Staying Connected Working from Home

Remote employees can still share a collective experience through food

It’s a scene that plays out across thousands of office break rooms and employee cafeterias every day, and it’s part of the ritual of life in the workplace: The snack pangs hit around 10 a.m. — it’s still too early for lunch, but it’s been hours since breakfast, so you hit up the vending machines. You run into a colleague, and you chat for five or 10 minutes about how your morning is going, volley an idea or two about work, get your snack and go on with the rest of your morning.

Maybe for lunch, you go with another colleague to an on-site micro market and catch up on your day. Then, when the afternoon lull takes hold, you find the vending machine again and chat with other coworkers. If it’s a Friday evening, a group may get together for happy hour.

These are very typical interactions we’ve all had at one point or another in our working lives. Without a doubt, we form bonds with our colleagues when we break bread together or share a cup of coffee during the day. Food is a social connector unlike any other, and it enhances our relationships with others in a meaningful way.

The Benefits of Working at Home

According to the 2021 American Community Survey released this year by the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2019 and 2021, the number of people working from home tripled — from 5.7% (roughly 9 million people) to 17.9% (27.6 million people). For today’s remote and hybrid employees, it’s more challenging to share those moments with colleagues around the vending machine or a nearby lunch spot. Those serendipitous interactions centered around food are few and far between as the trend toward working from home or having a hybrid office schedule continues.

But there are still ways for your people to connect with each other, from scheduling simultaneous food deliveries to snack box delivery that everyone can enjoy during a Zoom or Teams meeting. Sure, there’s a degree of separation when people are looking at each other through their computer screens, but receiving a thoughtful delivery from their employer creates a shared moment they can enjoy and talk about with their coworkers. Maybe it’s someone’s birthday or an important milestone has been reached. Who doesn’t appreciate a unique, impromptu treat to snack on during an ordinary afternoon? It breaks up the monotony of working remotely and makes your people feel valued and appreciated.

There’s nothing like the power of food to strengthen bonds. Add the element of surprise that comes with receiving an unexpected snack box deliver, and what you get are happy employees who feel connected. And happy, connected employees are productive employees.

InReach offers solutions on how to achieve this closeness with your people. Find out how.