Encouraging Productivity: Why to Offer Healthy Office Snacks as Part of an Incentive Plan
Posted by Amelia K. on Monday, September 15th, 2014 with 3 Comments
Providing healthy office snacks has great health benefits and can encourage your staff to be more productive at work.
Photo credit: Flickr user SweetOnVeg
In the past, providing food perks beyond the office coffee and occasional donut day was something that most companies simply didn’t think about. But with our nation’s move toward a more healthy lifestyle – and a workplace that’s conducive to that style of living – more and more employers are choosing to provide healthier snack options to their staff. And it’s not just an office perk to attract bright, young talent to the table. Providing nutritious snacks at the office can encourage your staff to eat better.
Studies have shown that when employees have access to healthy office snacks as a perk to their job, they take less sick time, are more productive, and are less likely to become ill due to a cold or the flu. With the reduction in illnesses, many employers also see a drop in their health care expenses. And if that’s got your attention, here are some best practices you should consider when adding any kind of meal program to your office benefits package.
Be aware of food allergies
With food allergies and sensitivities on the rise, it’s important to understand what your staff can and cannot eat. For most offices, conducting an informal survey with your team can help you navigate choosing the right foods to offer. This doesn’t mean that every snack you offer has to perfectly align with one person’s restrictions – just that you should offer an easy alternative to snacks that contain common allergens. Options can also help encourage more people to take advantage of the program and see it as a great benefit to working for your company.
Fuel your staff
High fat foods take a long time for the average person to digest and sugary snacks can cause a quick spike in energy followed by a crash – limiting long term productivity for the day. Offering a variety of snacks that provide the right combination of protein, nutrients, and antioxidants is a great way to help your staff get over an energy slump, boost brainpower, and stay focused on their work. The best options to consider are the foods you hear about most frequently when it comes to healthy eating: different types of trail mixes, dark chocolate, fruits, and raw veggies.
Consider snack catering
With how busy you are, it can seem overwhelming to also have to plan healthy office snacks for all of your employees every day. Waiter.com makes the process easier on you through our catering and menu planning service. We can actually plan healthy meals for your office and have them delivered to your office every day – helping you continue to promote a healthy office environment without needing to put the legwork into providing the snacks each day. Getting started is simple – simply let us know what kind of program you’re looking to create, any restrictions of which we should be aware, and how frequently you want healthy food delivered to your office. We do the rest – and you get the credit!
A more productive workplace
Building a healthier workplace does more than just promote wellness for your employees – it actually helps decrease the business’ bottom line over time. Providing the right kind of snacks can get your employees excited about coming to work and push them to be more focused when they’re in the office, which means your company will be more productive as well. And with more companies than ever before offering office perks like this, adding a snack program to your office will certainly increase your company’s street cred with recruits.
When you’re ready to offer healthier snack options for your staff, Waiter.com can help – fill out this short form and we’ll get a plan for your business started today!
When it comes to feeding employees and coworkers, make your company's food program really count! If your workplace dining plan needs to take it up a notch — or if you don't have one at all — Waiter.com is here to help. From Virtual Cafeteria Service to diverse menus to local takeout & delivery, Waiter.com offers customizable dining solutions for every business and budget. Contact us today to get started!
As someone who has worked in the nutrition field as well as a corporate office job, I can attest to the fact that what employees consume throughout the day greatly impacts job performance. People are often rushing around during lunch to get something in their stomachs, so they’ll choose a carb-laden sub, MSG and sugar-laden Chinese take-out, or whatever other quick fast food fix that’ll hit the spot… the result? Sluggishness. And, as we all know, sluggishness is the antithesis to a productive worker. I feel that if a company offers healthy snacks to their employees, it will satiate their appetites and encourage them to eat something both lighter and healthier for lunch.
This is very true, Dan – and a great testimonial to offices offering the right foods for their employees!
I really like your tip on considering sack catering! Employees can get really excited about getting free food, so it is important that everything goes really smoothly. Plus, I think it shows employees that you care when you’re willing to have a company cater to them.