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.

Workplace nutrition is therefore more complex than simply encouraging everyone to make “better choices”.

Messages should avoid presenting food choices as “right” or “wrong”, while a focus on weight can leave some employees feeling judged or uncomfortable.

Employers shouldn’t tell people what to eat, but they can equip and empower their employees to make educated choices and ensure they aren’t compromised by work demands or restrictions.

Here we bring you six practical considerations to support your employees’ nutrition at work.

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.

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.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), reasonable working hours and regular breaks should form an integral part of a supportive approach to employee wellbeing¹.

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 overlooked².

Addressing unrealistic workloads or expectations is likely to be more helpful than presenting nutrition advice as a quick fix for tiredness or poor concentration.

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.

Offering only salad or pizza for example doesn’t represent a balanced attitude to nutritional choices. 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. Food-based rewards and after-work drinks can still have a place, but offering alternatives is important.

Furthermore, travel and subsistence policies should give employees enough flexibility to choose the food that suits their needs while they are working away.

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.

Advice should also reflect the different ways people work. 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.

Rather than suggesting that every meal should follow the same formula, the NHS Eatwell Guide looks at the balance of an overall diet³. People with dietary or medical needs may require individual advice.

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.

Moreover, it should avoid claims about “superfoods” and detoxes, which can add to the mixed, and often confusing, messages we often see online.

Wherever possible, advice should come from a registered dietitian or another suitably qualified expert.

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.

Employers should avoid implying that everyone needs to lose weight or that appearance is a measure of health. Celebrating a culture of balance is key. Weight-loss challenges, body measurements and public tracking of food or calories can exclude some employees and turn a personal matter into a workplace competition.

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.

References to “earning” food or compensating for it through exercise can be similarly unhelpful and triggering.

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.

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.

Employers should start by checking what support is already in place and making sure employees know how to access it through internal communications.

Any personalised advice should be confidential and provided by a qualified professional, particularly where an employee has a medical condition or specific dietary requirements.

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.  

It’s important to remember that employers shouldn’t try to influence or make judgements about what people eat or how they should look, and neither should their colleagues.  

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.

Sources

¹ https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng13/chapter/Recommendations#organisational-commitment

² https://www.inc.com/bruce-crumley/to-increase-your-companys-productivity-make-sure-everyone-eats-lunch/91254098

³ https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/