The Uses of Coffee in Highly Demanding Work Contexts: Managing Rhythms, Sleep, and Performance

Elsa Pegado (), Carla Rodrigues, Hélder Raposo and Ana I. Fernandes
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Elsa Pegado: Iscte—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIES-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Carla Rodrigues: Iscte—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIES-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Hélder Raposo: Iscte—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIES-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Ana I. Fernandes: CiiEM—Interdisciplinary Research Center Egas Moniz, Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Quinta da Granja, Monte de Caparica, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: This paper presents a sociological approach to coffee consumption as a performance management strategy in work contexts, particularly in professions with intense work rhythms and highly responsive demands. Focusing on the daily work of three professional groups (nurses, police officers, and journalists), we analyze the social expression of coffee and how it is mobilized to deal with sleep problems, fatigue, concentration, or stress. For this purpose, three intertwined dimensions are explored: (1) the nature of these professionals’ work and the pressures for certain forms and levels of performance; (2) sleep problems as both a result of those work characteristics and a constraint on performance; and (3) the role of coffee in managing professional imperatives. The use of coffee appears as a legitimate practice in everyday working routines, due to its socializing markers, whereas additional benefits are attributed to the pharmacological properties of caffeine, given the perceived improvement in performance. The empirical data derive from a study carried out in Portugal on the use of medicines and food supplements for performance management, following a mixed methods approach. In particular, data from a questionnaire survey in a sample of 539 workers and information collected through seven focus groups with a total of 33 participants were used.

Keywords: coffee; caffeine; sleep; performance management; work contexts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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