Company-provided snacks are becoming a popular perks for companies to provide. According to the 2018 Benefits Survey done by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the number of companies offering free snacks in the workplace has increased by 12% over the past five years. If you offer food in your workplace, you’ve probably seen your employees snacking mindlessly in your business. Maybe you’ve done some of it yourself. This is because the food is easily accessible, free, and reduces stress for most people. Changing the food in your office can help reduce mindless snacking and help you and your employees to be healthier. Here are some tips for offering food in the workplace:
Put Food Somewhere Inconvenient
Putting food in an area where employees congregate is a recipe for mindless eating. Re-locate food somewhere not as easy to reach. This will make it harder for employees to grab food without thinking, but still allow there to be snacks available. Some ideas include placing snacks inside a cabinet or refrigerator rather than leaving them out in the breakroom.
Encourage Employees to Bring Their Own Snacks
Create a culture where it is normal for people to bring their own food. This will keep people from mindlessly snacking, because they know they have something of their own. Additionally, employee stress will be reduced with their ability to indulge in the foods that they enjoy.
Have Healthy Options
For when employees do snack mindlessly, you want to make sure that it’s not something unhealthy. Consider having fruits, vegetables, or something high in protein. This way, employees are still being healthy, even if they’re snacking a lot. Also, having healthy food can make employees more productive and happy.
Though having snacks in the workplace is a good thing, there are some risks. Mindless snacking is one of them. Follow these tips to reduce mindless snacking and make the snacks in your workplace healthier.