Whether you’re an employer or employee reading this blog, there’s one thing we’re confident about – you love food. Everyone needs to eat, and offering corporate catering for your employees might just be that extra perk your company has been looking for.
At Encore Catering we believe that food should be a source of pleasure, not just necessity. Food is something that brings people together and creates lasting memories. But providing corporate catering for your office breakfast or lunch can have many other benefits that you might not know about. Let’s take a look.
#1 | Office Lunches Bring Employees Together, Improves Culture, and Boosts Morale
The average person spends almost 1/3 of their day at the office. With so much time dedicated to their workplace, it’s important for employees to actually enjoy the office culture and the people they work with. But as an employer, you might be wondering how you can make that happen? Oftentimes, food can be the answer.
Corporate catering provides an opportunity for employees to come together, socialize, mingle, and maybe even become friends outside of the office! A small gesture like providing free breakfast or lunch for your employees can go a long way to improve office culture and boost employee morale. Social interaction is incredibly important and while most of an employee’s time is spent at their desk, having office catered lunches will bring people together.
As Loblaw’s Presidents Choice #eattogether campaign says:
“It’s at the table where we can turn a house into a home, a stranger into a friend, and a village into a community. But more than anything, eating together simply connects us.”
It might not even be as expensive as you think (but we’ll get to that later).
#2 | Corporate Catering Improves Productivity and Helps with Time Management
How many times have you decided to grab a quick bite, but that quick bite turned into a 2-hour lunch break? Providing corporate catered lunches is a great way to encourage employees to stick around the office during their lunch breaks. This gives them the opportunity to interact with other colleagues and then get back to work in a timely fashion.
By having catered lunches in the office, employees don’t need to go out for lunch and take extended lunch breaks. Catered lunches will in turn help employees manage their time more effectively by providing a mid-day anchor that other things can be scheduled around. Plus, it helps them save money by not needing to eat out all the time.
#3 | Free Meals is an Incentive to Attract, and Retain Top Employees
Speaking of saving money, companies that offer catering for their employees are actually offering a major cost saving. Whether or not the person brings in their own lunch – which also requires time to prep at home – or goes out to eat, office catering is a big perk that people notice. Current employees and future candidates will factor these cost savings into their decision when calculating their total compensation package.
In addition to cost savings, providing catered breakfasts and/or lunches shows employees that their company cares about them. The company is going above-and-beyond and offering unique perks to help keep their employees happy at the job. This will undoubtedly be a major incentive to attract and retain top employees. In fact, 48% of people in one survey said that if they were looking for a new job, they would weigh company perks – like free food – into their decision.
#4 | Corporate Catering Can Promote Healthy Eating Habits
Providing free breakfast or lunch to your employees is a great opportunity to show that you care about their health and well-being. Serving well-balanced meals is a great alternative to mass-produced foods and unhealthy snacks. It shows that the company values health and wellness while showcasing a strong company culture.
Constantly eating out can also take a toll on your employees’ physical and mental health. But promoting positive eating habits can help keep employee’s healthy; and a healthy employee is a happy employee. In fact, one study found that 56% of people are “extremely happy” or “very happy” at their current jobs. However, when companies offer free food at work, this number jumps to 67%.
Healthy employees not only get sick less frequently, but they also become less susceptible to chronic disease and can cost employers less in health insurance. With the potential for fewer sick days and higher productivity, catering healthy lunches in the office is a win-win for both employers and employees.
#5 | Corporate Catering Can Help Increase a Company’s Bottom Line
When employees frequently eat out for lunch, it can easily turn into hours away from work over the course of weeks. Depending on their salary/hourly rate, it might actually be more cost-effective to pay for catered lunches if it results in more time spent at work. Even a 30min increase in daily productivity can be enough to offset the costs of catering lunch at the office.
Even if you’re not ready to implement free lunches every day of the week, the occasional office catering can still be beneficial. Whether it’s Monday mornings breakfasts, Friday afternoon lunches, or celebrating a new contract, there are tons of opportunities to show your appreciation for your employees, while benefiting the company’s bottom line.
And don’t forget about the costs associated with turnover. While free lunches won’t guarantee low turnover, it will help you stand out from the competition and promote high retention rates.
It’s no surprise that the number of companies offering free food and beverages is on the rise. In 2014, only 20% of companies surveyed offered office catering, but in 2018 that number rose to 32%.
Encore Catering provides easy and affordable office catering. Whether you’re looking for daily meals for your employees, or catering for a special occasion, we’re here to help. We can deliver buffet style for meetings, boxed lunches for employees, and much more. Check out our menu packages and get in touch today to see how we can help with your corporate catering needs.
