How to Improve Employee Morale One Bite at a Time
Employee morale can be complicated. You might even feel like you need to be a rocket scientist to improve it. But sometimes it is as simple as feeding your employees!
A catered lunch is one of the best and easiest ways to increase morale, boost productivity, and lead to better employee retention. Providing a meal for employees can help reduce stress and give them an opportunity to enjoy delicious food and relaxed conversations with coworkers. A free meal can also help employees feel more appreciated.
According to a study conducted by Seamless, 60% of people surveyed said that having food at the office would make them feel more valued and appreciated.
The study also revealed the following:
- 60% felt that company offered meals would encourage them to eat with their colleagues (which could mean you’ll actually get more work out of your employees, since business can be discussed over lunch).
- 41% felt that the best corporate gift was food.
- 40% said that having food in the office would reduce stress.
Team Building
In some situations, catered lunches provided by the office might be the only way to get employees to interact casually. According to a study by the New York Times, about half of American adults eat lunch alone. The study showed that 62% of professionals eat lunch at their desks, which social scientists call “desktop dining.”
Free meals give employees an opportunity to interact with each other informally. They are more likely to talk about their personal lives, which will create a bond going forward.
Taco Tuesday is an excellent opportunity to treat your team!
A writer for Entrepreneur.com talked to various organizations about the benefits of organization provided lunches.
- At GMR Web Team, an internet marketing and reputation-management company in Tustin, Calif., the entire company has lunch together on Fridays, which is leading to better employee retention.
- “Keeping morale high with these team-bonding events not only goes well with employees, but with the company as a whole,” Ajay Prasad, founder and president of GMR Web Team, said. “People are willing to stay longer because friends are there, too.”
- Impraise, a performance-management software company based in New York, serves lunch to its 30 employees, all at one large table.
- “We’ve found this has a great effect on maintaining open communication as we grow, ensuring that people never feel divided, even if we’re working on different things,” Bas Kohnke, CEO of Impraise, said.
Made from Scratch has catered numerous team lunches and staff appreciation events. We have done everything from taco luncheons, to Oktoberfest, to a Buckeye Blitz package!
To make the event even more impactful, you could add dessert, a raffle or prize, or something interactive, like our irresistible s’mores station.
Whether you’re planning an event for 10 or for thousands, Made from Scratch is here to help. We don’t just cater, we handcraft and design our events to change moods with one bite. We like to say we nourish the soul.
Are you ready to show your staff how much you appreciate them? Made from Scratch provides a large variety of menu options for a tasty team lunch. Click here to see all of our menu options or contact us for more information.