Food is something we can all agree on, and often a missed opportunity to enhance your workplace productivity. It started with free coffee, in the 90s it felt like a luxury to be able to pour yourself a hot cup of coffee during your stressful workday. Now, even smaller businesses are able to offer fully catered lunches for employees (with a nice federal tax deduction we’ll get into later). The meals you provide can be a great way to show appreciation to your staff and integrate that feeling into your company culture, but there’s another benefit for you as well.
Your workplace’s food program can enhance your pre-existing methods of maintaining productivity, engagement, and employee retention. If done correctly, catered office lunches can become a powerhouse for your business. We’re going to go over the details of how productivity and engagement are enhanced through office lunches and how to implement catering into your company.
How Providing Food at Work Improves Employee Engagement
Engaged employees are active participants in the company they work for. In a sense, they’re enthusiastic to some degree about the work they do and the company culture. One of the major ways employees have an opportunity to deepen their engagement is through socializing. During the workday, there’s little time to get to know your coworkers, and lunch can be the perfect time to fix that.
The mood boost that comes from bonding with coworkers can also contribute to how people view your company overall. 90% of employers say a sense of community is the key to success and a sense of belonging reduces employee turnover rates. Food is an easy way to facilitate those communal experiences.
Fueling Your Employees and Your Business’ Productivity
Social engagement is a big part of the productivity puzzle, but what other ways can office catering enhance productivity?
- You can provide healthy food. Providing healthy meals for your employees can increase cognitive brain function and mood overall. In a study done with approximately 182,000 people, it was found that diets with a variety of vegetables, fruits, and protein were associated with increased grey matter in the brain. This means less brain fog and more energy during the day.
- Strategic lunch timing can enhance focus. A great way to keep pushing through a tough spot in the week is with food. If you set up your catering to happen before a meeting or on a Wednesday when things start to drag, you can give your staff the boost they need to continue chugging along.
- Entices your staff to take much-needed breaks. Breaks can reduce fatigue by 30%, so giving your staff a good excuse to put things on pause can help them recharge. It’s vital that we take breaks during the workday to avoid burnout. What better way to do that than with a fully catered office lunch? Since it’s as easy as walking to where the catering is in the office, you take away the decision fatigue that comes with lunch at work.
- Attracts new hires and decreases employee churn rates. 83% of employees from small and medium organizations state that benefits play a role in deciding where they want to work. Your food program can contribute to this decision. Perks also keep employees retained, as they enjoy the catering you provide for them.
In general, catering is a great way to enhance your productivity goals and cement the community you strive for. Office lunches can make forming your company culture a lot easier because you’re creating a space for people to thrive.
Choosing the Right Catering For Your Office Lunches
If we’ve piqued your interest and you’re ready to increase your productivity with office lunches, you’re in luck. There are a lot of online services providing catering services specifically for offices where you can get a list of caterers in your area, similar to a food delivery app. Zerocater is the perfect example.
With Zerocater’s simple app, you can choose from a broad selection of catering options in your area. Productivity is important for any size business, and you can easily work with any budget to start your office lunch program. If your staff is ready to try something new, Zerocater will remember and track your previous orders and even your dietary needs. This makes finding the perfect catering options for your staff simple.
Start Your Office Lunch Program Without Hassle
Ready to get started with Zerocater? Click our “get started” button and tell us a little bit about yourself. We want to know more about your business size, type, and budget so we can best serve you. We offer a variety of staffed, stand-alone, and hybrid catering options for your office lunch needs. Event catering is also supported for your company holiday parties and special events. Let’s help your team feel appreciated and productive!
