Posted by
Sara on
Friday, December 27th, 2013 with
Comments Off on New Study Says That Eating Healthy at Work Requires Planning — Not Willpower Comments
Do you think willpower is the key to achieving your diet goals and keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Think again. A new study from the University of Lisbon reports that planning, not willpower, may be the secret to successfully changing your eating habits — especially in situations ripe with temptation, like the office.
The office can be a graveyard of good intentions.
Image source: flickr user UWW Resnet
Published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the study used detailed questionnaires to examine when and how participants ate healthy foods (fruits and vegetables). Over three weeks, more than 200 people described their eating habits, their intentions to eat healthy foods, their thoughts on how their health would be impacted if they ate more fruits and vegetables, their plans for meeting their goals, and their strategies for overcoming obstacles.
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Sara on
Thursday, December 26th, 2013 with
Comments Off on Corporate Wellness 101: 4 Keys to Creating a Healthy Workplace Comments
With health care costs rising alongside obesity rates (and related chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease), many companies are turning to corporate wellness programs to encourage employees to take better care of themselves. Wellness plans, when done right, can have a significant return on investment — many estimates suggest around $3 in savings for every $1 spent, mostly in terms of decreased health costs and lower absenteeism. The good news for smaller businesses is that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars or hire pricey consultants to achieve results.
Yesterday we talked about how America’s happiest companies make health and wellness a key principle in their workplaces. Today, we’ve outlined four key areas that are crucial to starting a successful corporate wellness program in any workplace.
Provide healthy catering options at work lunches — not just pizza and cupcakes.
Image source: flickr user foodswings
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Sara on
Wednesday, December 25th, 2013 with
Comments Off on From Corporate Catering to Wellness: What America’s Happiest Companies Have in Common Comments
The newly crowned happiest companies in America (according to rankings from CareerBliss.com) include a pharmaceutical giant, a health insurer, and whatever exactly GE is these days. What do they have in common? These companies understand key factors to employee happiness, like work-life balance, relationships between coworkers, growth opportunities, and work environment.
One other thing? With few exceptions, they all have really stellar workplace wellness programs and healthy corporate catering plans.
Healthy catered lunches are key to workplace wellness. Image source: flickr user frankfarm
Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company that claimed the top ranking for employee happiness, emphasizes on-site fitness centers, smoking cessation programs, and healthy cafeteria offerings as part of its “Healthy Pfizer” program. At Kaiser Permanente, the insurer who took #2, the companywide employee wellness program is centered around healthy choices: from stocking healthy food in vending machines to offering yoga classes on their campuses. GE even created an internal certification program for its numerous work campuses to be officially recognized as “HealthAhead” sites. With 50 measures ranging from smoke-free workplaces to nutritional labeling in cafeterias, GE places a huge emphasis on the personal choices employees can make to improve their overall health.
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Sara on
Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 with
Comments Off on Office Breakfast Ideas: Build Social Bonds, Increase Satisfaction, and Ditch the Donuts Comments
Looking for a double-whammy strategy to increase productivity and job satisfaction in your office? Consider implementing a casual, voluntary office breakfast once a week. It’s a relatively small investment with a potentially huge payoff — especially when you pay close attention to the scientific research and our resulting office breakfast ideas.
Socializing builds bonds and job satisfaction. Image source: flickr user Mesq
Employees who socialize together in the workplace tend to build stronger bonds. Stronger social bonds usually lead to higher job satisfaction, and we all know that job satisfaction means lower turnover. As Dr. Ben Waber, president of a workplace consulting firm, told the New York Times, “In general when we look at what makes people happy and effective at work, it’s being able to spend time with a close group of people. You need to structure work in such a way that people have those opportunities.”
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Sara on
Monday, December 23rd, 2013 with
Comments Off on Healthy Takeout: It Really Does Exist, and Here’s How to Order It Comments
If your takeout order typically arrives in a paper bag practically seeping grease from the bottom, you may want to rethink your delivery routine. You won’t even need to convince your coworkers to try the new health food place or refuse to partake when the boss orders pizza: just a few small adjustments can turn your lunch into a satisfying, delicious, and healthy takeout meal. Here are tips on how to navigate the most common takeout options without compromising your health.
Join in the office lunchtime fun without compromising on health.
Image source: flickr user massdistraction
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Sara on
Friday, December 20th, 2013 with
Comments Off on The 6 Biggest Food Trends of 2014 That Will Change Your Corporate Catering Routine Comments
If 2013 was the year of the cronut, then 2014 may be the year of the… bean?
Food writers, chefs, and consumer research firms are coming forth with their annual predictions for the next year’s food trends. Most trends have one thing in common: Americans are more concerned than ever about eating healthier foods, and restaurants and grocers are adjusting their offerings accordingly. For office managers and administrative staff who are placed in charge of corporate catering and keeping the workplace happy and well-fed, here are the top six food trends that may influence your company’s food programs in the coming year:
Nuts and other healthy snacks will be taking center stage in 2014.
Image source: flickr user TheTravellingBum
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Sara on
Thursday, December 19th, 2013 with
1 Comments
Looking for a way to increase engagement, build relationships, and keep your employees well-fed and happy? Take a lesson from Bitly and consider implementing a regular “lunch and learn” for the entire office.
A relaxed lunch and learn builds relationships and employee satisfaction in the office.
Image source: flickr user Tarnie
Bitly recently used their company blog to describe their weekly lunch and learn routine: “Every Wednesday, all of us (regardless of team, meetings, or schedule that day) will sit together over lunch to learn about —anything!” While the company is best known for something relatively simple (a link-shortening service), it’s clear that they have put a lot of thought and effort into the complex task of building a positive corporate culture.
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Sara on
Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 with
Comments Off on Eating for Energy At Work: How to Win the Blood Sugar Battle Comments
Picture this: you’re running late for work, so you stop at the corner coffee shop for a latte and a doughnut for breakfast. Half an hour later, the caffeine and sugar have done their trick, and you’re plowing through your inbox with gusto. But by eleven o’clock, you’re exhausted again. What happened to all that energy?
This innocent box of pastries could sabotage your energy levels.
Image source: flickr user avlxyz
Essentially, your energy levels have become a casualty of your own body’s natural methods to maintain equilibrium. Processed foods and refined carbohydrates, like those found in white bread, white pasta, and your morning doughnut, are broken down very quickly once eaten. This breakdown results in a burst of glucose flooding into your bloodstream, which raises your blood sugar levels and provides a boost of energy. That’s not so bad, right?
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Sara on
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 with
Comments Off on Surveys Show an Employee Appreciation Lunch May Be the Motivator You Need Comments
If your company’s idea of employee appreciation means a five-year pin or a ten-year watch — or worse, just a paycheck — chances are good that you’re missing out on a key way to motivate and retain your best workers.
Appreciation has long been recognized as key to a successful, positive workplace environment — and two new employee surveys are underscoring just how important that recognition can be to employees, as well as the most effective ways to get the message across.
Peer-to-peer recognition is important for creating a culture of appreciation! Image source: flickr user pedestrian saint
The first, a new study by online career site Glassdoor, confirms that appreciation from their boss is the most common motivator for employees — moreso than a demanding boss or the fear of job loss.
And the best way to show that appreciation? Well, a pay raise. But after that? Food!
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Posted by
Sara on
Monday, December 16th, 2013 with
Comments Off on Are Your Office Snacks Smart? New Study Shows Sugary Foods Can Damage Memory in Days Comments
Does your office keep a candy bowl in the break room, or bring in donuts for impromptu staff breakfasts? New evidence suggests you may not just be indulging your sweet tooth when you partake in sugary snacks at work: you might actually be harming your brain, and specifically your memory.
A recent study at the University of New South Wales in Sydney has generated new evidence that high-sugar diets can lead to memory loss, and much faster than previously thought. Researchers fed groups of rats distinct categories of diets, including some supplemented with sugar and fat. The resulting impact of the change was nearly immediate: rats who were fed high-sugar, high-fat diets experienced deterioration in memory and spatial recognition in less than a week.
Is your office snack table bad for your brain? Image source: flickr user NateOne
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