You’ve got the coffee (but not the job)

Next time you set about interviewing new barstaff, bear in mind a recent survey by Eden Springs, Europe’s largest provider of workplace beverages.

Businesses could be putting off nearly a third of potential employees by overlooking simple gestures such as offering them a good quality hot drink or glass of water at the interview stage. This is just one of the findings from its (hardly startling) new research conducted with job-seekers looking at the role of beverages in business.

The findings follow news in the UK that recruiters struggled to fill posts for skilled workers last Summer. According to figures from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation/KPMG, the number of high quality candidates looking for a new role fell at its steepest rate last year in August.

The survey – conducted with UK workers currently looking for new job opportunities – found that nearly a third (31%) of potential candidates believed that being offered a quality cup of coffee or tea on arrival helped them to form a good impression of a company. Yet 18% of job hunters don’t get offered a drink at all at the interview stage. Imagine!

Moreover, the provision of good quality drinks at work far outweighed other workplace package benefits such as gym membership, found the survey. Only 2% and 6% of candidates respectively said that subsidised gym membership and child-care vouchers could affect their decision to accept a role.

Conversely, nearly half (45%) of respondents said access to a quality brew in the workplace was very important.

“In the current candidate-led job market, interviewees are judging employers on many factors,” said Raanan Zilberman, Eden Springs’ Chief Executive, “Particularly in niche markets that are plagued by skills shortages, prospective employees across the UK can afford to pick and choose their next step.

“We believe that being able to offer candidates a choice of high quality hot and cool drinks could give employers the edge throughout today’s competitive recruitment process in which every potential benefit counts. Employers shouldn’t underestimate the importance of good hospitality in a difficult marketplace.”

So now you know.