Unhealthy foods while at work is slowing productivity while driving up nutritional diseases among employees.
The study by British Journal of Health Psychology shows that, food has a direct impact on cognitive performance, which is why a poor decision at lunch can derail an entire afternoon.
‘’Unhealthy lunch options tend to be cheaper and faster than healthy alternatives, making them all the more alluring in the middle of a busy workday,’’ the study said.
Within the study, 230 participants reported their food consumption, mood, and behaviors over a period of 13 days. Afterwards, researchers examined the way people’s food choices influenced their daily experiences.
Most participants working for medium size firms reported feeling dizzy or sleepy an hour or two after lunch break. At least 147 out of 188 of them buy food from nearby joints.
The survey also found out that employees from firms that have strict food eating guidelines and involve nutritionists in the kind of food eaten during lunch break were more active.
The study concluded managements must control food choices for their employees for them to see productivity results they anticipate.
This perhaps explains why blue chip tech firms in the Silicon Valley are spending an arm and a leg to provide nutritional lunch for their employees.
Google for instance spends an average of $20 per employee per day on food or $80 million per year.
According to Harvard Business Review, although it is expensive, feeding employees gobs of goodies is almost expected in Silicon Valley. Twitter and Facebook also boast impressive free kitchens on their campuses.
Apptivate Africa, the owner of M-Kula eating app estimates that Kenyan firms spends 10 times lower on employees’ lunch compared to that of Google, an average of Sh200.
