Iced coffee has become the latest unlikely subject of workplace controversy.
TikTok users are debating whether bringing iced coffee to a job interview is a harmless caffeine fix or a frosty professional faux pas.
The discourse became heated enough to reach LinkedIn News on Friday, where LinkedIn news editor Rachel Kleinman described it as a “fiery debate lighting up social media.”
While some recruiters said arriving with a drink in hand could appear distracting or disrespectful, others questioned why a simple attempt to remain caffeinated should have any bearing on a candidate’s ability to do the job.
Three career experts told Business Insider that the answer depends on whom you ask, and perhaps how much condensation is dripping from the cup.
Dr. Colleen Batchelder, founder and CEO of Indiviti, a consulting firm that helps Gen Z break into the workforce, told Business Insider that if iced coffee is really a dealbreaker, a recruiter may need to make it clear in the interview invitation.
“This generation is pushing for workplace boundaries, fair pay, and work-life balance. For them, bringing iced coffee to a job interview isn’t a sign of disrespect. It’s just a beverage,” Batchelder said of Gen Zers in the workforce.
“There’s a huge gap right now between what Gen Z sees as normal and what hiring managers expect, so the tension is high,” Batchelder added.
Job hunting professionals have mixed opinions
Amanda Augustine, a career expert at Careerminds, where she also serves as the company’s spokesperson, told Business Insider she would finish the drink before walking inside, partly because it introduces several avoidable risks.
“You don’t want it to be distracting,” Augustine said. “Your hand’s going to be cold, your hand might be wet. That’s not a great impression when you’re shaking somebody’s hand. You might have the coffee breath. And if you’re clumsy and nervous, you could spill it.”
The blanket advice of never bringing a beverage, however, feels “a little outdated” to Augustine, and the expectation highly depends on what kind of job you’re applying for.
“I’ve worked in a lot of startups, and the coffee and the various machines we had were ridiculous,” said Augustine. “The first startup I worked at, we had a taste-testing competition to decide which power drinks we were going to keep in the kitchen for the tech guys and gals that were working all night.”
Still, candidates with doubts should leave the latte behind, Augustine said. Instead, Augustine said her advice would be to accept the interviewer’s drink, which could create an opportunity to visit the break room, observe the office, and gather clues about the company’s culture.
Steve Levy, the principal talent sourcing partner at Form Energy, was far less concerned.
“Are you so fixated on whether somebody drinks iced coffee that you’re losing sight of the fact that your role’s still unfilled 90 days later?” Levy told Business Insider. “It is such a non-issue. Do you hire people to get stuff done, or do you spend your time policing their beverage choices?”
Levy said employers have long rejected qualified people over criteria that have little to do with performance, from tattoos to academic credentials. Treating iced coffee as disqualifying is simply another bias, he said.
“Is your goal to be the keeper of the corporate morality, or is it to hire people who can create amazing things and deliver incredible performance?” Levy said, adding that a “homogenous office culture” would “malform” the genetics of a workplace.
Levy said that workplace norms evolve with society, such as the fact that few employees wear three-piece suits to the office anymore.
As for iced coffee, Levy said he would only have one question for an applicant walking in with one: “Did you bring some for me?”
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