Most of us have first-hand experience witnessing the shift from the traditional 9 to 5 office day to more flexible working styles over the past two years. Whilst some have been longing for face-to-face workplace interactions, others have enjoyed the newfound flexibility that remote working enables. Either way, the pandemic has altered attitudes towards remote working for individuals and businesses alike, fueling key conversations about well-being and workplace culture. The shift means that whilst some employees are choosing to leave their jobs altogether, others are highlighting discontent with their work-life balance. Companies are feeling the pressure to foster positive company culture for their post-pandemic workforce.
Why is this relevant to corporate catering?
Food is a fantastic way to build positive company culture. Shared meals can significantly improve one’s work-life balance and contribute to making work enjoyable and fulfilling. We at Fooditude have been doing just that. Since our launch in 2005, we’ve helped countless businesses build positive company culture. Our sustainably delivered corporate catering services are known for bringing buzz into the office! So here are some of the ways corporate catering can boost company culture:
- Boosts company image: Keeping your employees happy with benefits such as catered lunches reflects well on your company and even helps attract and retain staff. You never know – other companies might even be more likely to do business with you if they see you treat your staff well or mirror their values when it comes to food at work.
- Fosters workplace relationships and engagement: Keeping workers on-site for lunch and encouraging them to eat together means they’re more likely to spend their lunchtime socialising, perhaps even networking between departments, allowing for a more connected workplace. After all, food brings people together.
- Motivates employees: Offering lunch can help motivate employees as it takes away the stress of having to think about or prepare their meals. Knowing their employer cares about them enough to provide a healthy lunch keeps them motivated to do their best work.
- Brings fun into the office! Lunchtime is the perfect opportunity to bring a little fun into the office. A good office caterer will be able to offer pop-ups with lots of different types of cuisines as well as DIY workshops like make your own sushi. With Valentine’s day right around the corner, employers have the perfect opportunity to recognise and reward hard work. Check out our latest pop-up where we turned the music up and made lunch a bit of a party!
- Helps with diversity and Inclusion: What better way is there to promote special interest groups within your organisation than with a meal that celebrates their initiative, culture or cause? Your caterer should be able to accommodate requests for all kinds of themed meals and make sure everyone is catered for – whether they have allergies or special dietary requirements. By making sure everyone is catered for, you create an inclusive and cohesive work environment.
- Encourages healthy eating: If you choose the right caterer, you can make sure healthy food is at your employees’ fingertips. Making fresh, healthy food more easily available helps staff avoid picking up something at the nearest fast food outlet.
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Happy employees are more motivated, so treating your employees well with something as simple as an office lunch has profound effects on work-life balance and workplace engagement. At Fooditude we create top-quality balanced meals which are guaranteed to keep your employees happy, healthy and well-fed. Our countless client testimonials prove our food really does bring people together. So join the movement to combat office loneliness and reject isolating “eat lunch at your desk” mindsets by embracing corporate catering, which clearly helps foster positive company culture.