There is much research that proves that there are many benefits of offering free food to your employees – whether this is daily lunch, weekly breakfast or a stocked snack kitchen. These include boosting productivity, increasing employee satisfaction and retention and being a more attractive workplace to potential hires. That is why many forward-looking companies see free food at work as a necessary and relatively affordable employee benefit.
At On Safari Foods, we have been feeding employees across the Puget Sound for many years and based on our experience, it is not enough to provide free food, you have to provide high-quality food to hit your employee satisfaction goals.
“Nothing says we care about you more than a delicious and nutritious meal,” says Teresa Carew, CEO of On Safari Foods. “Food is so deeply emotional for most people and serving low-quality food definitely sends the wrong message.” That is why On Safari Foods works hard to source only the freshest locally sourced, sustainable produce and humanely-raised protein for all food we create.
From restaurant delivery to communal meals served on-site
While food delivery services by local restaurants have grown in popularity over the past few years, many companies soon discover that there are a number of pitfalls to this approach.
“Firstly, because everyone orders a different meal, there is no way to control the quality of the food your employees get. And secondly, once the food arrives, people simply grab their order and head off back to their desks.”
Teresa says this misses one of the main benefits of a shared meal: people sit together over a meal which fosters communication and collaboration. “In fact, our clients report that the benefits of employees sharing a meal on-site go well beyond increasing satisfaction and boosting productivity. Relationships are built and ideas are shared which ultimately contribute directly to the bottom line,” she says.
While not every company can afford to provide a free meal to each employee every day, Teresa suggests that stocked snack kitchens and monthly or weekly breakfasts or happy hour is a great place to start. “As your company grows, or to celebrate milestone achievements, add more food opportunities your employees will love.”
Fueling your employees throughout the day
On Safari Foods manages and stocks snack kitchens for a wide range of companies. It is tempting to provide “junk food” snacks to your staff. However, they will get much more out a well balanced snack menu that includes:
· Quality coffee and tea
· A variety of fruit
· Dark chocolate
· Yogurts and granola
· Nuts
· Cheese
For more ideas, check out our snacks catering menu.