According to a research report by the Society for Human Resource Management, about a third of employers in the US provide their employees free snacks in the office. We’ve seen several blog posts calling for an end to to this, the biggest reason being that free snacks are making employees more unhealthy. Traditionally, this may have been the case when office snacks consisted solely of sugary sweets like cookies, donuts, bagels, sodas and the like. With companies becoming more health conscious, we’re beginning to see companies offer more nutritionally sound options. We’ve spoken with and provided some details on snack delivery programs to get you started if you’re thinking about offering free snacks in the office.
As an employee of a company that provides complimentary snacks in the office- it’s saved me on multiple occasions when I hit the 2 pm slump or when I was really hungry but didn’t have time to run out for a snack. Not to mention, I’m thankful for the variety of options we have. From dried fruits and nuts, to chocolate covered raisins and gummy bears, to oatmeal and granola, there is something for every craving and something that fits a variety of dietary preferences. Having access to office snacks has allowed my colleagues and I to not only grab something quick when we need to, but it’s also a nice work perk that can help employees save money, and keep employees in the office working on projects rather than out searching for snacks! Providing these more nutritionally sound options keeps team members happy and allows those who wish to maintain their health goals to do so without being tempted by sugary sweets.
- Keep your hard working teams happy
- Improving employee engagement with perks like free beverages and snacks are directly linked to a company’s bottom-line success. Create a culture that fosters social, emotional and physical well-being. While providing snacks for your office will cost money, providing snacks is also symbolic of how much you care about your employees
- Attract new talent, especially job-hunting millennials who place value on this break room perk
- About 30% of employees reach for an in-office snack every day and 48% consume employer-offered snacks and beverages 1-4 times per week. By providing free snacks, companies can conquer the afternoon slump that affects 56% of full-time workers, reducing lost hours of productivity.
Snack Delivery Programs:
- Snack Nation: Feel good about feeding your employees health conscious and personally curated packaged snacks. When you order one snack box, SnackNation donates 10 meals to Feeding America! Snack Nation delivers top natural brands to your office based on your selected preferences. Prices start at $199/month.
- NatureBox: NatureBox creates their own healthy and delicious snacks and sends them right to your office. Choose from their catalog of bulk snacks made without artificial flavors/ colors/sweeteners, corn syrup of any kind, hydrogenated oils or MSG. Unlimited snack plans are available for a fixed monthly price of $20/per employee ($1.00/ per employee/ day). When you subscribe you get free kitchen setup – jars, scoops & tray and free shipping on all orders.
- WorkPerks: Experience a variety of snacks that appeal to everyone in the office. From the health nut to the indulger, there is everything from the savory to the sweet. Take the guessing game out of snack selection by building your offices custom snack profile. Snacks are packaged in either true 1 or 2 serving sized packages so that employees can begin to learn what a true snack serving looks like. Boxes start at $54.99.
- Corporate Essentials: From healthy snacks like raw granola bars, greek yogurt and farm-fresh produce to potato chips and gummy bears, Corporate Essentials comes to your office and stocks your kitchen, letting your team focus on what they need to focus on. Enjoy weekly (or even daily) produce and dairy deliveries, right to your office, not to mention, locally sourced products are offered when available in order to support local businesses! When you purchase a subscription for a snack box (50 snacks), your office will also receive a snack rack to display its contents in your break room. Subscribe for a year, you’ll get your first month free!
If you’re purchasing your own snacks and drinks for a smaller office from Costco, Boxed, InstaCart etc., here are some guidelines or ideas to consider:
- Fresh hand fruit: apples, bananas, oranges
- Flavored Seltzers (0 calories and 0 sugars), water, unsweetened almond milk
- Packaged snacks that are 200 calories or less, and 200 mg of sodium or less as a general rule of thumb
- Snacks that can keep employees full, provide energy for when they hit that 3 pm slump and that are nutritionally dense: dried fruit, nuts, oatmeal, trail mix, fruit/nut bars, protein bars, yogurt, almond/nut butters
- Granola bars and other snack bars that have as a first ingredient: a whole grain (e.g., whole grain rolled oats), protein food (e.g., nuts), dairy, fruit, or vegetable are good choices
