Having snacks in the office is important to 88% of staff

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Are you providing food for your employees? If you're not, you might want to consider starting now.

Surveying 100 employees and office managers, ZeroCater found that 38% ranked office food as one of their top three office perks, alongside vacation time and professional development.

Almost nine in 10 respondents thought snacks were important (88%), while 78% said the same about office meals. The reason they considered these important - time (70%) and finances (76%). More than a fifth of employees (26%) revealed that they saved an average of $50 or more per week with office meals, while 35% said they save more than $20 per week on office snacks.

When asked about the types of snacks and meals they want, here's what employees revealed:

Healthy snacks About two thirds (65%) found healthy snacks very or extremely important, with 53% saying office snacks help them stay healthy.

Quality ingredients Slightly more than two in five (41%) wanted to know where the ingredients in their office meals come from.

Caters to their preferences More than half (55%) of staff found it very or extremely important to have office meals that cater to their preferences.

Variety and rotation When evaluating office snacks, apart from healthy snacks (65%), employees ranked variety (56%), and full shelves (47%) as most important. Additionally,  32% wanted the latest snack trends and 30% were keen to try the newest snacks on the market.

The survey also uncovered a connection between how happy staff were at work with free meals and snacks in the office.

When asked how happy they were at work, 75% of employees said they were at an 8 or higher, with 10 being the highest level of happiness. Nearly the same percentage (74%) of employees polled have access to free meals and snacks in the office.

ALSO READ: 5 healthy snacking habits you could cultivate in the office

Additionally, employers in the survey found certain benefits to providing their staff with free food. These include:

Productivity With collaboration being a key conduit of productivity, 90% of employers say that meals help their employees build stronger relationships with colleagues.

Efficiency About nine in 10 (88%) of employers said meals save their employees time by not leaving to find lunch.

Onboarding Employers revealed that shared meals are an integral part of the onboarding process, with 79% viewing meals as a way for new employees to meet their coworkers.

Retention More than two thirds (67%) said meals are a part of their retention strategy, giving employees a reason to stay at their company.

READ MORE: Your favourite afternoon snacks in celebration of Doughnut Day

Infographic / ZeroCater Lead photo / 123RF