The concept of healthy office snacks has changed dramatically from chips and biscuits to fruits and even veggies over the years. This has brought in a change in the snacking service as well. These alternative snacking options are not only healthy but are also very tasty which is why these have become more popular.

The concept of snacking improves performance as believed by industry experts and therefore businesses add snacks as their perks and focuses more on it apart from other perks such as weekly massages and arcade rooms. Healthy and free office snacks add to the happiness quotient of the employees and therefore affect the production level dramatically as well in a positive way.

However, there are several offices that believe when it comes to in-office perks it is the big, splashy facilities that matter most. They resort to perks such as:

• In-house masseuses
• On-site gyms
• Extravagant game rooms and much more.

However, these facilities can only be provided by those companies who have the requisite budget for it as well as the required space. For those businesses that cannot afford any of these two find that the most suitable and effective alternative perks to provide to their employees to keep them happy and productive is providing them healthy snacks in office for free.

Small investment with larger returns

Providing healthy office snacks is so simple and inconspicuous that it is, in fact, more often than not overlooked and ignored. Nevertheless, studies suggest that this is a much wieldier prerequisite that businesses can provide to their employees and in return can have an enormous impact on a lot of other things of the company such as:

• The productivity level
• Engagement level of the employees
• Happiness and
• Overall health.

This will result in less absenteeism and loss of work hours which is probably the best benefit and return you get on investing in office snack service.

This positive impact on the productivity of the organization is brought about by making a small investment in healthier snacking options in a number of key ways.

• First, it is the fact that what the employees eat will affect directly the level of performance. If you follow the Harvard Business Review you will see that they corroborate the fact that healthy food habits have a direct impact on cognitive performance. It also says that any bad decision made at the office vending machine may derail the productivity of the entire day and if several employees tend to make such mistakes then the business is going to take some severe blows. Therefore, investing and relying on healthier snacking options that include minimally processed low-glycemic foods that are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats is the best way to provide unrelenting energy to the employees for high performance through the day.
• Second, considering the impact the healthy snacks will have on the employee’s overall diet and in turn on their overall health is much more valuable than the money invested. It will be much more than any other category of the meal. A recent study has shown that worksite wellness programs are impacted heavily by snacking choices at work. It affects The Body Mass Index or BMI which in turn affects the quality of work, one’s diet as well as the general health categories of an employee. The healthier the snacking choices, the better are the overall diet and health of the employees.
• Finally, healthy snacking has got a few emotional effects at work as well. It is seen through different studies that employers who provide healthy snacks in their offices for their workers send a strong signal to their employees. This shows that employers care for the employees. This is in turn well accepted and appreciated by the employees which result in boosting their engagement level.

Therefore, there are several good reasons to consider healthy snacks to be the ‘key to happiness in the workplace.’

The best way

The best way to ensure that all employees eat better and work better is to find healthier options but it is important to include items that the employees will like to have. You will need to know about their snacking preferences and get some ideas by surfing through the internet. There are a few specific items to include in-office snacks that will surely hook up the employees with healthy snacking habits which are easier than you may think. However, you will have to take the number of employees into consideration which making your choice. Some helpful ideas are:

• For smaller offices having 1 to 9 employees, the best way to go is to choose a service that specializes in small office supplies. Make sure that the food provided includes 100% GMO-free, natural and organic snacks.
• For medium-sized organizations having 10 to 500 employees, things may turn out to be a bit trickier because you will have more palates to please. Choose a service that is comfortable serving such offices with expertly curated snack box each month.
• For bigger offices with employees numbering anywhere from 501 to 10,000, you will be better off if you choose to hire a full-service provider. They will do it all taking out your efforts from the equation. They will do everything from on-site dining to snacking, coffee service and even wellness initiatives.
• For large industries having more than 10,000 employees, you may invest in an in-house canteen or hire a professional canteen service. It has its own bells and whistles such as automated services, healthy vending machines, coffee service, grab-and-go micro-markets, dining, and much more.

It will entirely depend on your employee size and budget as to which particular type of office snack service you will choose.

Once you have decided who you should hire for your office snack service, you must also know what the specific items are that you should include in the snack box. This is also not very hard because most of the times the office snack service will have lots of packages to choose from and may help you in choosing one that is right for your office.