In the 21st Century, one of the areas of ‘healthy eating’ people seem to find the most challenging is workplace nutrition. If you’ve ever worked in an office, it’s easy to see why.
Early starts, working lunches, limited access to healthy foods, vending machines, unhealthy cafes, negative influence from the eating behaviours of those around you, multiple birthdays, non-health conscious colleagues, stress, deadlines….I could go on and on.
It’s really not surprising that those working in an office find it difficult to make healthy choices and stick to healthy goals. Access, role modelling and stress are key influencers on our dietary pattens and are usually drivers to making us choose less healthy options.
Across the world employers and brands are catching on to this. Companies are realising that by improving workplace nutrition and the wellbeing of their employees, they can improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and even increase enjoyment within roles. For example some organisations offer free breakfast for all staff or send healthy snacks around during the day. Some have upgraded their cafeterias to ensure healthy options are promoted and others encourage ‘wellbeing weeks’ or regular activities with colleagues.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic companies who realise the importance of employee health and workplace nutrition. This has included Morgan Mckinley, Utility Warehouse and Kimberly Clark to name a few.
I also helped support this wonderful infographic, from Adzuna which offers a 5-step guide to better office lunches. Keep your eye out for more work in this area too.
