Morag Freathy, managing director of Eurest (part of Compass Group UK & Ireland), said: “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.
“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.”
Global Eating at Work Survey
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.
- 60% say that what they eat and drink at work has a direct impact on their productivity
- 66% say that the food and drink they consume has a direct impact on how they feel
- 73% agree that eating and drinking healthily is essential to promoting long-term health
Struggle to maintain health diets
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.
- 52% of UK home-based and hybrid workers admit regularly eating indulgent foods during their working day
- Men who work from home were found to snack on average three times per day - twice as often as their work-based peers
- Employees who work from home are more likely to eat high-calorie snacks such as chocolate during their breaks (31% of home workers vs 25% of work-based employees)
Hybrid workers
In contrast, two thirds (67%) of UK hybrid workers said they make a concerted effort to eat more healthily on days when they go into the workplace, while calling for more guidance and support from their employers to achieve this.
Age differences
Across all age groups, younger UK workers are most interested in healthy eating at work and how the food they eat impacts their productivity.
Ryan Holmes, culinary director of B&I at Compass Group UK & Ireland, commented: “Snacking is on the rise. Younger generations especially are trading down from meals into smaller bites, preferring to graze throughout the day rather than eat at set times, which better suits their ‘on-the-go’ lifestyles and smaller budgets. With workforce demographics shifting towards Gen Z and Millennials, this snacking trend is here to stay.”
- UK Millennials are most likely to choose a healthy snack during their breaks (40% vs 28% of Baby Boomers)
- Gen Z snack more than any other UK demographic, averaging four per day when WFH, often replacing a main meal
- Baby Boomers are most likely to grab a quick sandwich for lunch, whereas younger generations favour a hot meal
- 70% of Gen Z agree what they eat and drink at work directly impacts their productivity (vs just 45% of Baby Boomers)
Compass approach to nutrition & wellbeing
Nicky Martin, director of nutrition and wellbeing at Compass Group UK & Ireland, added: “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.
“For clients, this means expanding the variety of healthy food options we offer in office settings, optimising portion sizes, cutting ultra-processed foods from menus, and introducing more slow-release energy snacks to boost employee productivity throughout the day.
“Clients are increasingly exploring new ways to help their employees eat more healthily at home too. We’re helping clients organise 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.”