Why your boss should feed you well

Food and mood and very tightly bound.

Eat junk food and you feel rubbish 10 minutes later; eat healthily and you feel energized and virtuous. So is it any wonder that eating badly when you're in the office can impact on how you feel for the rest of the day and overall? You are only as good as the fuel you run on and this is something a lot of businesses can help out with if they want to get the best performance out of their employees.

So what can organisations do to make it easier for employees to stay healthy and fired up whilst in the office?


We all know what's good for us (deep down) but sometimes, getting caught out is a great excuse for eating poorly. 'I didn't have the time to get anything so I just grabbed a chocolate bar'. 'These crisps are the only thing they had in the vending machine so I'll make do till I have dinner tonight' or 'I haven't got time to go out for something so I'll just have another coffee to keep me going'.

But what if your boss made it easier for you? There's a great reason for them to do so with new figures revealing that 97 million working days are lost a year in the UK because of employees poor eating habits. Here are some ideas to feed back to them and they may just get them thinking....

1. Fruit bowl
A large fruit bowl which is replenished daily for all the office to eat - not just decorative green apples in reception. Doesn't cost the earth but send the message to employees that you care that they have a healthy option.

2. Vending Machine with variety
Don't just fill it with sweet snacks - vary it up with nuts and seeds, low sugar health bars, yogurt drinks, bottled water etc. The less temptation there is in the way, the less people will fall for it.

3. Discount Vouchers & Coupons
Offer discount vouchers for using the local smoothie bar or health food store. Its a great incentive for staff to choose healthy over their normal choice. Again, this sends a loud message out that you want them to feel good.

4. Revamp the Canteen
If the office has catering, introduce healthier options that are desirable, Gone are the days of offering a token salad or sorry looking baked potato. Make sure you provide healthy options that are high on taste and filling.

5. Practice what you preach
All these healthy moves only work if the boss isn't seen chowing down on a burger at lunch time with a bag of crisps. Leading by example is always the best incentive for staff to jump on the band wagon.

So next time you're tempted to eat badly at lunch, do it and monitor how it makes you feel afterwards - and remember that feeling. Afternoons don't have to feel like a struggle to stay awake....

photograph by cackhanded (flickr)

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Employees Asked to Work Naked

Okay - just when you thought your office was bad, this should tell you that it could be so much worse. Are they working at the Federal reserve? Or a diamond company? What could possibly have prompted and employer to ask their employees to come into work with nothing on?

Not what you'd think.

Seems that the British company, Lush, were not going to let modesty stand in the way of a genuine statement about packaging. Take a look.

Wonder if sales went up just from curious browsers?

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