We all know that food gives us the energy to work. However, the link between food and the workplace is much deeper than that.
It’s one thing to have a company cafeteria and vending machines where employees pay to eat. It’s another thing to have catered meals where they all dine together. One survey found that providing food in a workplace positively affected several aspects of business, such as sales, productivity, and culture.
In short, not only does company catering fuel employees throughout the day, but it can also positively affect morale and, in turn, the overall business.
In this article, we’ll explore the connection between company-provided food and the workforce and the benefits of food catering for your team.
The Link Between Good Food and Productivity
The surface-level idea is that food fuels people to get through the day. However, there is a whole scientific background to why good food is necessary to keep everyone up for the workday.
Simple eating isn’t enough. If one’s diet is comprised of high-fat, high-glycemic meals, those can make them physically feel dysfunction in their bodies. More than that, they’ll feel sluggish, sleepy, and overall bad afterward. On the other hand, healthier diets, those high in fiber and low in saturated fat, can boost one’s mood.
Good and healthy food gives employees the right kind and amount of energy to go about their workday, making them more productive. Unhealthier food options decrease productivity levels as they can make employees feel bad and down.
More than that, the latter increases the risk of health problems, resulting in days off and significantly lowering productivity levels.
5 Ways Food Catering Improves Your Team
With that said about good food needed by employees, having meals catered in the workplace is a great idea to keep them satisfied and happy.
As employers, telling your people to eat healthier may not be enough. Regularly catered meals in the workplace not only ensure healthier meals but pose several other benefits, too.
While Priceless Caterings is a catering company that specializes in corporate events and other large-scale happenings, they also cater to your daily office meals. With a fine-dining chef with over ten years of experience and 100% customizable menus, they can whip up anything, even if your employees have special dietary requirements.
Here are six reasons why you should have food catering.
1. Increases Productivity
As previously said, a good meal can greatly increase productivity in the office. In addition to that, eating together also has a positive effect on productivity.
A Cornell University research found that if employers encourage their employees to have meals together, they may see better performance from their employees, thus boosting productivity.
More than that, it can be said that eating together, an intimate activity, can bond the team. With them closer to each other, they can work better together.
2.Employees Can Eat Healthier
Workdays may include instances when people need to work overtime and are in a rush to get things done. For a quick bite, they tend to choose unhealthy options, like fast food, or even skip eating altogether.
These bad eating habits pose great health risks. Because of their want for convenience, employees don’t get the necessary vitamins and nutrients to stay healthy. And if they work in close quarters, the illnesses can spread like wildfire.
As a result, they will call in sick and not come to work. With a lower number of people, the workload increases, and they won’t get done on time. Again, this adversely impacts productivity.
3.Seasonal and Sustainable Ingredients
Food caterers are also most likely to use seasonal and sustainable ingredients. In terms of health benefits, incorporating seasonal ingredients ensures they are at their peak ripeness and freshness. With less time spent in transit, they retain higher nutritional value.
In addition to that, these foods are cheaper when they are in season. This allows you to provide your employees with great and healthy meals without a huge dent in the b
At Priceless Caterings, we carefully select the best local ingredients, giving you the best meals that are not only delicious but are teeming with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that aid in keeping a person in tip-top shape and highly productive.
4.Boosts Employees’ Morale
On top of food catering benefiting your people’s physical health, it also positively affects their emotional and psychological well-being. Having readily available food can increase morale. They’ll especially love it when it’s packaged or presented nicely.
A survey of 1,200 employees found that company-given food would make them feel more valued and appreciated. In other words, providing your employees with food simply makes them happier, which can make them work harder. That same study found that happier employees become 12% more productive.
Regularly providing food catering is a happy and welcome surprise to your people and encourages efficiency. Simply giving your employees free meals can turn the working environment into a place of collaboration, positivity, and adaptability.
5.Break from the Day
Your hard-working employees not only need but deserve breaks during the day. Although continuous working is often considered a more productive and efficient way to accomplish something, productivity may actually diminish as the day goes on.
Mandated breaks are necessary for employees to recharge. However, giving them food allows them to make the most out of their breaks, bringing them together and letting them relax.
Food catering eliminates the need to go out to eat or prepare food or snacks themselves. Research shows that about 50% of employees eat their meals at their desks because they are “too busy” or “it’s easier.”
Breaks and catered meals give them the opportunity to step away from their work, refuel, recharge, and “reset” their minds and bodies. This tiny bit of change in their day will allow them to regain energy and propel them through the next stack of tasks to do for the day.
6.Fosters Employee Relationships
Nothing brings people together like food. Without food catering, people will go off and do their own things for their break times. They’ll break out into their same groups, go out to eat, make their own food, or keep to themselves.
But with catering, they eat together in the same room. This gives them the chance to know each other on some level outside of work. Being together during mealtime allows them to talk to other people they don’t usually talk to unless it’s work-related.
When that happens, it creates a stronger bond between them. Then, when it does come to work, they can work more fluidly together. This newly formed camaraderie lets them actively collaborate, increasing productivity again.
Investing in Food Catering
With any job, productivity is the key to a successful day. The same is said for the workplace. And the key to productivity is capable, healthy, and great employees. With the evidence and benefits listed above, it’s safe to say that good food is a great factor making employees feel good.
With that said, employers should invest in food catering. Although the cost would clearly be a direct expense, the return would be greater. Employees who are provided with food become happier and more energetic, making them more productive during the day.
As a result of them working more efficiently, the company grows.
Why Choose Priceless Caterings
Priceless Caterings can do it all. From catered breakfasts and boxed lunches to larger corporate events, they can cater to your food needs.
For your regular meals, they provide food for you and your employees, regardless of your dietary and other special needs. With customizable menus, you can choose what to serve and make any adjustments to accommodate your tastes and needs. They even have staff members who aid in serving.
Thanks to Chef Duane and their talented and dedicated staff, you can rest assured that you’ll be receiving delicious, high-quality food.
They cater to events and places in the Dallas Fort Worth DFW (Metroplex) area.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/foods-feel-better
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/11/groups-eat-together-perform-better-together
https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/
https://www.eatfirst.com.au/en-au/c/blog/office-catering-can-increase-productivity
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8638-employees-eat-together.html
https://www.totalteambuilding.com.au/5-ways-food-can-improve-efficiency-at-work/
