7 Ways to Use Office Snacks for Employee Wellbeing in 2024

Promoting employee wellbeing isn’t just about encouraging physical fitness — it’s also about building connections, fostering community, supporting mental health, and more.

Improving those benchmarks takes time, but you can get a jumpstart by optimizing the initiatives that are already in place at your company, like your office snack program. Here are 7 ways to level up your office snacks for employee wellbeing in 2024. 

1. Provide Diet-Friendly Options

Do you offer prepackaged, single-serving snacks that are plant-based? Gluten-free? Allergy-friendly? If not, add more variety to your pantry to help employees with dietary restrictions and preferences feel satisfied and cared for. 

2. Rethink Your Snack Spots

Where do your employees spend their time? Where would you like them to spend it? Add fruit and snack stations at key points like reception areas, conference rooms, and the hallways between departments to encourage mental health-boosting snack breaks and spontaneous conversation. 

3. Find Ways to Snack Together 

Bring your team together to share fun, seasonal snacks in the break room. You can host a tasting with a snack seller or producer, or unbox a Snack of the Month together. These gatherings are a great way to build community. 

In a 2023 survey, 82% of workers reported that “free food gives them a chance to collaborate and connect with coworkers.” For more inspiration, check out The FruitGuys’ Snack of the Month or this handy guide to planning a fruit tasting.

4. Include Remote and Hybrid Workers

Consider sending snack boxes to remote employees’ homes or coworking spaces to make them feel like a valued part of the team. A 2023 Buffer survey found that 37% of remote workers feel like company leadership doesn’t notice them, and 36% struggle with loneliness or isolation, so this small gesture could make a big difference. 

5. Share Meaningful Snack Stories

Why did you choose the fruit, veggies, and packaged snacks in your break room? Are the brands local? Mission-driven? BIPOC-owned? Is the produce sourced from small farms? Sharing these vendor stories will help your team appreciate what they’re eating and could even encourage them to try new healthy options. 

6. Use Snacks to Celebrate Diversity

Consider celebrating important holidays and themed months with snacks. Commemorate Black History Month with a selection of packaged snacks from small Black-owned brands (like our friends at Partake and Pipcorn) or highlight the Lunar New Year with a fresh citrus fruit tasting. As you plan your celebrations, consider your team’s demographics and which events might celebrate diversity and foster inclusivity. 

7. Remember The Fresh Stuff

Packaged snacks are great to tide your office over on hybrid days, but vitamin-rich, low-calorie, high-fiber fresh fruit is one of the best office snacks for a healthy lifestyle. If you don’t already offer fresh fruit, adding seasonal goodies is a surefire way to enhance your snack program. 

If you’re looking to optimize your office snacks for employee wellbeing in 2024, one or more of these strategies may work for you and your team. Try a few and let us know how it goes!