How food psychology can improve your business productivity

As a business owner, you are probably always looking for ways in which you can increase the productivity of your business, and much of this tends to come down to your employees themselves.

There are many ways to encourage this increased work output, but did you know that food psychology can actually play a significant part?

Offering food at work goes beyond providing a quick snack, and instead could determine how someone works within your business during the day.

In this article, Workplace Refreshments take look at the many effects food in the workplace can have and see how harnessing some of the key food psychology facts can help to increase your productivity.

The psychology of eating

We all know that what we eat has an impact on what we feel, as we will all have reached for a bar of chocolate when we are feeling down for the endorphin release or felt a natural high from something healthy. That is because food is more than just nourishment, and this emotional and psychological reaction to food is what is known as the psychology of eating. It governs how we eat, and whether we stick to healthy patterns, or fall into the trap of compulsive eating or binging.

Our eating habits can also determine our energy levels, our health, the ease of our movement, our body image, and our self-esteem, so it is easy to see why the way we eat plays a part in what we do at work.

Cognitive performance

What we choose to eat can have a massive effect on our cognitive performance. Everything that we consume is turned into glucose, which provides the energy that our brains need to stay alert and working. When these glucose levels drop, our focus and concentration are the first things to take a hit.

That means that having food close at hand can be incredibly helpful at work in making it as easy as possible for people to refuel and keep working at their best. If they have easily accessible food, through something like a vending machine, that they can get their hands on quickly when they feel a slump coming on, it is likely to ensure that they continue working at consistent levels throughout the day.

Healthy choices

Of course, reaching for just any food does not always have the effects that we would hope for. Whilst most things can give us some kind of boost on the productivity front, it is worth remembering that not all foods are equal. For example, high fat foods give us a sustained burst of energy, but as our digestive system works harder to deal with them, our brains are denied as much oxygen as they would like, and we can become groggy. Other foods give us a high and fast release of energy, but we all know that there is an inevitable crash coming just around the corner.

Healthier food options tend to give us the best of both worlds, with a steady, and longer-term release of energy that does not result in us plummeting downwards a little while after eating. It has also been found that fruits and vegetables contain nutrients which foster the production of dopamine. This is a neurotransmitter which plays a role in curiosity, motivation, engagement, memory, and mood, so making sure that these types of foods are accessible can be important. It means that our brains can not only function well but do it consistently too.

To really make the most of this as an employer, you need to make sure that the food you offer in the workplace gives people the chance to make healthy choices. There will always be a time and a place for a bag of crisps and a fizzy drink, but stocking these alongside fresh fruit, yoghurts and salads allows your employees the opportunity to make better choices, both for themselves and for you.

Time saving

Does your workplace provide food on site? If not, this could play a huge part in your productivity. When staff need a break or something to eat, they can waste massive amounts of time leaving site to go and find a shop of café to give them what they need. If you have easily accessible food, snacks and drinks on the premises, far less time is wasted, and productivity levels will automatically increase.

Inclusivity

Food has always been known to bring people together, and this is no different at work. Employees who eat together stand a greater chance of bonding and forming good working relationships. What starts off as a chat about last night’s TV over lunch can soon become a brainstorming session where creativity and ideas are shared. When these are brought back into the office, you are likely to see renewed levels of productivity, as staff start to experience new forms of motivation.

Eating together also gives people from different departments and teams to meet and talk, which can help your business to work more cohesively together.

A sense of value

With all of this in mind, it stands to reason that providing a range of food options at work can have a significant boost in productivity. However, it can also show your employees that their health and wellbeing is important to them, making them feel more valued within the workplace. This, in turn, can have an impact on productivity, as when employees feel appreciated, they subconsciously (and sometimes consciously) begin to work harder.

Whilst it is not the food itself that boosts their productivity, it is the overall feeling that food in the workplace can have that produces an increase.

Food psychology might seem like a small thing, but it can have a huge impact on the way in which all of us work. By keeping this in mind as an employer, you can have a direct effect on the productivity of your employees by offering them something that shows you care about their wellbeing, whilst also being able to benefit from it yourself.