Workplace food trends and solutions

Workplace food trends and solutions
Workplace food trends and solutions

Workplace food trends in 2022 and beyond

Sodexo’s research shows 78% of senior executives believe innovative food models that fit new ways of working will be an important consideration for the future workplace. These businesses recognise the role the right food offers and experiences can play in bringing people together.

In adopting these new models, they will also need to consider several important trends we’ve observed through discussions with our clients:

  • Working from home is here to stay, along with hybrid models and the office. Companies are still finding their feet and adapting to the challenge of variable numbers on site on any given day.
  • Many workers, especially those in the younger generations, are feeling positive about spending more time in the office with colleagues.
  • Organisations are redesigning workspaces to be more collaborative, with more space. Where kitchen space is sacrificed, delivered food models are coming to the fore.
  • Companies are starting to focus on their culture and purpose - taking the time to understand employees’ behaviours and needs, and developing employee value propositions that meet them.

Providers of workplace services need to respond with new approaches.

Approaches that help create environments that support great performance, combining exceptional guest services with exciting food and hospitality offerings. 

When employees go back into the workplace, there will be an opportunity to reconnect with the company and with their fellow workers. Food will play a pivotal role in that experience and a feeling of being valued.

John Wright, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Food at Sodexo

 

The role of the workplace lunch

A latest UK Worklife Continuum tracker for example showed 55% of people plan to use workplace dining facilities when at work. 

But 42% plan to use them less, with many of these choosing instead to bring food from home.

This shift could have a significant impact on corporate culture, as food plays such an important role in bringing people together. It drives the kind of ‘casual collisions’, chance meetings and shared moments that benefit collaboration as well as making an office a more enjoyable place to be.

Even a simple coffee break can have an immeasurable impact on employee relationships, as long as the coffee is good enough to attract people in the first place. A ‘way we’ve always done it’ approach won’t be enough as expectations evolve, so we as service providers must keep a watchful eye on the latest food trends around the world. 

 

Creating food ecosystems built around people

Each of Sodexo’s food transformation programmes is centered around three core pillars:

  • Digital - Technology, machine learning and analytics to optimise operations and experiences, plus digital solutions for ordering meals.
  • Convenience - Giving consumers the food they want, when and where they want it. Reimagining and reallocating space to suit the needs of each workforce.
  • Production - With emphasis on sustainability. Quality ingredients that are locally sourced wherever possible.

We believe food is at the heart of human connection, so we are putting it at the heart of our plans. As we adapt to changing expectations through the introduction of digital platforms and novel food models, we maintain a focus on delivering delicious, healthy and sustainable food.

Alongside new off-site models, we have introduced on-site solutions such as food lockers by our partner Boostbar that allow employees in Switzerland to access hot meals even when they choose to work outside traditional office hours.

But food is just the beginning.

Vital Spaces is an ecosystem of connected workplace and employee-focused services. Taking a more integrated approach to these services allows us to create more agile physical spaces that enhance employee connections and optimise productivity. 

Vital Spaces

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