78% of employees prefer free food to a company happy hour

Employees want to bond with their coworkers, but over half have lied to skip an after-hour event or snuck out early. Employers can encourage camaraderie — and grant autonomy over off-work hours — by making catered lunches the new time to mingle.

In line with employee demand for a better work-life balance, new survey data from corporate catering company EzCater found that 68% said they would prefer to socialize with coworkers during the day, compared to after hours. When workers feel connected to one another, employers can expect to see higher levels of engagement, company loyalty, and belonging, according to health insurance company Wellmark. Since 78% of those surveyed said they prefer bonding over food rather than over drinks, companies can seize the opportunity to provide a well-planned catered lunch instead. 

"Food can be a way to bring people together," says Diane Swint, chief revenue officer at EzCater. "Maximizing that time where folks are together and connecting their work with their personal life, that's a nice culture to build."

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Whereas events like happy hour can make employees feel excluded should they not drink or not choose to spend their money that way — the average American worker spends $3,035 per year on afterwork drinks, according to Alcohol.org — a free, customizable lunch provides employees a pleasant break in the workday and can encourage them to come into the office. One client, SeatGeek, found that in-office attendance went up five times when they offered lunch. Others note the impact on their workforce culture. 

"One of our customers, CarGurus, talks about the importance of relationships and talking with other departments, and that's what lunch provides," says Swint. "When the food is just there and the employee doesn't have to worry about packing a lunch or standing in line during their lunch break, they're focused on eating, collaborating and connecting, and that's what culture is about."

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Over a third of survey respondents said that the most desired time to socialize with coworkers is over lunch, and 94% feel a sense of "lunch-citement" if they know their office is providing a catered lunch. EzCater's ordering platform gives members the option to offer food from one or multiple restaurants, as well as a way for each employee to enter and store all special instructions pertaining to dietary needs, preferences and medical conditions. 

"It's important to understand who you are feeding and what they need," says Swint. "The people whose job it is to manage food for the workplace often have a lot to do, so they don't have time to keep a record of everybody's dietary restrictions — for best practice, finding a way to store that information and then matching it with the food selection that you're providing is really important."

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Whether trying to put life back into the office or just offering employees a well-deserved perk, lunches give them something to look forward to during the workday. 

"In this ever-evolving world of work, food is something that's constant," says Swint. "It is something that people like to share, it's inclusive, and when your employer is able to recognize that, it feels good for every employee. Breaking bread is as old as the human race, so it's a way to build on something people are already doing and make it a culture add for the company."