Employee morale has a direct impact on your business’s bottom line. Gallup research has discovered that businesses in the top quartile for employee engagement are 22 percent more profitable than their peers. Organizations with high morale, according to the same source, also enjoy 10 percent better customer satisfaction and 21 percent better productivity ratings.
Low employee morale can also have a dramatic impact on an employee’s total quality of life, according to the American Psychological Association. Happy employees are twice as likely to experience “strong relationships, effective money management, good health and engagement in their communities.” In contrast, disengaged workers experience higher risks of heart disease and other stress-related health conditions.
The Harvard Business Review reports spend on employee engagement reached $720 million last year, and is projected to increase to $1.5 billion. As organizations consider perks and programs to boost engagement, on-site lunch service could be a viable solution. For many companies, office catering in NYC is a remarkably high-return approach to boosting morale, wellness and improving team bonds.
5 Reasons NYC Office Catering Raises Employee Morale
1. Employees Feel Appreciated
Sixty-six percent of employees would quit their job if they didn’t feel appreciated, according to a recent study cited in Forbes. Among millennial talent, the percent who would churn is 76 percent. The desire to feel valued is an innate human need, nearly as innate as the need for food. Daily office lunch catering is a powerful way employers can communicate to top talent that their staff is appreciated and valued..
Office catering in NYC is directly connected to happier, more engaged employees. According to Entrepreneur data, employees who work at organizations with catering are 54 percent more likely to stay with the company, and 70 percent more likely to recommend it as a good place to work.
2. Office Lunch May Reduce Stress
The percentage of employees who fail to eat lunch or eat at their desks has skyrocketed in recent years and has a disproportionate impact on NYC workers. A study in Scientific American found NYC employees are less likely than the national average to take a lunch, with 13 percent reporting they “rarely, if ever” break to eat. Not only can skipping lunch or eating while working compromise physical and mental performance, it’s likely to have a negative impact on productivity.
“Taking a break from cognitively taxing work improves creative thinking,” says Management Professor Kimberly Elsbach. Employees who are struggling through a hungry brain fog are far less likely to solve problems with out-of-the-box thinking or feel especially happy about their job. Office catering can encourage even the busiest employees to take a midday break to refuel and rest, reducing stress levels.
3. Eating Improves Team Bonding
There’s a reason that shared meals are an integral component of firehouse culture for firefighters‒sharing food is an important tool for fostering interpersonal relationships and building a cohesive team. Providing opportunities for employees to eat together is an important way to build community within the office.
According to Krystal D’Costa in Scientific American, “at a time when much attention is being put on engagement and productivity, the degree of workplace lunches offer an unofficial gauge of employee satisfaction.” Office catering in NYC can encourage employees to eat with coworkers and support the development of a strong team.
4. Catering Creates Time for Fun
NYC office catering reduces employee mental load. Instead of having to spend 60 minutes walking in search of food or 15 minutes ordering, employees simply have to walk to the break room. Employees who previously packed lunches save time at home.
For many corporate communities, collective shared time can translate into more time for fun at work–including team activities, employee-planned outings, or community service initiatives.
5. Healthy Catering Could Improve Employee Wellness
Office catering in NYC can allow employers to invest in employee health and wellness by offering a menu rich with choices for eating well, including vegan, vegetarian, paleo, low-carb, and organic options. Not only can eating healthy support physical well-being, it’s linked to better mental health and performance.
In 2016, researchers found that excessive consumption of high-glycemic-index foods, including refined carbohydrates, may cause symptoms of depression and fatigue. Offering healthy food in the workplace can boost employee morale by encouraging holistic well-being.
Invest in Employee Morale
As organizations consider how to invest in employee engagement, it’s important to know that not all perks carry the same return-on-investment (ROI). However, everyone needs to eat and offering healthy office catering in NYC can benefit employee engagement, mood, health and team cohesion. Research by Entrepreneur confirms that, among perk offerings to employees, investments into employee wellness, team bonding and services that make life easier and less stressful for staff are most likely to drive an ROI.
Corporate Essentials has been a leading provider of office catering in NYC, Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey since 1996. We offer office coffee services, as well as full-service lunch catering services and support. Corporate Essentials office catering is a new approach to workplace culinary solutions, that includes thoughtfully curated, healthy menus in support of a staff-registered dietician, as well as monthly, featured recipes by James Beard Honored Chefs.
