Employee perks have evolved from basic benefits like health insurance and paid leave to more elaborate offerings such as flexible work hours and mental wellness programs. However, even now, among these benefits, food remains one of the most relevant and crucial benefits. It boosts employee morale, productivity, and engagement.
Our blog today delves into the evolution of employee perks as an employee perk and explores why food continues to maintain dominance among other workplace perks.
Employee perks aren’t just for show and a better brand reputation. They serve the basic purpose of keeping employees motivated, engaged, and, in some cases, physically and mentally healthy. Let’s take a look at how employee benefits have evolved over the years:
In the early 20th century, perks were primarily designed to ensure workers could perform their jobs. These perks weren’t designated to ensure employee betterment but their ability to appear for work during the weekdays. You could say that these benefits included necessities such as:
Back when farm hands used to be a thing (late 18th and 19th centuries), they would be given basic accommodation, coupled with two meals every day. The benefits themselves weren’t benefits but essential amenities that ensured employee survival.
After World War II, perks became more structured and widespread. That’s because almost all industries worked 24x7x365 with little to no breaks. The war economy aided in the development of the US and Europe in the late 40s and 50s. The early war years required people to be fed on food rations, the same went for employees as well. Here’s what employers began offering their employees:
The focus shifted toward employee benefits in this era and continued to progress further in the coming decades.
The economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s saw the introduction of perks that emphasized career development. Companies recognized that investing in employees’ personal and professional growth led to higher productivity and loyalty. Here’s what benefits came into being in the 70s and 80s:
The 70s and 80s were crucial decades for organizations as they began discovering new methodologies
With the rise of the tech industry, perks grew and began covering quality-of-life features such as quality food, gamification of office spaces, etc. Big organizations like Apple, Microsoft, and Google have begun popularizing employee-centric benefits. These organizations focus more on employee motivation and well-being. Employees these days enjoy perks such as:
Companies like Microsoft and Apple set the tone for a more casual, flexible workplace culture. Perks became less about survival and security and more about work-life balance and employee happiness.
Now that we’ve covered the evolution of employee perks over the last few decades let’s take a look at food as an employee perk. Food is a reflection of culture, and no society is complete without it. When discussing the benefits of workplace dining, we can highlight the benefits of food at the workplace in the modern world like this:
Shared meals create organic opportunities for interaction and collaboration. Eating together at a workplace builds relationships across teams and hierarchies. It also creates a sense of belonging and drives people to share their thoughts and ideas regarding different projects. Having a quick meal with a colleague gives you breathing room that breaks the monotonous work cycle.
The link between nutrition and cognitive function is well-documented. Poor quality meals lead to energy crashes and reduced focus. Organizations these days often suffer from meal options that are unhealthy and full of fat.
Proper nutrition can boost productivity by up to 20%. Providing access to healthy meals is no longer just thoughtful; it’s essential for business success as employees these days finalize their workplace based on the lunch offerings.
A good workplace dining culture is made of active employee participation, healthy meals, and a competent catering service. In an era where employees care deeply about sustainability, inclusivity, and wellness, food becomes a crucial way to demonstrate corporate values.
Companies that source locally or reduce food waste show their commitment to the environment. Furthermore, employees these days expect their employers to be transparent about the meals they offer their employees. Food items that result in good gut health and low cholesterol while being tasty are needed. Companies like Google are famous among people for their good meal offerings.
For millennial and Gen Z employees, perks like free meals are not just “nice-to-haves” they’re signals of a company’s commitment to work-life balance.
Tech giants like Google and LinkedIn have used their dining perks as part of their employer branding, highlighting their commitment to employee happiness and satisfaction.
Among the vast list of employee perks, food has a measurable Return on Investment (ROI). In fact, there are a few benefits that a lot of people, including employers, don’t know when it comes to serving employees good food. Here’s what you need to know about the hidden benefits of serving employees good food:
Employees who feel cared for are less likely to leave. Providing meals creates a positive association with the workplace and reduces the financial stress of meal planning.
Healthy meals contribute to better overall health, which translates to fewer sick days. Investing in wellness through nutrition pays off in the form of a healthier workforce.
A well-fed employee is an engaged employee. Avoiding post-lunch energy slumps by providing balanced meals directly impacts the quality of work produced.
While food is among the most crucial employee perks, it’s not without its challenges. As an employer, you must navigate these challenges to ensure the success of your workplace dining programs:
With diverse workforces come diverse food needs, such as vegan, gluten-free, halal, etc. Catering to these preferences requires thoughtful menu planning and pre-ordering. You must identify such preferences and make room for additional meals catering to a diverse food preference.
Providing high-quality meals at scale can be expensive. You must strike a balance between cost-effectiveness and employee satisfaction. Deploying tech-inclusive solutions like smart fridges and mobile apps can help you keep tabs on the daily inventory, coupled with the various costs involved.
Always choose a system that is capable, affordable, and scalable. Many companies shrink employee food budget to a mere $10-$15. This forces employees to choose fast food items that are unhealthy and plentiful.
As employees become more environmentally conscious, you must prioritize sustainable sourcing, waste management, and packaging solutions. Things such as improper portioning of meals, poor logistics, and overproduction of food often lead to food waste and contamination of the local groundwater table.
To solve this, you can begin by finding a suitable partner that provides your workplace with locally produced, organic ingredients. Once done, you can then work on food portioning and disposal.
As mentioned in the previous pointers, companies have increased the number of perks they offer over decades. However, workplace dining has been evolving at a snail’s pace. Employers have the hard job of finding capable catering service providers that serve good quality food. With the lechef smart fridge and mobile app, however, you can introduce your employees to benefits such as:
Introduce your workforce to a smart and premium dining experience with the lechef smart fridge and mobile app today.
While workplace perks will continue to evolve, food remains irreplaceable. It’s more than just sustenance; it’s a tool for connection, productivity, and corporate branding. Companies that prioritize food as a perk meet basic employee needs and create an environment where employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated. From the basic sustenance allowances of the early 20th century to the employee-focused perks of today, employee perks have come a long way. We hope that you’ve read and enjoyed our blog for today. Stay tuned for more interesting topics from lechef.
