The average American consumes almost 3 pounds of sugar in one week. An estimated 160 million Americans are either obese or overweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death. Yet, when it comes to demonstrating our appreciation, free junk food is still a favorite with employers.
We offer our team cookies and cake for birthdays, bagels every Friday, free soda and coffee creamer daily, a full American breakfast for staff meetings, and we really feast on the holidays. While our intention may be to reward, the reality is, we are promoting a habit that is detrimental to the health of our teams.
Our regular habits have the most impact on our health, so the junk food-focused office rituals listed above are some of the worst we can adopt. All of these “treats” offer up an excess of carbohydrates, sugar and unhealthy fats with little-to-no nutritional value. In the short-term there will be a sugar rush and then a crash. In the long-term our bodies store the excess glucose and fat from these treats, contributing to heart disease and type II diabetes.
What your team actually needs to take on their day are a multitude of vitamins and minerals, healthy sources of carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as fiber and water. It’s time to dish out real rewards instead of junk food. So dig deep, be creative, keep your team’s uniqueness in mind and develop a list of real rewards. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Paid-time-off
- Tickets to a show/sports game
- Paid personal training session
- A week of healthy meal delivery
- Use of the best parking spot
- Massage or spa treatment
- Work from home for a day
- Attendance to a conference/training/certification
- Team building experience (guided hike, rock wall climbing)
