{"id":4989,"date":"2020-07-20T11:11:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T08:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/?p=4989"},"modified":"2020-07-22T09:31:46","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T06:31:46","slug":"employee-wellness-creating-a-nutrition-program-for-your-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmc.ke\/staging\/employee-wellness-creating-a-nutrition-program-for-your-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Employee Wellness: Creating a Nutrition Program for your Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Employee Wellness: Creating a nutrition program for your employees<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Providing food for your employees might seem like an intimidating prospect when considering the added costs while in hindsight, your organisation will actually profit in numerous ways. More importantly, it\u2019s a much needed humanitarian act as the coronavirus pandemic has increased levels of food insecurity in the country. <\/a>A good number of your employees are providers for urban households and were likely struggling pre-pandemic. These households have to now cater to children at home and a reduced salary post-pandemic. The closure of certain borders also caused a spike in commodity prices. Households are likely skipping meals while others are starving. By implementing a nutrition program, you will not only be helping your employees but, you\u2019ll be creating a happier, healthier, more productive workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why\nInstating an Employee Nutrition Programme Is Important<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A nutrition program can have a significant difference in an employee’s overall health. If your employees are not eating or are skipping meals, they are not getting the nutrients they need to be at optimal health and are at risk of becoming sick. Providing them with nutrition will ensure they stay in good shape. It will potentially, save you a lot of sick leave days and employer health costs. Investing in employee wellness will ultimately save your organisation money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, feeding programs make people happy. As per a\nPeapod survey, 67% of employees who worked at companies that had nutrition\nprograms said they were extremely happy with their jobs. Food, fruits and\nvegetables, have been especially linked to good mood and improved mental\nhealth. Food literally makes people happy. A happy workforce is more productive\nwhich will translate to an increased bottom line. Additionally, employee\nsatisfaction will help you retain staff and save you the costs and time it\ntakes to hire new workers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirdly, food increases worker focus and creativity.\nAccording to a publication in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the\nbrain operates best when there is 25 g of glucose in the bloodstream. This\namount can be provided by a single banana or a bowl of cereal. Should you\nprovide such, your employees will be more engaged, focused, and energetic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition programs additionally build an attractive\nwork culture and good PR. Employees will view it as a very huge perk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best of all you can implement a feeding program for your esteemed employees without investing an obscene amount provided you go about it in a smart way. You can spend as little as Ksh 250 – Ksh 500 per week for a family of four. That is inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also provide 2 meals a day if you’re operating on a tight budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To\nDevelop An Effective Nutrition Program<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here is an of how to create a working nutrition program\nwith a Ksh 500 per week per household (4 people) allocation based on Nairobi’s World Food\nProgramme Initiative.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF NUTRITION PROGRAM YOU WANT<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You have 3 options: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    a. You can decide to create a fund and allocate money to staff on a weekly basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    b. You can also distribute foodstuff to the households of individuals in the program. It would be wise to partner with community-supported agriculture groups who will give you great deals and whose produce is mostly organic. You can also source products straight from farms. According to Standard Media, a cabbage at a farm in Nyandarua goes for Ksh 24 but you will buy it at Ksh 80 in Nairobi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    c. Another alternative is carryout meals. You can pack meals in boxes and employees can pick them up as they go home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. DECIDE ON MEALS OR MENUS TO BE GIVEN<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      A good meal should consist of a staple, a bit of unsaturated fat, veggies or fruits and a stew\/ sauce\/ relish according to FAO.<\/a> Meals can also be planned according to need because different people have different dietary needs. Pregnant ladies, for example, need more iron-rich foods compared to men who need more starch from staples and legumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Recommended foods that will help you stick to the Ksh 250 to Ksh 500 allocation include green grams, potatoes, vegetables, low-cost fruits like bananas, whole grains, starchy tubers, spaghetti, eggs, rice, all-purpose flour, oatmeal, lentils, beans, and bread. Surprisingly, if properly planned, the same monetary allocation could include meat and even seafood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What can a good nutrition program include?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      If you do\ndecide to give out meal boxes to your employees every week, here is an example\nof what you can include. Remember it’s advisable to buy things in bulk, e.g sacks,\nand then divide it among your employees. This will save you a lot on costs. For\n500\/= a week you can provide breakfast for 5 days and 10 lunch and supper meals\nto a family of four in Nairobi, consisting of: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Breakfast<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n