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Free food motivates frontline workers more than gym memberships

Free food motivates frontline workers more than gym memberships

  • Free food and social events are more effective motivators for frontline workers than gym memberships or health benefits.
  • A study by Dipayan Biswas, a professor at the University of South Florida, found that wellness programs involving food and social gatherings led to improved job performance, service quality, and customer assistance.
  • The research showed that food had the most impact on employee motivation, followed closely by social gatherings, with mindfulness activities also seeing positive consequences.
  • Physical and health wellness benefits, such as flu-shot drives or gym memberships, saw the least impact on employee motivation and job performance.
  • The study’s findings have implications for businesses worldwide, which are increasingly investing in wellness programs, with over 90% of companies having some form of program and spending over $90 billion annually.

A person grabs a slice of pizza from a box.

When it comes to motivating employees to be at their best, new research reveals frontline workers, such as cashiers and retail clerks, prefer perks involving food and outings over health benefits and gym memberships.

Coauthored by Dipayan Biswas, a professor of marketing in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida, the comprehensive study examined five different categories of company-sponsored wellness benefits—food, social, mindfulness, physical, and health—to see which ones resonated with employees in customer-facing jobs.

Turns out, free meals and events, such as happy hours or a company picnic, go a long way in inspiring workers to provide better customer service.

The study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that wellness programs involving food and social gatherings led workers to feel more valued and develop a greater sense of indebtedness to their employers.

Those employees are more likely to care about their company’s well-being and pay back their organizations in improved job performance, service quality, and customer assistance. And better customer service translated into generating higher sales for the retailer.

“The recommendations for any business, small or large, is when you’re having these wellness programs, the ones that foster nourishment and connection have stronger downstream effects on customer-related positive effect,” Biswas says.

Biswas says the research showed that food had the most impact, followed by social gatherings. Mindfulness activities, such as having a meditation room, also saw positive consequences. Physical and health wellness benefits, such as a flu-shot drive or a gym membership, saw the least impact.

The article is based on five studies conducted by researchers—including a preliminary sales study at a large European supermarket chain in the Nordic region that showed wellness benefits involving food, social, and mindfulness resulted in higher annual sales.

Biswas says the idea for the study grew out of the growing popularity of company-sponsored wellness programs. More than 90% of companies worldwide have some form of wellness programs and are on track to spend over $90 billion a year.

Source: University of South Florida

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Q. What type of benefits motivates frontline workers more than gym memberships?
A. Free food and social gatherings, such as happy hours or company picnics.

Q. According to the study, which wellness benefit had the most impact on employees?
A. Food benefits.

Q. Which type of wellness benefit saw the least impact on employees?
A. Physical and health wellness benefits, such as a flu-shot drive or a gym membership.

Q. What was the outcome of the study conducted at a large European supermarket chain in the Nordic region?
A. Wellness benefits involving food, social, and mindfulness resulted in higher annual sales.

Q. How many companies worldwide have some form of wellness programs?
A. More than 90% of companies worldwide have some form of wellness programs.

Q. What is expected to be spent by companies on wellness programs annually?
A. Over $90 billion a year.

Q. Who coauthored the study with Dipayan Biswas?
A. The article does not specify who coauthored the study with Dipayan Biswas, but mentions that it was conducted by researchers including him.