Statistics from the Office of National Statistics reveal that 85% of UK working adults want the ‘hybrid’ approach of both home and office working. This approach seems here to stay, with the likes of Deloitte, KPMG and PWC embracing hybrid working policies of some kind.

The inevitable knock-on effect for workplace hospitality is obvious. With staff in the office fewer days of the week, canteens and dining areas will see a reduction in footfall and revenue. However, all is not lost. In fact, recent research conducted by King’s College London found that London workers agree that the best benefit of purposeful office working is being able to see, meet and collaborate with co-workers. And many of these meetings, informal chats and general catch ups will take place in the hospitality areas, over a coffee, a mid-morning break or lunch.

So, it’s a case of workplace hospitality reviewing their service offering and adapting to not only suit the new hybrid working models but also to encourage staff to buy their food and drink on-premise, as opposed to heading to nearby eateries in the local area.

One way of encouraging staff to stay on-premise is through running promotions or subsidies, that effectively incentivise people to purchase their lunch and snacks from the workplace. The good news is implementing promotions or subsidies is simple and easy, and something that we handle our side so for workplaces there is no additional work required. In fact, we’ve recently rolled out an ‘employee meal benefit’ promotion with one of our clients across Europe.

The promotion has seen a 24-hour benefit being given, which varied from office-to-office. For example, some offices benefitted from 55% off the published retail price on prepared foods whereas in another location a 40% discount was offered.

Promotions can be tailored to suit different workplaces and their employee’s buying habits. For example, you could run a coffee loyalty programme that rewards people for every tenth coffee they buy, or meal deals at lunch that can change according to seasons for example a hot spiced pumpkin soup, crusty roll and drink during autumn, a sushi box plus snack and drink during spring, a festive wrap and indulgent hot chocolate at Christmas and so on. Workplace hospitality operators can also utilise promotions to help shift any stock or produce that may be nearing its use by date, helping to reduce waste. The options are endless and can be entirely bespoke.

To find out more about promotions or how we can help your workplace hospitality operation thrive email us on info@systopia.co.uk.