You no doubt realize just how important happiness is to a productive workplace. As Forbes suggests, happy workers are 37% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. Unfortunately, what you can do to make your employees happy is a bit less clear than the resulting effects. Should you offer employee appreciation programs? Absolutely. Should you work on team building through company retreats? You’d be remiss not to. Those are the tried and true methods, but what if somebody told you that high quality food can be just as beneficial?
Consider the statistics from MindFlash.com: Unhealthy workers, specifically those who are overweight or obese, are twice as likely to miss work. According to a recent study by Gallup, this absenteeism costs businesses, like yours, $153 billion every year in lost workdays, overtime pay, and healthcare costs.
So, what can you do to overcome the health and happiness crisis in your workplace? You can offer better quality food through professional catering agencies. Bringing in catering agencies for office catering can give your employees the energy they need for a productive work day, each and every day. However, there are particular foods you should ask for when contracting with corporate catering services. Here are three of the most beneficial.
- Mixed Green Salads
- Lots of Fresh Fruit
- Foods Full of Dark Chocolate
According to Entrepreneur, both iron and vitamin C are crucial nutrients in improving the brain’s ability to process information. Both iron and vitamin C are known to increase circulation and oxygenation of the blood, thereby increasing our ability to retain things in our memories, think more clearly, and have more energy throughout the day. Ask for mixed green salads, specifically those with dark, leafy greens, like spinach, to give your employees the boost they need.
Did you know that proper nutrition can improve brain function by as much as 20%? That’s according to Business Insider, an online business magazine. One of the best ways to increase that brain power quickly, the source points out, is with fresh fruit. Take the humble banana, for example. A medium-sized banana provides 25 grams of sugar, the ideal amount our brains need in our blood to run at optimal levels. Ask catering agencies what options they have on offer for fresh fruit before using their services.
Offering your employees foods with dark chocolate, as The Huffington Post suggests, will not only get you points for flavor, but, since dark chocolate is full of flavanols, those same foods will also give your company a boost of sorely needed productivity. In high doses, such as those found in cocoa powder, flavanols cause an increase of blood to the brain. In turn, this makes us feel more awake and more able to conquer our workloads. If you want your employees to be better equipped to handle taxing work days, ask catering agencies what chocolate options they offer.
As Napoleon Bonaparte is famous for saying, “an army marches on its stomach.” By using professional catering agencies, you can give your army the fuel it needs to win any battle. Just be sure to choose the right foods. Good references here.