Ben Eubanks’ Post

I was reading a report from ezCater the other day about the importance of in-person meals and how that serves as a connection point for the workforce. The data shows that younger workers are more likely to say: 1) Work events centered around food make them feel more connected to their coworkers and 2) Meals regularly provided by their employer improves their employee and workplace experience When I was an HR Director, food was a critical element in our strategy to stay connected to people at work. My team and I loved creating moments where people were able to come together, eat a meal (or some kind of tasty dessert), and spend some downtime together. In fact, it was part of my own personal strategy as the head of HR. My secret goal: proximity to our people. Let me explain. The best HR leader I ever worked for had a kind of sixth sense. She could look at people and tell that something was off, even if I hadn’t realized it or could not tell. These were common conversations between us: “You should go talk with Marie, it feels like something’s bothering her.”  “Did you see Bo come in? Go find out if his kids are okay.”  “Sarah is coming in late. She sounded upset. Try to meet with her and see what we can do to help.” So when she was stepping down and made plans for me to replace her as the senior HR leader in the business, I realized that lack of insight was one of my shortcomings. I didn’t have that sixth sense. I couldn’t “feel” someone’s emotions across the room. My answer to that? Food. We would plan events where food was a draw for attendance and it offered me the chance to connect with our employees, and understand what was going on in their lives. It was my way of learning how I could better serve our team by understanding their needs and challenges. As a bonus, that same ezCater report (the Future of Workplace Experience Report, for those wondering) says that food perks is the number one perk that employees want more of, so it’s a win-win all around! Regardless of whether you’re just catering a lunch for clients, putting together a lunch and learn training, or using meals as a secret way to connect with your people, food is a powerful connector. If you want to learn more, take a look at how ezCater is enabling this for employers across the country: https://bit.ly/4hIyZh1 #ezCaterPartner #PaidPartnership