As an employee retention tactic, few perks satisfy like free food. Complimentary gourmet meals have long been a hallmark of tech giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook. While companies with more modest budgets are not able to compete with sushi stations and a gourmet pizza bar as an employee perk, businesses across a wide spectrum of industries now offer high-quality office snacks to keep their employees happy and productive throughout the day.
Although many humans felt that food has helped them survive our ongoing virus pandemic and quarantine periods, we must all remember that office snacks are not just a feel-good employment perk. Office snacks actually have a measurable impact on employee satisfaction. In a recent study by the staffing agency Spherion, 30% of employees surveyed said that availability of food and office snacks throughout the day contributes to their workplace happiness. Peapod, the grocery delivery service, conducted a survey where 1/2 of the respondents said they would consider perks like free food when looking for a new job, while 67% of full-time employees who snack on the company dime are either “extremely” or “very” happy with their current job.
Snacking at work can lead to poor nutritional choices, as can be attested by anyone who has sworn they are only going to have one Girl Scout cookie. Constantly consuming processed foods, vending machine junk food, and even convenience snacks touting a “healthy” label are enough to undo even the most thoughtful workplace wellness plan or employee diet.
So … How can employers help keep their team healthy and satisfied when it comes to snacking? Dietitians shared these guidelines to keep in mind when snacking at the office.
Think Whole Foods.
A concept distinct from the grocery chain of the same name, lower-case whole foods,
are ones that have undergone little modification before reaching your mouth. Think entire apples or raw nuts as opposed to protein bars or chips. Try raw fruits and nuts, or a bar with fruits and nuts, yogurt, cheese, seeds, whole-grain crackers or pretzels are also relatively simple snacks to keep around the office.
Individually wrapped servings are your ally.
Portions are important when snacking. “A snack means 100 to 200 calories,” said Dr. Amy Mobley, PhD, RD, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut. “Go above that and it looks like a meal.”
While few people know off-hand the calorie count of a banana, or the amount of peanuts that fill the palm of a hand, many groceries offer seeds, nuts, fruit cups and other healthy nibbling options in prepackaged snack serving sizes, ideal for that office pick-me-up.
Invest in a decent-sized refrigerator.
Refrigeration greatly expands a workplace’s healthy snack options. It opens up the possibility of cheese slices, yogurt, and vegetables such as dips with carrots and cauliflower florets.
Avoid mindless eating cues.
Many employees frequently take sweets from the office candy bowl, despite knowing better nutrition. These snacks are an instant stress-reliever and you stop thinking about it if it is always there and everyone’s doing it. Even the most health-minded employees often eat such items as a reward for completing a task or to deal with workplace stress. To cut down on mindless grazing on sweets it is recommended to remove such snacks from the office snack repertoire, and to reserve them for special occasions so that cookie or cake truly feels like a reward.
Don’t forget about beverage choices.
Encouraging healthy consumption habits must extend to drinks, as a lot of calories come from beverages. If an employer is going to fill a fridge with drinks, it is recommended that the drinks be limited to fruit juice with no additives, lemonade, and limeade, in addition to a supply of purified water. As for sweeteners for your coffee, make sure to pick up stevia—it has fewer calories than sugar.
For more information about stocking your office and office vending machines with healthy food options, contact Tassi Vending, found online at https://www.tassivending.com or 206.240.0755.
Contact Tassi Vending today regarding a Micro Market with healthy choices, as well as healthy food vending machine options for your office – https://www.tassivending.com or 206.240.0755. Here’s to healthy office snacks in 2022!
