CATERING
ARE YOU PROVIDING THE RIGHT FUEL FOR YOUR WORKFORCE?
Can food make the difference between a good and bad workplace strategy? Yes it can, and what’s more, done right it can make that workplace more productive. Kate Taylor, nutritionist at Gather & Gather explains.
Food is meant to be one of the four critical elements of facilities management, but until recently it has tended to be a poor fourth, lagging some way behind security, cleaning and hard FM. But due to acceptance of recent data there is now a growing consensus amongst workplace strategists that food helps with productivity and employee engagement at work. But how many FM professionals are buying the argument?
At the root of the issue is the need to understand the end users objectives. What does an owner, occupier and employer want from their people – can food make the difference between an engaged and productive workforce? How can food be a part of FM and a workplace strategy?
It’s worth thinking about because the Confederation of British Industry estimates £17bn lost every year through absenteeism. Knoll Workplace Research estimates that the cost of poor health and poor well-being is around 25% to 35% of payroll. What’s more, at least eight different studies showed a return on investment of wellness programmes between 144% and 3,000% - and food plays a central element in these programmes.
Research by the International Labour Organisation in 2005 proved that poor diet at work can reduce productivity by 20% and in 2013 the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine argued that employees who eat healthy all day long are 25% more likely to perform better. This is backed up by recent findings
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of the Leesman Index, which asks what factors define a productive and an effective environment. 90% of employees responding want to see quality tea, coffee and refreshment facilities and 63% want to have a restaurant or canteen.
“KNOLL WORKPLACE RESEARCH ESTIMATES THAT THE COST OF POOR HEALTH AND
POOR WELL-BEING IS AROUND 25% TO 35% OF PAYROLL.”
So, putting food at the centre of a workplace strategy can establish a healthier workforce, save employers money and help the business become more productive. This can all start from a duty of care, or it can come from the growing requirement to meet the expectations of the changing demographics of the employees. People demand more.
Sharing a meal at Sky’s headquarters, where Gather & Gather’s food vision totally supports the broadcasters own workplace strategy, is regarded as a crucial 30-minutes-or-so of calm to have a conversation, discuss ideas, bond and recharge. The nature of the food is important, but the process of enjoying a meal is crucial too.
But food in the workplace can go further. 70% of adults are missing out on having five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and nearly 65% of
the population is obese or overweight (putting us just 4% behind USA) there is a very real call to action which, when translated into the workplace, gives us a duty of care and carries both commercial and cultural significance.
If FMs recognise the importance of food then the workplace can change radically and productivity can shift enormously. But it has to be done with a focus on outcomes – aligned to an organisation’s own well-being strategies; fitting in with client specific objectives and supporting the employees job role. Different working environments, namely sedentary office environments versus manual labour, dictate the food, nutrients and portion size required to fuel staff effectively. But, in order for this to work, everything must be communicated properly via the food service provider and the client.
Food service provision at work allows FMs to link with HR, marketing and even IT to put together a dynamic and value driven workplace strategy. But at its heart is the recognition that a decent meal benefits everyone and makes you feel better, so you work better.
www.gatherandgather.com TOMORROW’S FM | 25
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