Performing communi-tea

Abstract

The morning tea break performs several useful and evidence-based functions, in providing a space for networking and exchanging information, for building relationships, and for reducing stress. However, in a higher education context predicated on outputs and performance, the time spent in talking to colleagues over a cuppa is often considered a wasteful indulgence, and even harder to organise meaningfully with our post-Covid hybrid patterns of working. In an audit culture, how can the qualitative value of social relations be recognised, cultivated and strengthened, so that we might all benefit from the productivity that inevitably follows? Questions: How do we make space in our week to get to know each other as people? What are the best methods for developing and maintaining a collaborative workplace community for hybrid workers? Is coffee ever an acceptable substitute for tea?