The coffee break, where did that come from? It was a necktie manufacturer out of Denver called Wigwam Weavers. Wigwam Weavers made these very intricate silk neckties and during World War II they lost all their best loom operators to the war effort, all men of course. Then they hired women to do it and they could do it beautifully, and these were very intricate patterns, very complicated looms. The women could do it really well but only for about four or five hours. So they called a meeting. The owner said to the workers, "what can we do? We have to improve your efficiency. We need more output." And the women said, "well give us some time at like 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon and give us some coffee and tea". So, he started these work breaks and overnight their productivity and efficiency goes up, quality control went up, so he institutes the Coffee Break.

Think about it. Your employer gives you a drug and then gives you time off in which to ingest it. Why would they do that? Because it contributes mightily to productivity. The coffee break may seem like it’s something your boss is giving you but it’s a way to extract more value from you.