CONVINI FOOD Solutions has carried out new research which revealed that many organisations are not able to meet employee needs when it comes to food and drink offerings.
The new report entitled ‘Food for Thought’ explores the provision and impact of food and drink in the workplace and found that 69% of organisations do not currently have any plans in place to improve their food and drink provisions. This is despite the fact that two thirds of companies who took part in the research, receiving complaints from employees about the quality of food and drink in the workplace. A fifth (2%) of those interviews said that the food provided in their place of work was ‘extremely poor’ and 27% said they have no catering provision in place at all.
The research also revealed that a large number of workers skip all-important meals which is in part due to the poor standard of catering offered. 47% of office based workers were found to skip lunch at least once a week and when asked what impact skipping meals had on their productivity, 63% of non-lunch eaters said it reduced concentration and increased irritability.
Organisations said that they acknowledge the importance of eating well but there were three key barriers to producing appetising provisions; lack of time, lack of budget and lack of space. However, with 52% of workers agreeing that better food and drink offerings would encourage them not to skip meals, more needs to done to ensure workers are supplied with better quality offerings.
Christopher Pedersen, Managing Director at Convini, said: “This research clearly underlines the integral role that food and drink plays in improving wellbeing in the workplace. By failing to address catering provisions adequately, organisations are missing an opportunity not only to improve employee wellbeing, but also energise staff, boost productivity and reduce sick leave. However, if organisations fail to address employee concerns adequately, they are likely to disengage their workforce, reduce morale and ultimately lose staff altogether.”
Pedersen continued to add: “While it is encouraging to see both staff and organisations acknowledging the importance of eating well, it is disappointing to see that they are not following through, despite the clear benefits change could bring. The critical next step is for organisations to identify and address the barriers that are preventing change to ensure wellbeing is addressed fully, across all services. By taking action now, organisations can look to reap the benefits in the short and the long-term.”
