I’m not going to give you the same lecture your grandmother gave you as a child. The health and energy benefits of getting your fruits and vegetables are numerous and well documented. Repeating them here is unnecessary.
It’s precisely because of these benefits, however, that I’m writing this post. All other things being equal, a workplace with a healthy diet will outperform an unhealthy one 100% of the time. Unfortunately, staff aren’t always motivated to improve their diets on their own.
Here are six ways to ensure that your workplace healthy eating program is both effective and sustainable over the long term:
1. Buffets over canteens. Often, people are willing to eat their fruits and vegetables, they’re just not willing to pay for them. If you get catered lunches, or have access to a cafeteria, try to arrange for an all-you-can-eat buffet. If your staff pack their own lunches, make fresh fruit available to them every day. It’s a cheap way to make sure every is well-fed and stays productive.
Who doesn't love baby carrots? Sanjay Acharya/Wikimedia Commons
2. Modify if necessary. So you bring in a dietary wellness program, and it isn’t working. Maybe fresh fruit is prohibitively expensive in the winter. Maybe no one likes broccoli or Brussels sprouts. Instead of abandoning the program, find out what’s wrong with it and fix it. If you need to, make smoothies from frozen fruit, or arrange to get mountains of baby carrots.
3. Have a champion. If no one is dedicated to the program, and makes sure it runs smoothly, it isn’t going to last. If you’re too busy or disinterested to make it work, find someone who will. The added responsibility of a small budget will be a good motivator for career-driven people.
4. Make sure it fits. Your company is a hammock vendor? Think tropical fruit. You ship medicine to Africa? Better choose Fair Trade. Your biggest customer is Microsoft? Apples might not be a great choice of snack.
Steve Jobs probably keeps a few of these lying around the office. Scott Bauer/USDA
5. Make benefits obvious. The program is working, and you can tell. Can everyone else? Let them know how great their work has been, or how much weight Frank lost (with his permission, of course). If the benefits aren’t obvious, people will either give up or forget.
6. Get external support. Team up with a local gym, bring in guest speakers, or find sponsors to help keep costs down. Even the best need coaches; Nothing makes a program run like a good hard kick in the pants.
I love homemade guacamole on rice crackers. What’s your favourite healthy snack?
Sources: Scheirer, M.A. (2005). Is Sustainability Possible? A Review and Commentary on Empirical Studies of Program Sustainability. American Journal of Evaluation 26:3. 320–347.; Lassen, A., Hansen, K.S., & Trolle, E. (2006). Comparison of buffet and à la carte serving at worksite canteens on nutrient intake and fruit and vegetable consumption. Public Health Nutrition 10:3. 292–297.
Paul Baribeau writes for TribeHR, studies Knowledge Integration, and once considered a career as a pirate (it didn’t work out). TribeHR eliminates the big hassle of HR management for small and medium-sized businesses.
