

Over the years, Nespresso has come to be renowned for its consistently high-quality coffee and consistency of its coffee. It is served in more than three out of every 10 Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants in Singapore, and is the preferred coffee for many four- and five-starred hotels here.

And while some have Nespresso coffee machines in their home kitchens, many more can now get their caffeine fix in the office - Nespresso Professional's state-of-the-art coffee machines are also built for corporate cuppa moments.

Office breaks can now have a welcoming highlight: a quick catch-up with colleagues savouring intensely aromatic coffee from roasted beans crowned with a thick frothy layer of milk. Arabica and Robusta beans are expertly sourced from around the world and produces Nespresso's diverse coffee flavour range, from floral and fruity to complex notes of cocoa and toasted cereal. There are 13 types of coffee blends to be enjoyed at any time of the day; make a variety of coffees from Ristretto, Espresso or Lungo to Cappuccino or Latte Macchiato at the press of a button. Coffee cherries are handpicked to ensure that only the correctly ripened, best tasting coffee cherries are harvested. Skilled and passionate coffee experts conduct more than 70 quality checks from farm to cup to guarantee the quality of both the green coffee beans and the finished product.

When you choose Nespresso Professional, you choose aromatic high-quality coffee that your employees and guests taste in every cup. Serving cup after cup of flavourful java, Nespresso Professional impresses even the most discerning coffee connoisseur.

Drinking to a sustainable future

As we adapt to the new normal of work life with the gradual re-opening of offices in the coming months, it is comforting to know that some things such as bonding over a quintessential cuppa will always remain around.

And while enjoying your caffeine boost, you can also do your bit for the environment.

Don't throw away Nespresso's coffee capsules after making a cuppa - the capsules, which are made of aluminium, are infinitely recyclable. On top of creating a sustainable coffee movement, Nespresso also gives a new lease of life to coffee capsules and used coffee grounds in its local recycling programme.

The aluminium from capsules are remelted and made into second-life items such as pens and bicycle frames, while the coffee grounds are used as compost for growing vegetables at Sky Greens, a local vertical farm.

So make the time to recycle your capsules and coffee grounds thoughtfully. Arrangements can be made for recycling bags containing used coffee capsules to be picked up from offices.

Visit the Nespresso Professional website to find out more about its range of coffees, machines and services for your office and sign up for a trial today.