Employer’s role unclear: Survey
While it’s pretty much a given healthy food equates to healthier living, things become a little murkier when it comes to nutrition in the workplace and the role of employers.
An overwhelming majority (85.6 per cent) of HR professionals in Canada feel food choices relate to performance at work, according to a survey of 327 people by Canadian HR Reporter and Nutrition Naturally. On the same note, 90.1 per cent feel creating a culture of healthy eating in the workplace is somewhat or very important compared to only 9.9 per cent who say it’s not important.
However, when it comes to an employer’s responsibility for healthy eating habits, 30.7 per cent said it’s a worker’s personal issue and 21.2 per cent are unsure, while 48.2 per cent feel employers should be involved.
Eating practices definitely have an impact on job performance, said Stephanie Andrews, an HR assistant at the Town of Banff, Alta., which has 135 employees. However, the employer’s role is a trickier subject.
“They have a role in terms of providing resources and education and even supplementing benefit programs or EAPs (employee assistance programs) but when it comes down to freedom of choice, and a cinnamon bun versus a banana, it’s the employee’s decision,” said Andrews.
Healthy food choices can impact performance at work, said Celeste Weitzel, an HR advisor at HDI Mining in Vancouver, which has 130 full-time workers. When you’re feeling good, you end up performing at a higher level and when you’re not eating well, you end up dragging a bit and may not feel as motivated. But the role of employers is a really difficult question to answer, she said.
“We have a responsibility to our employees to promote a certain healthy lifestyle and to try and facilitate that, but we can’t make those decisions for employees. At the end of the day, it’s really up to them. We can’t force them to be high performers, we can’t force them to do anything, but we can definitely try to facilitate and help with that.”
Representing Alberta’s milk producers as an HR specialist in Edmonton, Daria Taylor feels employers should be involved.
“I have a motherhood approach to HR, more than anything, and I kind of treat our office as a family and, like all good families, you just need that kind of guidance,” she said.
Employers have to be convinced good, healthy food is very important, said Danielle Vidal, a senior consultant at the Montreal office of Aon Hewitt.
“All the studies demonstrate that healthy foods have a direct impact on concentration for people,” she said. “(Employers) understand that but we have to push a little bit more to be sure they are going to do something concrete, an initiative internally, to change the environment, to be sure the employees have access to healthy food.”
It’s not always about food choices, it’s also about a supportive, low-stress culture, said Jan Chappel, a senior technical specialist at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
“If they don’t feel they have time to eat, it’s not always about eating properly.”
The 37 staff at Alberta Milk spend time at lunch to make a healthy meal and there’s actually reverse pressure to eat properly instead of grabbing fast food, said Taylor.
More than one-half (51.9 per cent) of respondents to the survey said employees have expressed a desire for healthy food options at work (compared to 34 per cent who have not). And when food is supplied by the company, healthy foods are always served, according to 29.7 per cent, sometimes served (65.8 per cent) or never (4.5 per cent). The most popular items include salads, vegetables, whole wheat sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, bagels, bottled water, vegetable juice, granola bars, vegetable wraps, pastas, popcorn, cereal and milk, found the survey.
When HDI provides lunches, it endeavours to serve something fairly healthy, such as sandwiches, soups or salads. But “it’s hard on a budget as healthy food can be more expensive, unfortunately,” said Weitzel.
There are numerous challenges cited by respondents when it comes to implementing healthy eating programs at work, such as a lack of employee interest and management support, making a program financially viable, dealing with the cafeteria supplier, giving employees time to participate in information sessions, convincing people to change their lifestyles and budgetary constraints.
When it comes to assessing the effectiveness of nutrition programs, the verdict is still unclear. Sixty-six per cent said they are not sure of their effectiveness, 22.9 per cent said they are not effective and just 10.6 per cent vouched for them. However, 71 per cent have not tried to measure the effectiveness.
Alberta Milk does an informal survey each year that looks at issues such as wellness and the programs are always ranked very high with staff, said Taylor.
“We incorporate activity and healthy eating,” she said.
Coming from a market research background, Weitzel said she would like to look at the effectiveness of these initiatives but doesn’t know how.
“I’d love to figure out a way to see if it had any impact or change towards the attitudes or eating habits as they are right now, but that’s a hard one to quantify,” she said.
One way is to prepare a questionnaire on lifestyle habits, including nutrition, before launching a program and then comparing the evolution one year later, said Vidal, who admits it’s hard to measure just around nutrition instead of wellness overall.
Comments were varied when it came to measuring effectiveness, found the survey. Some organizations were small enough that people could see the outcomes by simply looking around. Others said the measurement is not isolated to nutrition but includes weight loss, exercise and smoking cessation. Still others used participant feedback forms following nutrition presentations.
Healthy approaches
What employers are doing to encourage healthy eating habits
Innovative approaches identified in the survey include:
• free fruit on select days
• a website that offers a variety of health and wellness information
• a monthly newsletter
• a health challenge that encourages workers to live a healthy lifestyle
• healthy cooking classes, healthy shopping classes
• a fruit and vegetable challenge where people are challenged to eat and track the right servings of fruits and vegetables
• an annual “Healthy Snack Day” with an assortment of healthy snacks and nutritional information
• a food charter and a policy to encourage healthy eating and stipulate a minimum of 51 per cent healthy items offered at any work-related function
• a wellness benefit of $1,000 annually that staff can use for nutritional counselling
• an informal lunch-buddy program — individuals make extra of whatever they’re having for lunch and share with another person who returns the favour
Survey comments
What respondents have to say about nutrition in the workplace
Below is a sampling of comments from respondents:
• “We want to be careful about judgment in the workplace, inspiring people to want to eat healthier rather than having them feel bad about their choices or that they’re being told by their employer what to eat.”
• “Healthy eating programs are not a challenge for employers as it’s not the employer’s responsibility or place to play a parental role with their workforce regarding eating habits.”
• “Unhealthy habits lead to illness/sickness and costs to benefit plans.”
• “Good nutrition equals happier, healthier, less stressed and more productive employees.”
• “Poor choices can lead to illness, distraction, light-headedness; over-caffeinated employees can be cranky and ill-mannered. Shift workers know that eating heavily can lead to sleep disruption, grogginess, et cetera.”
• “Personal lifestyle habits including diet influence an individual’s overall well-being and ability to do their best work. Lifestyle practice along with physical environment and a supportive cultural environment are key elements to creating a healthy and high-performing organization.”
