We all know how busy and stressful things can get at work. As an easy and quick way of releasing stress, many employees turn to snacks.
More often than not, that means grabbing a bag of crisps, sugar-loaded candy bars, cookies, or some other unhealthy snack.
Apart from stress-related eating, employees are also prone to eating out of boredom. Sometimes, we just can’t stand doing anything, and munching on a bag of crisps gives us a sense of taking action.
Many employers tend to forget that a workplace can have a critical role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. First, we spend at least a quarter of our day at work almost every day, and second, we are often influenced by our co-workers. Many employees find it hard to eat healthily at work while others blame their work and colleagues for their diet failures.
Choosing healthy options for your employees is a great way to promote productivity and support good food choices.
Not many people understand that healthy snacks can be just as tasty as unhealthy ones. Old habits seem to die hard and many employees are not immediately willing to give up on the snacks they are used to.
So then, is it useful for investing in healthy snacks? And can they turn your office into a healthy workplace for your employees?
3 Reasons Why You Should Consider Stocking Up On Healthy Office Snacks
1. Healthy Office Snacks Are Food For The Brain
It’s no secret: common snacks are low-nutrient foods that hurt our mental performance and health. By choosing unhealthy snacks, we deny our brains the fuel it needs to work properly.
Healthy snacks are usually a perfect mix of nutrients containing brain foods that boost our memory and overall health. They also give us enough energy for the rest of the day with the little risk of burnout or crashing.
You can expect your employees to be more focused on their work, as well as to have more energy during work hours than if they were on unhealthy snacks.
2. Healthy Snacks Boost Everyone’s Moods
Foods high in sugar and carbohydrates provide a quick shot of energy that burns out quickly. That’s why those who love candy bars and crisps tend to be hyper before crashing somewhere around the afternoon, leaving them feeling tired, unmotivated and craving more sugar. Obviously, this is not good for productivity.
Unhealthy snacks negatively affect the mood of your employees. This is understandable because of the sugar crash experienced after the body has burned all of the possible energy. When you crash, you experience a dramatic shift from happy and up to down and out.
These mood swings can cause a chain reaction with one employee feeling down affecting others in the workplace as well. This is why healthy snacks are a better option for the entire office. They lead to higher energy levels which in turn engender positive emotions that can affect those around them as well. No one can deny the power of positive vibes on productivity and motivation.
3. Healthy Snacks Provide Opportunities For Bonding
Supporting healthy diets at your workplace is also an excellent chance for your company to host social and educational events.
One way to introduce your employees to healthy snacks is to organise tastings. Find a few easy and healthy snack recipes. Serve them to your employees for the tasting. It is also useful to provide an info sheet above each snack that contains the recipe and the list of benefits that snack offers.
The tastings will also provide you with valuable information on which healthy snacks are popular and which are not worth investing in.
You can take this even further by creating a full-scale information campaign with lectures, group activities, and posters reinforcing the benefits of healthy foods and diets.
Employees should be encouraged to participate by giving their suggestions and recipes. This is the way to reinforce healthy habits and support teamwork.
Top Off Your Campaign With Overall Employee Safety
Ensuring a healthy office environment is a great addition to your campaign supporting healthy food choices. Alsco provides a wide range of products and services that satisfy specific safety and sanitation needs of different companies.
Our Hygiene Systems cater to the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. From high-end hand care products to odour eliminators and deep cleaning services, it is our ultimate goal to help you ensure a healthy working environment that boosts productivity and motivation among your employees.
For many years, thousands of New Zealand business have chosen us the top provider of the widest range of services. Our products are known for their quality, reliability, and efficiency.
Call us now and we will help you choose the rental programmes or purchases that will best meet your company’s specific needs.
