Jan Baborák Employees who work from home are more likely to eat indulgent foods, snack between meals, and work longer hours than workplace-based colleagues, according to new research from Compass Group and market intelligence agency Mintel.
Healthy Eating Expectations and Realities
Analysing insights from 35,000 workers across 26 countries, Compass Group’s Global Eating at Work Survey 2023 found that the vast majority of workers in the UK recognise the productivity, health and wellbeing benefits of maintaining a healthy diet during their working week:
| Expectation | Percentage |
|---|---|
| What they eat and drink at work has a direct impact on productivity | 60% |
| Food and drink affect how they feel | 66% |
| Eating and drinking healthily is essential for long-term health | 73% |
Despite this, more than half of the UK workforce say they struggle to maintain healthy diets whilst at work, with employees who work from home finding it hardest to resist temptation.
“It’s clear that workers everywhere want to adopt healthier lifestyles. But, with snacks readily available in the kitchen cupboard and the pressure to plan and prepare balanced meals for themselves, employees who work from home are finding it hardest to maintain healthy eating habits during their working day”, says Morag Freathy, Managing Director of Compass subsidiary, Eurest.
Challenges of Maintaining Healthy Diets
The research also highlights the challenges employees face in maintaining a healthy diet at work:
| Challenge | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Struggle to maintain a healthy diet at work | Over 50% |
| Regularly eating indulgent foods during working day | 52% (home-based and hybrid workers) |
| Home-based workers snack on average 3 times per day | Twice as often as work-based peers |
| Home-based workers more likely to eat high-calorie snacks like chocolate during breaks | 31% (home workers) vs 25% (work-based employees) |
“Knowing that hybrid workers want to catch up with colleagues and eat more healthily on days when they go into the office, UK employers have a real opportunity through their food offerings, breakout spaces and wellbeing initiatives to enhance the health and wellbeing of their teams, while also encouraging them back into the workplace more often”, explains Freathy.
Efforts to Promote Healthy Eating
The research also highlights the impact of efforts to promote healthy eating at work:
| Effort | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Employees with a staff restaurant expect food outlets to help them make healthier choices | 65% |
| Younger UK workers are most interested in healthy eating at work and how it impacts productivity | 70% (Gen Z), 40% (Millennials) |
Workers across the UK are increasingly looking to their employers to help them make healthier choices, by providing healthy, sustainable, and innovative food experiences in the workplace, which they can’t easily replicate at home
“Workers across the UK are increasingly looking to their employers to help them make healthier choices, by providing healthy, sustainable, and innovative food experiences in the workplace, which they can’t easily replicate at home”, says Ryan Holmes, Culinary Director, B&I, at Compass Group UK & Ireland.
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is another aspect explored in the research:
| Aspect | Percentage |
|---|---|
| UK home-based workers are nearly four times more likely to take exercise during the working day | 4x |
| UK home-based workers are three times more likely to go outside and spend time in nature during their work breaks | 3x |
| UK home-based workers are better at avoiding screen-time during breaks | 39% (screen-free breaks) |
| 6 in 10 UK hybrid workers tend to work longer hours when working from home | 60% |
“With workforce demographics shifting towards Gen Z and Millennials, this snacking trend is here to stay”, Holmes adds.
Social Interaction
Social interaction during work is also identified as important by the researchers:
| Aspect | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 60% of home-based workers eat lunch alone | 60% |
| Half of UK hybrid workers wish they could eat lunch with colleagues more often | 50% |
Nicky Martin, Director of Nutrition and Wellbeing at Compass Group UK & Ireland, comments: “We’re changing the way we approach nutrition and wellbeing in the workplace, integrating food service and behavioural science to gently nudge consumers towards healthier choices.
“Clients are increasingly exploring new ways to help their employees eat more healthily at home too. We’re helping clients organize pop-up events from nutritionists, producing recipe cards to inspire home cooks, and even introducing urban farms into offices, to grow healthy, fresh produce that employees can take home with them.”
Author
