Should employers stop employees from bringing treats into the workplace?

Many employers understand that healthy employees are happier and more productive. As a result, some businesses have invested in improving employee health through initiatives like employee assistance programs, gym memberships, and private health insurance. But now there may be another threat to employee health to consider: office cakes.

A few weeks ago, Professor Susan Jebb of the Food Standards Agency made the news when she compared bringing treats into the office with passive smoking. Professor Jebb, who was speaking personally and not on behalf of the Agency, suggested that constantly bringing treats into the office harms worker health because many of us don’t have the willpower to resist eating them.

Professor Jebb may have a point. A study conducted at the University of Chester found that cake in the office may make workers less healthy. Approximately one third of respondents to the study said they never refused cake and about two thirds said they struggled to refuse cake even if they weren’t hungry. In light of this, employers may wonder whether they should prohibit bringing cakes and sweets into the workplace.

Blanket ban on sweets?

An outright ban on sweets and cakes in the workplace is unlikely to make you very popular with your employees and may be a step too far. Restricting what employees can bring into the workplace for their own meal is likely to face strong opposition. You also need to consider the possibility that an employee with a disability may bring in certain foods to help them manage their medical condition. A policy which prohibits certain foods may amount to indirect disability discrimination in such cases, unless employees were granted exceptions.

Another option is to ban the sharing of cakes amongst employees, though this still has drawbacks. Sweets make employees happy and can encourage team bonding. But if you feel that cakes and sweets are becoming so common so as to be a problem, there are steps you can take to limit them in the workplace. 

Balanced approach

Rather than an outright ban, consider adopting a balanced approach which prioritises employee health. One simple first step is to ask your staff if they also feel that cakes in the office are becoming a problem. The same study mentioned above also found that most participants felt the ideal frequency of bringing cakes into the office was once a week or less, so many employees may be open to cutting back. Discuss whether you want to continue with the usual office cake traditions, such as bringing in treats on birthdays or when coming back from holiday. You may find that many employees are happy to skip these traditions. Instead of having cake on every employee’s birthday, you could have a designated “cake day” once a month to celebrate everyone whose birthday was that month. At a work event when food would normally be served, such as a team meeting, try to have healthy options available. It is also a good idea to make sure you have options that cater to different dietary requirements, like vegan and gluten free options. When you do have treats, don’t leave them out all day as this can encourage grazing on sweets all day long. Instead have a set time when employees can have a break, socialise, and enjoy the treats.

If you work at a business that has an employee canteen, review what types of food are available and whether there are enough healthy options offered.

Finally, if your business frequently rewards outstanding employees with chocolates or a bottle of wine, consider if flowers or gift vouchers would be suitable instead.

Cakes in the office may not be a great concern to every employer, but it is one factor of many that affects overall employee health. How employers approach it will depend on their business and whether employees feel it is a problem.

If you have an employment law related query do not hesitate to contact our Employment Law Team by emailing employment@warnergoodman.co.uk or call 023 8071 7717.