Workplace dining is an interesting concept. These days, employees might not look at it as something of immense value, but not long ago, it used to be a unique concept. A workplace cafeteria providing a decent meal can change a few crucial workplace dynamics your way if you’re a manager.
In today’s blog, we’ll take a look at the history and significance of workplace dining. We’ll also cover its perks and the ways you can improve the dining experience for your employees.
To put it simply, workplace dining refers to the process of ordering and eating food items at your workplace. These usually comprise a canteen/cafeteria, vending machine, and other outlets capable of providing your workforce with meals and beverages.
Workplace dining traces its origins to the rationing practice of World War II. Back then, companies used to ration out food items via coupons and points. When people began facing food shortages, they started forming casual cafeterias and small dining spaces capable of feeding tens of people. The post war period saw the adoption of this trend as companies realized the benefits of a well fed workforce.
Big organizations with a high budget can easily afford workplace dining experiences in the form of a cafeteria or a restaurant. However, the same cannot be said for organizations with a limited budget and resources. In fact, a lot of organizations avoid spending on workplace dining for their employees.
Close to 78% of companies spend up to $15 per employee per meal. Now, $15 might not get you a healthy and wholesome meal, but most employees make do with what they’ve been offered.
Now that we’ve understood what workplace dining is, let’s shift our focus toward its benefits.
Workplace dining has a lot of benefits. Let’s take a look at the prominent ones:
It is no surprise that a well fed workforce works well and completes all sorts of tasks in their designated time. Workplaces that have their own cafeterias have an edge over those without one because they curtail the extra time spent by employees looking for food.
Employees prefer workplace dining over conventional dining as they don’t want to step out and look for alternatives that could be costlier and far away. About 78% of employees prefer having meals at the workplace.
Workplace dining improves employee focus as they’ll be less distracted by hunger, resulting in better efficiency and productivity. They’ll be less bothered by when and where they’ll eat if they’re given a good dining place at the workplace itself.
Food brings people together. Dining tables of all shapes and sizes, when surrounded by people, become a melting pot of cultures and ideas. People share stories, views, and ideas over simple conversations powered by food. Workplace dining spaces are a really good example of this culture.
Casual conversations over a simple lunch promote collaboration and establish bonds between employees. As an employer or team leader, you may even come across collaboration ideas from your employees right after their lunch break. Such gatherings also act as good networking opportunities for everyone involved. Hence, the importance of workplace dining cannot be understated.
Employee satisfaction and employee engagement are two different terms that are often used interchangeably. While the practice is wrong, it is true that workplace dining promotes employee engagement and satisfaction at the same time. Think of it this way, if your employee is working eight hours a day for five days straight, eventually, they’ll get used to the rhythm of the work and may even become tired of it.
Making a change as simple as revamping the menu at your workplace cafeteria can bring the monotony down significantly. About 65% of employees believe that having a range of healthy and quick snacks at the workplace is a must. Such factors motivate employees to work harder and take initiative for different projects. It might sound disconnected, but good food provided by the employer has a positive effect on the employees’ morale.
Good food at your workplace saves the employee’s time and effort towards finding meals during the lunch break.
One of the most hidden but obvious benefits of organizing workplace dining is its ability to promote your company’s work culture. As mentioned in the previous point, people get together and tell each other different stories from the work itself. As an employer, you can use this setting to promote your workplace’s diverse nature for recruitment drives and general promotion.
Promoting your company’s culture isn’t as easy as it seems. People can see through the facade of carefully manufactured smiles, high fives, and hugs in a typical corporate promotional video. However, if you capture the actual environment of your company’s cafeteria and get a few views from your employees, it’ll be a refreshing and honest take on the way your company operates.
Furthermore, a healthy and happy workforce helps you spread a positive word about your company and its work environment. You’ll get more referrals and talented candidates for vacant positions.
Just like everything else in the business world, workplace dining has its set of challenges that have to be navigated. Some businesses sail through these troubling waters with relative ease, while others achieve a few objectives and then give up. However, fear not, as we share the solutions to the said challenges. Let’s take a look at them:
The first and perhaps the biggest challenge faced by employers is the establishment of a dining facility within the office space. A huge workforce needs a massive dining space; hence, the acquisition of more resources sounds plausible. However, smaller organizations with about 50-100 employees need a decent dining area as well. The problem in the latter case arises from the lack of resources. Every workplace needs a good dining area. Merely giving a small carpet area for dining purposes isn’t just ineffective but cruel towards your workforce as well.
The issue doesn’t just end there as once you’ve set up a canteen, you’ll have to maintain it as well. While setting up the canteen is a one time cost, maintenance can vary depending on the number of people the canteen serves. The more people you have, the higher the serving volume, hence a higher maintenance cost.
The solution
The most viable solution for this challenge is to start small but strong. Take a small cooking space with limited equipment and run a small but talented crew. You can also opt for a self serving model as it’ll majorly focus on the cooking aspect rather than the serving and dining one.
You can also opt for a partnership between different organizations for a common dining area. That way, you’ll be able to achieve your desired dining area size and the food service that’ll operate on the premises.
Another major challenge for workplace dining is the fluctuations in the quality of meals provided by the food aggregators. Health is the primary concern of most people these days and their workplace nutrition demands reflect that. Employees expect a workplace canteen to provide quick and easy meals on a budget.
One of the most common ways for employers to get started with food service is to find a food aggregator that fits their budget. However, in order to cut costs on aggregators, employers often end up choosing those who serve mediocre and unhealthy food items. Things such as burgers, fries, and other fast food items can commonly be found in different workplaces. Such food items pose a health risk for your employees as they boost blood sugar and cholesterol levels, making your employees lethargic and demotivated.
The solution
The best way to deal with such an issue is to call upon a service that brings a balance between the quality, health, and budget. It could be a mix between a catering service and a vending service, or it could be something that gets you the best of both worlds.
The short answer to this question is a resounding yes.
However, the long answer comprises a system that has been built just to cater to your workforce’s dietary needs in the healthiest and quickest manner. Introducing the lechef smart fridge.
The lechef smart fridge is, as the name suggests, a smart fridge that utilizes RFID technology to keep tabs on the various food items and beverages stored within. By installing a lechef smart fridge in your workplace, you can:
Why wait for an expensive and unhealthy food aggregator when you can serve your employees in a budget friendly manner with an assortment of healthy and tasty meals that keep your workforce active? Refine workplace dining today with the lechef smart fridge.
Workplace dining has been a long running concept and has gone through a number of changes over the decades. What started off as an alternative to a wartime feeding system has now become one of the most common practices across different businesses across the globe. As an employer, setting up a good workplace dining experience might be challenging, but the solutions to such challenges are promising as well. We hope that you’ve read and enjoyed our blog on the practice, its evolution, benefits, and challenges.
