Mandatory work meetings are annoying for everyone involved – the organizer, the presenter, and the attendees. Nobody wants to sit through an hour long meeting that should’ve been just a very well written email. In fact, meetings are the biggest time wasters in an office setting. A few years back, emails were the biggest time wasters at work. Sending and replying to emails takes the top spot of biggest time waster at 57%. But if you factor in the amount of time spent on preparing for, attending, and extending the meetings, that takes up a much larger chunk of time compared to reading, writing, and replying to emails.

Don’t get me wrong, meetings are an important part of work life if done correctly. However, some meetings are unnecessary, too long, or too inclusive. Seeing that the average employee attends 62 meetings in a month, with half of those being considered as time wasted by surveyed employees – that would translate to a lot of wasted time…and apparently, money. Unproductive meetings cost US big businesses $37 Billion.

So how do you get your employees interested in attending meetings without having them feel that it is just a whole lot of wasted time? You introduce food! This is a great way to turn boring meetings into an activity that employees actually look forward to, again.

Healthy food for a huge productivity boost
It is a know fact that eating healthy foods boost productivity. Scheduling your meetings around a nutritious and well balanced meal would boost overall productivity around the office. It doesn’t have to be around lunch. A quick snack with a healthy salad or sandwiches, or even an excellent cup of coffee, instead of doughnuts or cake, would be ideal.

The team that eats together, works well together
Think of all the dinners spent around the family table, or the meals spent with friends, or the dinner spent connecting with a date – whatever the circumstance is – one thing holds true. Food connects people. Enjoying a meal with teammates and coworkers offers the opportunity to get to know each other better. I fosters a great atmosphere and encourages food feelings. Meetings with food helps foster a more positive workplace.

Food shows appreciation
Food is a great motivator. If meeting attendance is low, the promise of GOOD food will always drive attendance up. Not only does food serve to entice attendance, it also serves as a token of appreciation for a job well done. People want to know that they are valued for what they bring to the company They will appreciate the idea that their employer is willing to invest in them, too.

As mentioned earlier, team meetings don’t have to be centered around a full on buffet lunch. It could be small coffee breaks with artisanal bread and spreads. It could be sales reports with a healthy salad bar. It could be a daily huddle with berry smoothies. If it could boost productivity and camaraderie, isn’t it worth a try? Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help