Owning and operating a business has many challenges. When you take on employees, it is now a popular trend to add incentives and rewards to a pay packet. One of these can often be to provide snacks and drinks for your employee throughout the day. Could this be an option for you? Let’s take a look at what it could mean for your business here.
What Could You Offer?
There are many choices out there that companies could choose if you do want to introduce snacks for employees. They should be on the healthy side and ultimately want to refuel your employees so they can return to work quickly. This type of snack is for a purpose and should help one of your workers feel reenergised and ready to tackle their next set of tasks.
For food, things like mini pretzels and yogurt are fantastic. You want to choose things that are rich in proteins and have a little bit of carbs too but try to avoid things packed with fat or sugar. Too much of the former is unhealthy, and too much of the latter will cause a crash later. Avoid nuts if anyone in the office has an allergy.
For drinks, you can’t go wrong with free tea and coffee. Many offices have a water fountain but adding tea and coffee is the perfect addition. Try to find a high-quality espresso and tea provider so your employees have access to the best.
Will Your Employees Use It?
It might be a good idea in theory, but everything comes down to practice. Your employees might be content with bringing their own food and snacks from home.
This means that they will not want to try the snacks that you provide in the office and they ay go to waste. You don’t want to be burning money by constantly throwing away food that no-one wants, and then replacing it.
Conversely, your employees might go through the snacks and drinks faster than you could want them to. If this is the case in your office, you may need to impose some limits. For example, you could only place an order on one day each month, making it clear to employees that if they run out too soon then there will be no extras until the restock.
You could also have a problem in the middle, with only one snack being consumed and the others being left behind. In this scenario, brainstorm with your employees to see what they would like to see on offer. It might be the case that the only snack that they care for is the one that is taken.
Right For Your Business?
Ultimately, you need to decide whether offering snacks is going to be the right move for your business overall. If you have a more professional, corporate-style office, snacks might be a little more out-of-place than in a younger more relaxed working environment. Speak to your employees and find out if this is a move they would like to see.
