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Lucie Mitchell

Sift Media

Freelance journalist and former editor of HRZone

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Hold a coffee morning to engage employees

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The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, a fundraising event organised by Macmillan Cancer Support, is being seen as an excellent tool for team building and boosting staff morale.

As one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK, Macmillan is encouraging employers to hold a coffee morning in the workplace on Friday 25 September 2009, to raise money for the charity and engage staff in a common cause.
 
The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is supported by businesses of all sizes and over 50,000 coffee mornings are expected to be held across the country this year. One organisation taking part is npower. Carol Hart, community involvement manager at the company, said:
 
"We’ve been supporting the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning since 2004 and with almost all of our employees taking part, it’s something that is very important to the business. I’d recommend it to any business or workplace."
 
Dragons Den’s Deborah Meaden is helping Macmillan to raise awareness of the business benefits of participating in the event:
 
"It is easy in this digital age to forget just how important face-to-face contact is in business," she said. "There couldn’t be an easier way to get your colleagues together and build relationships than joining the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. And the icing on the cake is that all the money raised will help Macmillan reach and improve the lives of over two million people living with cancer in the UK."
 
Macmillan provides essential information, expert medical care, emotional support and financial help not only to people diagnosed with cancer but also their family and carers. To find out how to make your coffee count, visit www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee or call 0207 840 4993.

2 Responses

  1. Protecting time to chat with your coworkers?
    I am not sure if a charity coffee morning will help build teams but giving employees “permission” to stop and have a chat might be just what they need. I worked in organisations where our time was billed to clients so any sort of break had to be factored in. The fundraising/coffee morning type events supported by my employer gave me the chance to meet people I rarely, if ever, got to speak to. Strong internal networks must benefit business so events like these could actually form an important part of building those networks. And of course help good causes in the process.

  2. Questionable
    ,,,,is being seen as an excellent tool for team building and boosting staff morale.

    You sure, where’s the quantifiable evidence that it builds teams? Most staff seem to think it an excellent excuse to sit around, drink coffee and have a chat.

    Shirkers unite?

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Lucie Mitchell

Freelance journalist and former editor of HRZone

Read more from Lucie Mitchell
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