With the economy on the rise, employers are doing everything that they can to make sure that their companies are profitable. Cutting funds here, moving funds there, investing funds here—all in the name of optimization and security. One option that way too many companies are neglecting is hiring a corporate catering company.
At first, spending money on food so that your employees can eat healthier, in-house meals for free might seem like it makes no sense at all, but when you look at benefits, you might change your mind. Here are three of the biggest reasons that healthy corporate catering can benefit your company in a big way.
Healthy Foods Make Healthy Employees
By choosing a catering company that provides healthy food, you are investing in the health of your employees. All too often, people make the quick and easy choices over the healthy ones, opting for a greasy McDonald’s chicken sandwich over a low-fat, protein-rich, grilled chicken salad. Even if the employee is bringing food from home, it’s likely that it will be store-bought packaged and processed foods that are high in fats and sodium.
These types of unhealthy food choices can garner lifestyles that result in less productive employees and more sick days taken. Not only that, but when employees eat right and live healthier, their employee health insurance costs begin to drop. Healthy food does not only make healthy employees, but also healthy companies.
Shorter Lunches Mean Higher Productivity
By offering salaried employees free meals in exchange for shorter lunch breaks, you will be increasing the productivity in your workplace by a significant percentage.
Take this example—if just 10 employees were to cut their lunches short by six minutes, that would be an extra hour of production per day. Per week, you’re looking at five extra hours, which equates to about 260 extra hours a year. Now imagine that instead of 10 employees cutting their lunches 6 minutes short, that 100 employees did. You’re looking at roughly 2,600 hours of production showing up that weren’t there before. Six minutes a day might seem like small peanuts, but it all adds up—possibly enough to cover the costs of corporate catering.
In-House Meals Build In-House Connections
There’s nothing worse than an office that doesn’t communicate well. It’s like trying to run a machine with rusty gears; it’s frustrating, not optimal at all, and easily remedied with a little grease. In-house lunches can be that grease.
When employees eat together, they communicate, they meet people from other departments, they build relationships within the company, and they collaborate in an environment that promotes synergy in the workplace. Conversations between employees can illuminate problem areas in your operation that you didn’t even know were there to begin with. It may even spawn ideas as to how your company can increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Look for innovation in your employees. They are the lifeblood of your company.
What Do You Think?
These are just the most tangible reasons that an employer may want to think about corporate catering as a means of ensuring a company’s productivity, success, and longevity. Of course, there are other reasons out there, but I didn’t want to mention all of them—I’ll let you discuss your corporate catering successes in the comments section below!
About the Author
Trisha Jefford is a food service industry expert, having worked every job from host to private chef. She is a writer and the corporate catering expert for the catering company EZ Cater.
