[Infographic] Keep Your Employees Healthy and Productive with Food Perks

We’ve all worked in offices with unhappy people. The reasons why they are unhappy—their careers, their home life, their deadlines—of course are as varied as the people themselves. But unhappy people in the office tend to spread their unhappiness to others, unfortunately—and that can impact productivity both day to day and long term, as well as office culture itself.

When it comes to creating a culture that’s productive and positive, reinforcing and nurturing, there are a variety of tools that office leaders can use. There are team building exercises and days out. There is flex time and extended leave. There are casual Fridays and bring your dog to work days.

And then there’s food.

Also read: When Are Perks at Work Necessary?

Food is something that everyone can get behind. We associate food with memories and favorite people, and breaking bread together is a way to bond—team building without the funny worksheets, to put it another way.

Plenty of big companies have already figured this out, of course. The Googles and the Facebooks of the world use food and drink as a benefit, in much the same way that they use flex time and casual Fridays. It is one more thing in the “plus” column that helps to retain talent and encourage teamwork. And as another bonus, food as a perk seems to be particularly attractive to millennials.

Millennials are, of course, an ever-growing segment of the workforce, and perks are one of the things that really stand out for them when considering a job and thinking about staying at a company.

But one thing no employee, no matter their age, wants is food that’s only provided as a way of eeking out more hours. What they want is to feel that their employers are providing food and drink as a way of staying engaged in what’s going on with their workforce. Those meals encourage those casual conversations with co-workers, keeping them motivated and active.

What else is attractive about food in the workplace, and what can you do to provide it? This graphic helps explain what’s at stake and why it matters.