Workplace food services are important for talent attraction
As the youngest generation in the professional realm, the Gen Z workforce is bringing fresh perspectives to the workplace. Born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, Gen Z calls for enhanced workplace practices more than any other working-age demographic.
According to Compass Group and Mintel’s Global Eating at Work Survey 2023, Gen Z employees are more likely to join and speak highly of an employer who offers good quality, healthy, sustainable and digitally enabled food offerings in the workplace.
This blog looks at how implementing employee food services could help your business attract and retain Gen Z talent.
A staff restaurant shows employees you care
According to the survey, 71% of UK Gen Z say having a staff restaurant on-site shows an employer cares about its employees, with 65% saying an on-site cafeteria would positively influence their decision to join a prospective employer.
This generational shift is pushing employers to consider the benefits of contract food services, which go far beyond the food on a plate. Morag Freathy, Managing Director, Eurest, said:
“Employers today need to use every tool at their disposal to attract, retain and motivate the best talent.”
“As our research has shown, a staff restaurant is one of the most effective ways for employers to show that they care for their staff while positively influencing employee loyalty and their willingness to speak positively about their employer.”
Coffee could be replacing happy hour
Gen Z is drinking about 20% less alcohol than young people in past generations, according to a report from Berenberg Research. For employers and contract caterers, this presents a prime opportunity to evolve what would have been pints at the pub to an after-work cuppa on-site.
In-house food and drink services can help businesses offer their workforce a broad spectrum of coffee supply, from high street brands like Starbucks and Café Nero to local independents. Is this about coffee beans? If yes, it is more likely that we will have beans with strong social and sustainable credentials from companies that do good and leave a light footprint on the world.
Businesses can also tailor their coffee offering to suit their initiatives and employee base, using it to bring colleagues together during and outside office hours.
Food helps signify employers are following their values
Younger generations see sustainability as something that affects them, as well as something they can have an impact on themselves.
Due to this, potential employees are looking for workplaces that truly value and enable the health of their people and the planet.
From transparent food labelling to weekly menu initiatives, there are lots of imaginative ways employers can demonstrate their sustainability commitments through partnering with a contract caterer.
At Eurest, we’ve worked with the University of Oxford to score and label our food products from A to E based on environmental impact – showing employees we care about our own impact while giving them the power to decide their own.
Give your people the benefit of food services
Partnering with experienced caterers can make a huge impact on company culture, including employee wellbeing, shared sustainability efforts and an increase in employee collaboration and productivity.
At Eurest, we give your employees something to come to work for. Our flexible food and drink services help people feel mentally and physically well, fuel concentration, supports collaboration, and boosts productivity. We’re also ‘planet positive’ – meaning we use sustainable ingredients wherever possible because we’re committed to working towards a better world for all generations.
To find out more, simply call us on 0121 457 5207 or email enquiries@eurestfood.co.uk.
Further reading
