A few months ago I visited a friend over at the Google offices in Chicago. I was treated to a delicious sushi lunch in their dining room and found out that we had to get there fast because it was a popular day for employees and the line would be long. My question to my friend that day, “How can I get on this?” A company offering snacks is one thing. A company that offers fresh-cooked, healthy meals another. That’s why I was surprised when I read an article over at Jezebel.com this weekend. It likened Google‘s nudging their employees towards better food choices to ‘herding.’ Is it? Or is it simply good business for all?
For most people in corporate America, eating healthy takes work. It means pre-planning and bringing lunches and snacks from home, or making difficult and often expensive choices at eateries near the office. Why, if we expect corporations to be part of making our communities better, why can’t they start at home, in their offices, by helping their very own to be healthy? It’s not as if they’ve banned junk food, they’ve merely made it less readily available.
Some of these ‘nudges’ include:
Candy
Formerly easily available, candy is now stored in opaque bins. A change which has led to a 9 percent drop in caloric intake from candy in just one week.
Salad
Since people will fill up their plates with what they see first, salad gets prime real estate in their dining rooms.
Desserts
To decrease overindulgence. The size of desserts has been decreased to three bites, forcing the consumer to decide if ’seconds’ is worth it after a much smaller portion.
Does this force people to think differently and therefore act differently? Some early evidence is proving that it does. Does this leave Google employees without choices? Not by a long shot. They can do what most of us do, and head to the local eatery to pay for their less-healthy meal.
About Libby Juliá-Vázquez
The article is good, but the headline is misleading. No one must consume what Google offers for sale in it’s cafeteria – the use of all-caps “FORCES” makes one think there was some sort of gulag in place
Love Google’s initiative
I think i liked it better when they were buying life insurance for their fat employees to cover their asses when they keel over and die from all the hog fat in their arteries (sarcastic)
Luv it!
well considering google is pretty much the best company to work at. of all time…….i think it’s great. Googles mind set is relax, be creative and free thinking. they expect their employees to work, but they also have masseurs, game rooms, lounge areas, gyms, etc… so employees actually want to be at work…..
Charles, The title is sarcasm, used in regards to the jezebel.com article that’s referenced in the post.
Ah! Thanks for clarifying – sarcasm is often hard to pick up in the written word, and a good reminder for me to dig deeper into the story.
I think it’s a good thing, but Google is not alone. I work for the major Aerospace corporation out here in Seattle and they have a similar initiative. Salad bar, front and center. The stuff they serve a-la-cart is healthy for most part. They have calorie charts for those counting calories. But one thing further that they have done, is they require all employees to sign up for a lifestyle/health/fitness coaching program. It use to be with Mayo clinic, i’m not to sure who it’s with this year. But anyways, signing up was mandatory, participation is optional. If you didn’t sign-up, you would have to pay some sort of annal deductible/fee/…kinda like Obama Care. Bottom line, healthier employees means more money in the company’s pocket that they won’t be shelling out in medical expenses.
If you think about it , a healthy employee benefits both the employer and employee . No work lost and higher productivity ..it won’t make em all happy lol cause that just can’t be helped ! Some peeps are huge grouches lol