Meet John.
John works for a large enterprise with a recent return-to-office mandate. Like many employees, John enjoys his flexible work setup. But now John has to show up at the office three times a week. The company’s leadership thinks in-person collaboration boosts productivity and culture. And John? He believes productivity flows just fine from his home office — complete with his sweatpants and espresso machine.
So what does John do? He becomes a coffee badger.
What’s coffee badging?
Coffee badging is the clever — albeit sneaky — practice of showing up at the office just long enough to brew up a presence, swipe in, grab a latte, wave at a few colleagues and make your way back home. It’s the modern-day Houdini act, fueled by caffeine and questionable attendance tracking.
John isn’t alone. Across industries, employees are finding ways to minimize their office time. Many organizations want people back in the office but attendance systems aren’t built to verify actual presence beyond a card swipe. This leaves HR teams, managers and facilities scratching their heads while John sips his flat white back home.
The problem: lack of trust, accountability and unity in traditional PACS
Here’s the thing: physical access control systems (PACS) were designed to let people in, not monitor how long they stay on-site. A quick badge tap registers as “John was here” – even if John left ten minutes later. For organizations trying to enforce hybrid policies or full returns, coffee badging creates a productivity blind spot. Attendance data lacks accuracy and, without insights into on-site behavior, leadership can’t measure who’s adhering to policies.
Worse yet? This isn’t just an HR issue; it impacts security and operational planning too. Empty desks, unmonitored access points and inaccurate occupancy data disrupt everything from office management to security protocols.
Enter Alert Enterprise Guardian
Alert Enterprise’s Guardian platform steps in to bridge the gap — transforming PACS into a smart, identity-driven solution used for more than logging badge swipes. Here’s how it helps:
Intelligent Attendance Tracking Guardian doesn’t just track entry; it monitors presence and duration. By leveraging integration with existing PACS, visitor management systems and IoT devices, Guardian provides visibility into how long an employee stays on-site. If John badges in at 9:00 a.m. and badges out at 9:10 a.m., Guardian flags it faster than you can say “venti Americano.”
AI-Powered Anomaly Detection Guardian uses AI to identify behavior patterns and anomalies. If John makes a habit of quick ins and outs on mandated office days, Guardian sounds the alarm. This isn’t about micromanagement; it’s about visibility and accountability.
Flexible, Policy-Driven Insights Organizations can customize attendance policies with Guardian, defining minimum on-site hours or specific zones employees must access. Simply entering the lobby isn’t enough; Guardian ensures individuals like John spend enough time in the workspace.
Physical and Digital Access Discrepancy Detection Guardian connects physical badging data with digital access systems, ensuring consistency between an employee’s physical location and their digital activity. If John badges into the office but logs into his laptop from home shortly after, Guardian flags the discrepancy.
Enhanced Security Coffee badging isn’t just a productivity problem — it can be a security risk. Unauthorized tailgating, cloned badges, or incomplete access logs can compromise safety. Guardian validates real identity, ensuring credentials aren’t being misused.
Why it matters
Companies are investing in beautiful office spaces, collaborative tools and in-person culture-building. If employees are circumventing these efforts through coffee badging, it erodes trust, wastes resources and disrupts company goals. Guardian gives leaders the tools to understand office attendance trends, address gaps and define accountability needs.
For employees like John, Guardian introduces a gentle nudge toward compliance. Instead of stepping away from office policies, John can re-engage with his colleagues, enjoy his coffee at the office and rediscover the benefits of in-person work.
The bottom line
Coffee badging may be in right now, but with Alert Enterprise Guardian, it doesn’t have to be your organization’s reality. By turning PACS data into intelligent insights, Guardian ensures employees are showing up and staying, balancing workplace flexibility with company mandates.
So go ahead, enjoy your coffee. But maybe this time, invite a colleague to enjoy it with you as you brainstorm new concepts together.
