Costa Rica: 3 p.m. Cafecito Coffee Huddle, Workday Ritual

3 p.m. Cafecito Coffee Huddle, Workday Ritual, Costa Rica

Context: Coffee & Pura Vida at Work

Costa Rica’s relationship with coffee runs deep. Introduced in the 18th century, coffee quickly became grano de oro (“golden bean”), fueling the economy and permeating social life *. Over generations, the afternoon cafecito evolved into a widely observed mid‑afternoon pause—often between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.—to sip and socialize, though timing and format vary by region and workplace. It’s as much about connection as caffeine: friends, family, and co-workers gather to share a cup (often with local snacks like crunchy bizcochos or sweet tamal asado) and trade stories *. This communal coffee break reflects the nation’s pura vida ethos of gratitude, balance, and optimism. Many workplaces—especially in the Central Valley—embrace it, and employers commonly provide short rest breaks in the morning and afternoon in addition to lunch. In a culture that often prizes relationships alongside productivity, the phrase “la hora del café es sagrada” (“the coffee hour is sacred”) rings true for many. A casual chat over coffee is often understood not as slacking but as a way many Costa Ricans strengthen trust and team harmony. Little wonder that sharing a cafecito with colleagues, amid lively conversation and laughter, is widely viewed as social glue in many communities. This custom is a common backdrop of working life in Costa Rica, where many people see community well‑being and productivity as complementary.

Meet Auxis Costa Rica

Auxis began life in 1997 as a boutique finance-and-accounting consultancy in Plantation, Florida, founded by former PwC partner Raúl Vega. Today it employs a little over 1 100 people worldwide and blends management consulting with business-process outsourcing for Fortune 1000 clients. Its flagship near‑shore delivery center sits in Zona Franca Zeta in Costa Rica’s Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), where time‑zone alignment and bilingual talent let support desks and RPA squads work in real time with North‑American customers. *

Culture has been a strategic lever from the start. The Costa Rican site, which locals dub “la casa de Pura Vida y procesos”, has earned Great Place to Work® certification three years running, spotlighting high scores in camaraderie and work-life balance. * One small but telling practice anchors that reputation: every afternoon around 3 p.m., teams are invited to pause for an optional cafecito, a widely observed Costa Rican ritual of sharing coffee, pastries, and conversation. Rather than treating the afternoon pause as ad hoc, Auxis turns it into a micro‑town‑hall where supervisors offer quick shout‑outs, engineers swap bug‑fix tips, and new hires learn first‑name informality over a chorreado brew, with participation voluntary and no performance signals tied to attendance. HR threads the ritual through onboarding and pulse surveys, framing it as “a daily trust reset,” and clarifying that any participation data are anonymous at the team level, not tied to individuals, and retained only as long as needed for the pilot.

In a service economy measured in tickets and SLAs, Auxis’ cafecito underscores a practical lesson for clients: relationships support performance. And a shared mid‑afternoon cup is one recognized way to build relationships in Costa Rica. * *

Cafecito Ritual — Step-by-Step

Minute	Scene	Purpose
0–5	Bell chimes; coffee brewing – Employees drift to the kitchen, set up chorreador filters, start pouring	Signal that work pauses; transition into social mode
5–15	Unstructured chat – Small groups form, chatting about life, weekend plans, soccer scores, or a funny news bit	Relationship building across teams; relaxed cross-talk
15–18	Top-up & treats – Grab a second pour, nibble on a shared pastry or fruit brought by a coworker’s family	Small acts of sharing; a touch of home at work
18–20	Wrap-up – Clinking mugs, a round of “¡Pura vida!” or “Gracias” as people head back	Positive closure, group energy before returning to tasks

(Some operations teams stagger their cafecito by a few minutes to keep phones covered, and leaders ensure all roles—including frontline, cleaning, and security—have an equivalent break during their shift. For hybrid teams, remote staff can join via a short optional video or chat with cameras optional and no recording, and on‑site spaces include seating and quiet cues for accessibility.)

Why It Works — Brewing Trust and Teamwork

As a short, shared pause with egalitarian mingling, shout‑outs, and a consistent cue, the daily cafecito can support relatedness, reciprocity, and micro‑recovery, which in turn may foster psychological safety, cross‑team ties, and smoother coordination. Psychologically, the shared pause can help flatten hierarchy—when a junior agent and a senior leader stand at the same counter pouring coffee, titles matter less and approachability increases. This egalitarian pause supports relatedness and belonging as colleagues share personal stories and jokes, reinforcing a sense of comunidad at work. “It all starts with a coffee,” as one Costa Rican diplomat quipped about doing business * – meaning deals and ideas flow smoother once trust is established. Cognitively, brief social pauses can enable micro‑recovery and incubation, which many people find helpful for creative thinking after returning to focused tasks. Research on microbreaks suggests that short social pauses are associated with better mood, reduced fatigue, and idea generation, although effects vary by job and context. Auxis’ managers have noticed similar patterns: tricky client issues raised over a 3 p.m. chat often draw spontaneous brainstorms from employees in other departments, which formal meetings might not tap. While caffeine can boost alertness for some, inclusive options like decaf, herbal tea, agua dulce, or water ensure everyone can participate, and it is the laughter and compañerismo (camaraderie) that many say rejuvenates the team. As an executive at Auxis eventually learned, taking a few minutes to breathe and bond each afternoon was not a luxury but a practical habit that supported a more committed, cooperative workforce. As one local supervisor explained, the team builds spirit through everyday interactions over coffee rather than relying only on off‑site workshops.

Outcomes & Impact

Auxis’ investment in a people-first culture is more than rhetoric. In 2021, 2022, and 2023 the San José delivery centre earned Great Place to Work® certification, with survey comments crediting “genuine camaraderie” and “daily cafecito chats” for making colleagues feel valued and heard. *

That sense of belonging has powered rapid growth. In August 2023 Auxis opened a larger facility in the América Free Zone (Heredia Province), scaling headcount toward 1 300 employees and announcing 500 new roles to meet surging demand for finance, IT‑support, and automation services. Executives publicly linked the expansion to high retention and referral rates inside the Costa Rican team. *

Employee wellbeing metrics climb in parallel. Many employers in Costa Rica provide two short rest breaks a day, and Auxis turns the afternoon pause into a structured social reset. In internal pulse checks, teams that report higher participation also report stronger engagement on average, while managers report smoother cross‑department problem‑solving in the hour that follows the break. *

Clients feel the difference. Site tours timed for 3 p.m. have helped close deals on several occasions: prospects witness a floor buzzing with relaxed yet energized staff, sipping chorreador brew and swapping ideas. As one visiting COO later remarked, a team that collaborates informally over coffee is likely to collaborate on business priorities as well. In a country where coffee is widely seen as bringing people together, the ritual both honors local culture and supports high‑quality service. *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Honor local rituals	Adapting home-grown traditions builds trust and respect	When adapting cafecito, credit its Costa Rican origins and pronunciation, and make respectful space for a local equivalent that fits your team.
Protected pause	Short breaks recharge focus and spur creativity	Offer a voluntary 10–15 minute team pause with clear opt‑in and socially safe opt‑out; treat the time as protected for those who opt in.
Egalitarian mingling	Informal settings dissolve hierarchy, boosting openness	Encourage leaders to participate on equal footing and avoid monitoring or tracking individual attendance.
Shared nourishment	Food and drink create comfort and connection	Offer inclusive beverage options (including decaf, tea, and water) and optional snacks with dietary labels, and avoid expecting employees to bring or serve food.
Consistent cadence	Rituals gain power through regularity, not rarity	Pilot the practice 2–3 times per week for 6–8 weeks, then adjust cadence by team based on feedback and coverage constraints.

Implementation Playbook

Choose a cultural anchor. Auxis centered its ritual on the chorreador, a wooden drip stand iconic in Costa Rican homes. If you borrow this ritual, credit its Costa Rican origins, share a pronunciation guide (“cafecito” = kah‑feh‑SEE‑toh), consider sourcing coffee or a chorreador from Costa Rican cooperatives or fair‑trade roasters, avoid branding national symbols or “pura vida,” and consider partnering with Costa Rican culture‑bearers for a short demo.
Fix the clock. Lock the break into the schedule with coverage plans (e.g., staggered windows) and a gentle, accessible cue (visual or low‑volume), and start with a 6–8 week pilot at 2–3 times per week for 12–15 minutes. Consistency turns habit into heritage.
Lead from the top. Senior managers pour coffee shoulder‑to‑shoulder with analysts, while making clear that attendance is voluntary, no one is penalized for opting out, and a quiet or walking break is a fully valid alternative. Presence signals that human connection is business.
Keep it unstructured. No slide decks or ice‑breakers—just conversation and optional shout‑outs for small wins—in small groups of 6–12, with accessible spaces and seating and no expectation that employees bring or serve food.
Extend to remote staff. For hybrid teams, open a short optional video or chat room so WFH colleagues can join with their mugs and emojis, with cameras optional and no recording.
Measure & iterate. Name an accountable owner, facilitator, comms lead, and data steward; share a one‑page note linking to strategy and origin credit; and track anonymous team‑level indicators (belonging and psychological safety short items, cross‑team help requests or ticket resolves per week, and post‑break handoff defects) with a simple data plan (no individual attendance, raw data retained 90 days), plus stop rules (<40% opt‑in or any safety incident) and clear decision points at 6–8 weeks.

Common Pitfalls

Treating the break as “lost productivity” letting hierarchy creep back in (executives skipping the ritual), or over-formalising the agenda. Guard the informal, unscripted nature that makes cafecito effective.
Treating the break as wasted time: Leaders who hover, monitor attendance, or hurry people back to work will undermine trust and create pressure to participate. Commit fully to the protected pause for those who opt in—the work will still be there after 10–15 minutes, likely with a fresher team to tackle it.
Over-formalizing the fun: Don’t turn the coffee break into a meeting in disguise. No agendas, no forced icebreakers. The value is in informal, unscripted interactions.
Ignoring cultural cues: In global teams, one size might not fit all. Be mindful of local norms, shift and prayer times, dietary needs, and accessibility (e.g., offer non‑caffeinated options, quiet spaces, and seating). The goal is a unifying pause, whatever form it takes.

Reflection & Call to Action

The humble coffee break in Costa Rica teaches a powerful lesson: investing a few minutes each day in genuine human connection can transform workplace culture. What seems like “just coffee” is in fact a strategic ritual, one that builds trust, loyalty, and collaboration alongside daily work. Whether your team is in Boston or Bengaluru, you can draw inspiration from la hora del café while crediting its Costa Rican origins and adapting respectfully. Find your equivalent of the cafecito: a voluntary practice that brings people together beyond their roles, including caffeine‑free or non‑food options. It could be a mid-morning stretch, a group lunch table, or a 4 p.m. tea circle. Protect it for those who opt in, encourage inclusive participation, and watch as your team’s cohesion and morale improve. As Auxis’ story shows, habits that put people first are never a waste of time. In the end, the teams that pause together progress together. So tomorrow, consider slowing down and, if you wish, sharing a cup or a quiet walk with your colleagues. In that simple act, you may encourage the kind of engagement and innovation that no amount of overtime can buy—and appreciate a bit of the pura vida spirit with respect.