The importance of proper nutrition of employees
Proper and healthy nutrition has become one of the most important problems of a modern man. The rapid pace of everyday life has led to the loss of a habit of sitting down for as long as it takes to enjoy a balanced meal, choosing increasingly "fast food", often without any nutrients.
Still, satisfying nutritional needs and ensuring food safety are important factors in the prevention of a whole range of illnesses and disorders.
Food at work
The attitude that employed people have poor nutrition it is widely represented. It can often be heard that they do not blame themselves for such a position, as much as it is impossible to organize during the working day.
The working day lasts 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If we take into account the time that an employee needs to come to work and return home, a logical conclusion is drawn: employees during working hours needs to be provided with a proper meal.
The options that employees often have are:
- Bringing a meal from home
- Go to a nearby restaurant and / or bakery
- Food delivery to the workplace
In the first case, the assumption is that there is a kitchen or room in which the employees have at their disposal facilities for cooling and heating the food, as well as the premises intended for its consumption. This type of meal consumption is most often possible to be organized in enterprises with a small number of employees.
Nutrition of employees in outdoor food service departments depends on several factors: the availability of restaurants nearby, the budget that the employee has at their disposal, and the length of the meal break. Food delivery to the workplace is often an alternative to which many resort to, so today a large number of employees are consuming their meals at a work desk.
However, employees in production facilities often do not have any of these options available. Industrial complexes are usually located outside the urban area, and due to maintenance of the production process, the break time must be strictly respected.
In such cases, the availability of internal canteen is imposed as the only solution.
What are the benefits of organized nutrition for employees for employers?
An increasing number of employers recognize the need to organize the nutrition of their employees, in line with the possibilities. Why is that important to them?
1. PRODUCTIVITY
Organized meals allow maximum utilization of meal breaks during working hours. And if the meal is balanced, healthy and adapted to the efforts the employees make during the work, the productivity itself will always be at the required level. In a report on "Nutrition at Work." Solutions for Improper Nutrition, Obesity and Chronic Disease ', published in 2005 by the International Labor Organization (ILO), states that inadequate workplace nutrition damages the health of workers and can lead to a loss of productivity of 20%.
2. HEALTH OF EMPLOYEES
Healthy and balanced diet significantly affects the psychophysical condition of the worker. Each organizational unit has certain job assignments, distributed to employees who perform them. In the event of a work-related absence due to health reasons, the employer directly or indirectly incurs certain costs. Addressing employees' health issues leads to a reduction in these costs and facilitates the maintenance of the work process as planned.
Also, health and wellness have become a priority in today's culture. People want healthy options for nutrition, workplace is no exception. Providing access to high-quality, fresh dishes, the company meets the growing demand in the labor market.
3. ENGAGEMENT
When companies are organizing meals for employees, the group of workers goes together to pause, allowing them to relax and meet each other. Meals become a ritual that strengthens the culture of the community every day, as a few other organized joint activity.
4. RECRUITING AND RETENTION
In today's labor market, a good worker is always needed. In order to attract and retain such a worker, it is necessary to provide working conditions that will require him to be in your company. The possibility of good nutrition in the workplace is one of the conditions that will make you feel satisfied and spread the voice about which the reputation and image of the company itself is raised.