6 ways employers can take a more supportive approach to nutrition
Nutrition can play a very important role in how people feel and function during the working day.
What works for one person, however, may be very different for another. Medical requirements, cultural backgrounds, working patterns, budgets, appetites and relationships with food can all shape what works for each individual.
Employers can help equip and empower employees to make educated choices and ensure they aren’t compromised by work demands or restrictions.
Here are six ways to support nutrition at work:
1. Understand the challenges employees face
What and when people eat during the day will often depend on the demands of their job.
Having regular homecooked meals can prove difficult if an employee is frequently travelling between appointments for example or is spending a lot of time on the road.
Equally, employees who are juggling work with caring responsibilities may have limited time, or simply lack the energy, to prepare nutritious and satiating food.
The options available to employees can also depend on where and when they work.
Office-based staff may have kitchen facilities, shops nearby or cafes and restaurants within close walking distance, whereas those working in the field or on night shifts may not.
Taking time to listen to employees, whether through surveys or informal conversations, can help employers to better understand the challenges they face and how they can better support the needs of their team.
2. Make time for proper breaks
Employers should nurture a culture that respects adequate breaks during the working day. This could mean keeping lunchtimes free from meetings, training line managers to support their teams’ workloads or ensuring that shifts are structured to allow employees enough time to eat, drink and digest.
Managers who lead by example by taking regular breaks themselves can help employees to feel more comfortable doing the same.
Where people regularly work through meals, employers should look at the pressures that may underpin this. With 88% of employees reporting that skipping lunch compromises their productivity, this is not to be overlooked.
Addressing unrealistic workloads or expectations is likely to be more helpful than presenting nutrition advice as a quick fix for tiredness or poor concentration.
3. Make food and drink easier to access
Having the right facilities can also be very important. Depending on the workplace, this could include easy access to drinking water, somewhere to store or heat food and a clean, comfortable place to eat.
It’s also worth thinking about the food and drink that’s offered at meetings and other work events. Not everyone can, or will want to, consume the same thing, so providing a range of options can help more employees to feel included and avoid peer pressure in social situations.
Consideration should be given to whether food and drink options are nutritious and suitable, or if they’re likely to offer short-term sugar highs and energy slumps. Employers should also ensure that allergies, medical requirements and religious or cultural preferences are properly catered for.
Furthermore, travel and subsistence policies should give employees enough flexibility to choose the food that suits their needs while they are working away.
4. Make nutrition advice useful and practical
General advice around eating fruit and vegetables and staying hydrated is unlikely to offer anything new for the majority of employees and simply repeating these messages can come across as patronising.
It’s more helpful to delve a little deeper and explain how to prepare meals that provide a balanced mix of nutrients, including how to interpret food labels and how to use frozen and cupboard ingredients to make quick, convenient meals.
Shift workers may need help planning around irregular hours, while employees who travel regularly might benefit from ideas for eating on the move. Others may be looking for affordable meals that are quick to prepare after a busy day.
Workplace guidance should give employees useful information that’s relevant to their own day-to-day lives, without telling them what to eat or promising that a particular food will transform how they feel or perform. Wherever possible, advice should come from a registered dietitian or another suitably qualified expert.
5. Use balanced and inclusive language
Employees may be living with conditions that affect their appetite, digestion or weight.
Some may be recovering from illness or following diets for medical, religious or cultural reasons, while others may have experienced eating disorders, body-image concerns or a difficult relationship with food.
Language that gives food a moral value should also be avoided. Terms such as “good”, “bad”, “clean”, “guilt-free” or “naughty” can suggest that eating particular foods reflects someone’s character or self-control and can have a psychological effect on a employees’ relationship with food.
Positive workplace messaging should recognise that no single food defines a person’s health and that all food can have social, cultural and emotional significance.
6. Help employees find the right support
Existing employee benefits may provide access to dietitians, nutrition professionals, wellbeing coaches or confidential health advice, often through lesser advertised ancillary services offered with more popular benefits. However, these services can be overlooked if employees aren’t aware they’re available.
The focus should be on whether employees know that support is available and if they find it easy to use, rather than pushing the message that all employees must improve their diets or address their weight.
The employer’s role is to provide clear, trusted information, improve access to food and drink options, and make sure employees know where to turn to for support that meets their needs.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Everywhen
With 23 years’ experience, we are one of the UK’s largest independent employee benefits consultancies.
