Companies want a healthy and productive workforce and there is growing awareness of the benefits of including nutrition in employee wellness programmes.
Employees under work and time pressures often find that their food choices are limited by what is available to them at or near their workplace. It can be all too easy to grab nutrition-poor take-aways and snacks for an energy boost to get you through the workday.
Monique Piderit, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), believes that employees spend a third of a day at work and most of their meals and snacks are consumed during this time.
“This makes the workplace an ideal, targeted opportunity for companies to drive the importance of healthy and balanced lifestyles. Good nutrition underlines almost every aspect of health and wellness,” says Piderit.
“We also need to consider the indirect costs for employers related to overweight and obesity, which could well overshadow the direct costs of nutrition interventions.
“Studies have shown that nutrition-related worksite health promotion programmes have the potential to reduce obesity by 5-10%, thereby increasing labour productivity by 1-2%, which is a great cost benefit for any company.”
Ntokozo Kgopa, also an ADSA spokesperson and registered dietitian, says it helps to have a staff canteen or on-site shop offering balanced meals and healthy snacks.
“Canteen staff must be trained in preparing and serving healthy meals. It is important they have knowledge of fresh ingredients, healthy cooking methods and portion sizes,” says Kgopa.
“A dietitian can help create a menu of nutritionally balanced meals that are in line with the South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and take into account that there is inevitably a range of food preferences and dietary requirements in any workforce.”
Five ways to improve healthy eating in the workplace:
- The corporate wellness programme can include wellness days where a registered dietitian or registered nutritionist presents health talks. This may include interventions where employees receive anthropometric measurements and screenings for nutrition-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
- Some workplaces have a dedicated employee wellness centre where employees can engage with rotating cast of healthcare providers such as a doctor, dietitian, psychologist, social worker or biokineticist. Tele-health consultations can also be facilitated in the workplace.
- Workplaces can promote healthy eating messages and content shared via communication channels such TV screens or the internal corporate digital platforms, as well as in dining or chill areas. Health awareness calendar days can also be promoted through such channels.
- Companies can focus on making drinking water easily available throughout the workplace including in meeting and events venues.
- If there are vending machines in the workplace, then it is important that these offer sugar-free drinks and healthy snack options.
- Companies are increasingly creating spaces and time for employees to exercise. Using the company gym can be incentivised through reward systems or fun challenges. Employees can be encouraged to take part in external sporting events by enabling and promoting corporate teams.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
