Many companies offered free food to lure workers back into the office after they went remote. And new data suggests this perk will stay on the table.
As companies started to woo workers back to the office after the darkest days of the pandemic, they often turned to that most time-honored of inducements — free food. Think bagels in the morning, pizza for lunch and any and all kinds of snacks throughout the day.
But now that more businesses are making the return to the office mandatory, is all of that complimentary grub still on the table? What’s driving this corporate buffet boom? Lots of factors, say human-resource and other corporate-culture experts.Begin with the basic allure of free food, a concept that drives even those with the biggest of salaries to stop and pay attention. That very idea was woven into the aptly named “Free Food for Millionaires,” Min Jin Lee’s critically acclaimed novel that looked in part at corporate life.
Plus, it’s a relatively cheap perk for a company to provide, experts note. The price of a few dozen — or even a few hundred — sandwiches is nothing compared with such core and costly benefits as medical insurance or retirement funding. The decision to cut back on the food may be more a symbolic move than a significant money-saver, says Peter Cappelli, director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School. In effect, Cappelli says the trimming is so that employers can demonstrate these are hard times and show investors they are taking the matter seriously.But Cappelli also says that perks like free food are still bound to be offered in a tight job market like the one we’re in.
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