The Perks of Being a Snacker - Courtesy of Erin Child

This week's blog post brought to you by Erin Child:
M.S. Candidate, Nutrition Interventions, Communication, and Behavior Change
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

For Millennials, like myself, it’s not just the classic work benefits that are considered during the job hunt, but the extra perks. And by extra perks, we’re talking extra snacks. According to a study published by USA Today, 48% of applicants seriously weigh the offered extra perks (like free snacks, flexible schedule, tuition support, etc) with benefits and salary. Once employed, the availability of free snacks at work is associated with a higher number of employees that are “extremely” or “very” happy at their job. With most employees in the office during breakfast and lunch hours, an interest in readily available (and free) snacks is only logical. And by providing snacks in house, employers keep their employees on-campus and engaged with each other throughout mealtime.
Coupled with corporate snacks is the increasing investment in corporate wellness. As part of the larger corporate wellness trend, corporations are interested in helping their employees stay healthy. By providing employees with healthy food options, they provide their employees with the resources to make healthier choices. On a recent visit to a friend’s New York City based start-up, I found myself standing agog in front a giant wall of healthy snacks that included; nuts, fruit, dried fruit, veggies, hummus, granola bars, and a plethora of gluten-free, dairy-free and organic options. Employees there stay happily satiated and productive throughout the day. (And I worked on containing my jealousy).
Unlike me, if you have free snacks and food offered at work, you are one of the lucky 16% of employees that do. If your company welcomes suggestions, consider requesting Swoffle to be added to your snacking options! Pairing Swoffle with a cup of tea and your afternoon meeting is a sure way to make the day sweeter.