employee’s vending machines
For the majority of the employee’s vending machines often serve as a representation of eating based on impulse or necessity. Employees often opt for turning to vending machines whenever they have afternoon hunger pains, miss lunch, skip breakfast, or have to work for extended periods, or when they are just craving for some sweet junks. Generally, the snacks that are offered at the vending machines are, in most cases, unhealthy, but in most instances, these snacks are usually the only available food. However, although quite costly, the different organizations can ensure the installation of food vending machines that provide healthy meals to the employees. Although to some extent, the junk food vending machines often serve as a source of convenience to the employee’s access to snacks faster at the workplace, I believe that offering healthier options to the workers is a better alternative.
Snacking on chips, candy bars, and soft drinks several times a week bears the potential of detracting from healthy diets and result in weight gain (Stephanie, 21). Furthermore, the majority of the typical vending machine choices provide little substance or nutritional value and easily leave an employee hungry again soon after, resulting in more unhealthy eating. The consequence of this entails a drastic effect on one’s health care cost, as obesity often catalyzes numerous other illnesses that include high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes. In most instances, even the staffs that are conscious about their health often forget to bring healthy meals to work, thus leaving the vending machines as the only available option.
The productivity of employees often relates strongly to their level of satisfaction (London Evening Standard, 7). The presence of healthy staff within the organization bears the potential of reducing their time off work due to health issues. The health of the staff has a direct impact on both attendance and job performance. However, it is worth noting that the shift to healthier food options often tends to be expensive. The presence of more robust snack vending machines at the workplace implies lower operational costs as they do not need to be manned, and hence no cost accrued to employ staff to operate the machines.
Although there are numerous benefits associated with the installation of the vending machines at the workplace, it is worth noting that, to some extent, it is a costly investment. Averagely, the vending machines often cost $3,000, a high price if only a few employees will use it (Stephanie, 22). The cost of stocking it with snacks and beverages adds to the cost. The stocking of more healthy food options implies that the organization will have to dispose of food that is not good anymore regularly. The costly nature of the vending machines has often served as a hindrance to its adoption in many other working places.
The employers are increasingly opting for replacing the standard junk vending machines with healthy food vending machines at the workplace as a way of ensuring that their staff sticks to healthy meals (New York Post, 65). The option of increasing the prices of junk foods has also proven effective over the years in discouraging the reliance on the somewhat unhealthy junk foods at the workplace. Nonetheless, having the employees stay healthy at their respective workplaces is somewhat crucial for increasing the overall productivity of the organization.