Business Owners, C-Level Staff and HR representatives are increasingly implementing wellness initiatives, tying perks to specific health goals and ultimately reduced employee benefits costs. The thinking is that if employees can only earn benefits by leading healthy lifestyles, they'll be motivated to diet, exercise and stop making poor fitness decisions.
However, there's one workplace fixture that's hindering staff wellness. The food served at many company functions seems to stand directly in the way of everyone's attempts to get healthy. Between coffee, donuts and pizza, it's almost impossible to find a dish in the office that isn't chock full of cholesterol, carbs and trans fat.
There isn't a universal solution to this problem, but developing a corporate strategy to encourage employees to meet their wellness goals is worthy initiative with long term benefits. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can ensure that the food you serve doesn't prevent staff members from meeting their wellness goals or provide a mixed corporate "wellness" message.
Have more options
At many business events, the standard catering plan is usually to offer one type of food. This is why pizza is so popular – almost everyone enjoys it and will have a couple of slices.
An HR director from Oklahoma told HR Morning that adding variety is a good plan. Instead of just pizza, options like salad and fruit can be put out for people who are trying to watch their weight. This is the diplomatic solution as you won't be forcing healthy dishes on anyone who prefers junk food at work.
Change the menu
Another anonymous HR representative explained to the news source that his firm recently switched over entirely to healthy food. This is because the company's typical offerings were at odds with its new wellness program, sending a mixed message to the entire staff.
The business decided it was best to exclusively serve healthy options at every function. The workforce responded positively to the switch, giving great feedback after its employers starting offering fruit, granola and other nutritious snacks.
Wellness through education
The real key to staying healthy is moderation and self-awareness. As long as people can regulate how much they eat, they can stave off serious weight gain and ailments associated with it. Through an established wellness program, companies can provide educational material, website support, in-house lectures and screenings all which will encourage their employees to embrace a healthy life-style.