Friday, January 4, 2013

Fruit in the Office


Welcome to my next installment of "Casual Friday," my lighter look at something in Human Resources, Management, or Business.  Today I want to talk about an experience I had some time back with fruit in the office.  Please take a moment at the end of my post to comment on any of your experiences with fruit in your own workplaces.

Fruit in the Office

Several years back, when I was working in Center City Philadelphia, the company had just been merged with a new parent out of Australia.  That company took great pride in the health of its employees, and it offered free fruit as a way to encourage healthy eating habits.  This at first seemed a little strange.  Every morning, a local vendor brought in several pounds of apples, pears, oranges, and bananas and deposited it to each floor in the building.  I was very cautious at first, but eventually I enjoyed a few of the apples.  It was a perk; a non-monetary incentive. 

Ultimately, the fruit was a great success.  It was great!  It encouraged all of the workers to eat healthier, including me.  I think that I lost several pounds after that happened.  For the company, long term, I imagine that it reduced their workers use of insurance as people unintentionally fell into healthier eating habits.  It was really quite something to behold.  I also think that the free fruit helped the workers accept the merger, as there was a clear benefit to the employees that was immediately realized.  Looking back, the fruit was a wonderful incentive and I wish I saw other employers encouraging healthy eating like this.

What are your experiences with Fruit in the office?  What kind of eating is your workplace promoting?

And remember all of you Human Resources professionals:  Be Human... Be a Resource...  Be a Resource for Humans.



Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this post are by the author Trevor Stasik, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any employer or any other organization. Please note, this information is based on my understanding and is only to be used for informational and educational purposes.  Do not take what I am writing as advice.  Seek your own legal counsel and/or see a tax accountant before making business or personal decisions.  The author of this post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.


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