Food is good for the body, the mind, the soul — and the business?
It might not be common knowledge, but companies that feed their employees snacks throughout the day enjoy a whole host of benefits that foodless companies rarely see. Maybe that’s why companies are investing more into office snacks — most spend an average of $3-$8 a day per employee! If that sounds high, then consider this: Naturebox offers an unlimited snack package for just $20 a month per employee. Why spend more than $200 a month when a mere $20 gets you better snacks and better service for less than the cost of a candy bar per day for each employee?
Check out a few of the many benefits that companies enjoy when they provide healthy snacks in the office:
- Increased Camaraderie
Stop lamenting the time employees spend away from their desks and start encouraging them to take regular trips to the breakroom. According to Psychology Today, the “water cooler effect” of employees hanging out away from their desks boosts productivity by up to 15 percent.
Employees see people in breakrooms they don’t see around their desks. A member of the customer service team might spend a few minutes chatting with someone from marketing. That interaction might help the service rep better explain an offering to customers or help the marketer come up with a brilliant new campaign. Even if nothing comes of it, connections between coworkers increase employee satisfaction.
How to lure employees to the break room, though? It’s obvious — healthy, delicious snacks. People with the munchies get to pig out, while those on diets can indulge without talking themselves into a cheat day.
- Lower Absenteeism
Workplace absenteeism costs employers around $3,600 per year for hourly workers and $2,650 per year for salaried employees. Add up the number of people in the office and those numbers get worryingly substantial.
Healthy snacks help employees lead healthier lives at work and at home. Some employees discover healthy snacks at the office and replace their chips and cookies with something better. Others use their snack time at work as an excuse to cut out at-home snacking altogether.
Better food options at work lead to better eating habits. Better eating habits lead to healthier people. Healthier people take fewer sick days. When it comes to saving money, healthy snacks at work are a no-brainer.
- Higher Productivity
Smarter snacks don’t just keep people at work for more days of the year — they also make employees more productive in the office.
Many people chug energy drinks or indulge in candy in the early morning and after lunch. However, not all snacks are created equal. Unhealthy snacks lead to sugar crashes and low energy, while healthy snacks provide sustainable, effective sources of power.
Employees would love to snack healthier, but it takes time to research healthy snacks and shop for them. Even when they have healthy snacks at home, most employees don’t bring snacks to work, leaving them at the mercy of the vending machine. Give workers the healthy snacks they want and watch productivity soar.
- Stronger Recruitment
Millennials feel strongly about healthy eating. Gen Z feels even more strongly about the issue, and with the newest generation entering the workforce, employers need to pay attention.
The latest generation to graduate is redefining healthy eating. Gen Z members grew up in a world where nutritional information was always a click away. Now that they’re moving out on their own, members of Gen Z are eager to put their healthy habits to practice — and they’re looking for employers to help them.
Showcase unlimited healthy snacks as a premier office perk for prospective employees. Not many companies can compete with the free breakfast, lunch, and dinner that companies like Facebook and Google offer, but they don’t need to. Plenty of Gen Z members would prefer not to work at a megacorporation. Where they ultimately land depends on the perks the employer offers — and what better perk than healthy snacks on demand?
Let the other companies starve their employees or feed them junk food. They can enjoy the sluggishness of malnourishment while your teams enjoy the myriad benefits of round-the-clock healthy eating.
No Comments