Skipping meals is both a problem for your employees’ health and their productivity. And yet, because of high food prices, 31% of them have skipped a meal (or meals) in the last 12 months.
High food prices are forcing your employees to cut back not just on extravagances, but necessities. Fifty-one% of Americans are purchasing less of what they consider to be “non-essential” groceries, and 39% are purchasing fewer groceries altogether.
This is far from ideal. Especially when you consider that skipping meals can result in brain fog (an inability to concentrate), fatigue, increased production of stress hormones, irritability, and increased negativity.
On the other hand, employees who eat lunch are up to 25% more creative, their mood is boosted, anxiety is reduced, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their job performance and are far less likely to miss work overall.
I bet you never knew a sandwich and some soup could be so powerful.
Maybe you’ve tried to power through the afternoon and found yourself “hangry” and unable to concentrate on even the simplest of emails. We’ve all done this at least once, and we all know it was a mistake.
You can provide your employees food security with a meal benefits plan
With meal benefits you can choose to provide employees a daily food allowance. The average worker spends $13 on their lunch (though the exact amount will vary state to state).
This allowance can be used to cover breakfast, lunch, or dinner at local eateries, restaurants, and grocery stores. It can also be used to “order in” on those busy days via any of the popular food delivery apps.
And no, you don’t have to pass out gift cards, meal vouchers, or add the stipend to their checks and process endless reimbursement requests.
You can do it all through a prepaid card that automatically reloads each and every month.
As the employer, you not only choose the daily spending limit, but you program where the card can be used. When the card is limited to a certain category of vendor, you’ll never have to worry about accidental misuse (hey, it happens!).
Whether you choose to allot $13, $15, or $20 a day towards employee meals, the benefit to your employees is obvious. They are happier, more productive, more creative, and feel more secure.
Meal perks (what we call “Ticket Restaurant”) are our specialty at Edenred, and there has truly never been a better time to begin offering this benefit.
We know that you want to get started as soon as possible, and we can help. Schedule a meeting today so we can discuss the best options for you and your employees.
