Discover why unhealthy foods in the office is lowering staff productivity and potentially your company’s profits.

Written By Paul Scicluna

How many of you have gone to a work meeting, conference, seminar or training event where it’s been catered for? I’d say 99.9% of you have – I know I’ve been to plenty!

Now let’s have a think about what foods you get when you’re there...

Muffins, cakes, biscuits, donuts, sausage rolls, pies, deep fried foods, lollies, chocolates, chips, pastries, some sandwiches, pizza - sound familiar? Well out of that list, how many of those would be healthy food? It’s not rocket science, most of them are unhealthy foods and foods to avoid. Why?

Most of them contain preservatives, flavorings, colorings, additives, sugars or even chemical sweeteners, and harmful chemicals, let alone animal by-products. I don’t know about you but this isn’t making my mouth water!

What some of these can do to you is give you an initial energy spike, but then within a short time frame you hit an energy low. So then you’re brain function decreases and your ability to think is hampered due to your tiredness. So as a boss I’d want to get the most out of my staff, so giving them lifeless, energy sucking foods isn’t going to help propel your department or company.

Let’s think about it, most people spend a lot of time at work - some people up to 16 hours a day, or even more! So having a healthy lifestyle includes your work life too.

It really is easy to provide staff with healthy snacks for work, healthy lunches, healthy dinners or whatever it may be. At the end of the day if you get your staff to eat healthy and provide them with healthy options their cognitive function as well as energy levels will improve. This is a win for your company as they’ll be more productive.

I know that lots of workers look forward to a treat and that gets them excited. And as a boss or manager you want your employees to be EXCITED and engaged at work! So, I’m not saying to completely rule out the treats, but to incorporate mainly healthy meal options.

Now this could include:

1.     Fresh fruit platter

2.    Dried fruits and nuts

3.    A range of sandwiches or wraps, preferably with sourdough, brown or wholemeal bread

4.    Quiches

5.    Salads, but include a bit more interesting ones that are colorful and appealing to the eye

By simply incorporating these easy healthy meals options, you’ll have more productive staff.

So if you’re a manager or even an employee, make a point in requesting more healthy food options. Who knows, if you’re department is seen to be performing exceptionally you might get a good bonus, or pay rise or be acknowledged for great work – of course, I can’t guarantee that! But imagine if that were to happen...

For more healthy meal ideas click here.