Employee engagement is heavily influenced by lunchtime bonding, while nearly 90% of employees said that they would like daily meal allowances to boost their productivity over other incentives, such as transportation or well-being subsidies. This is according to the Deliveroo for Work Survey, which shows a detailed picture of how the pandemic has impacted workplace arrangements and employee preferences in terms of company benefits across Hong Kong. The Survey conducted by ‘Deliveroo for Work’, the new name for ‘Deliveroo for Business’, covers over 1,000 participants, all of whom worked a minimum of three days per week and spent at least 50% of their time at the office before the pandemic.
Embracing changes of WFH
Most employees surveyed said they plan to return to the office at least three days per working week. However, employees stressed the need for flexibility—requesting to work from home at least 1 – 2 days a week. Respondents from offices in the New Territories plan to work from the office more frequently than those based on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon. Meanwhile, 46% of people working at larger companies of more than 500 people plan to return to the office full-time, compared to just 24% of employees who work in companies with 31 – 50 employees.
WFH significantly impacts engagement
The Survey found that over three-quarters of employees expressed feeling less connected to their colleagues as the time spent working from home extended, while over 83% agreed that team building was important to the success of the business. Among the industries where employees reported feeling less connected due to work from home policies, the healthcare sector reported the highest average, with 85% stating this was the case. In contrast, respondents who work in the Sales, Media & Marketing sector were the least likely to feel a disconnect (69%). Over 77% of those polled said they experience higher productivity when they have close working relationships with their co-workers, while over two-thirds agree that teams are happier and more productive after eating lunch together.
Employees want more company lunches
Half of the respondents said that food options provided or sponsored by their companies were ‘uninspiring’. Over 65% of employees surveyed agree they would like to eat together with their colleagues more; the top reasons for this choice include that eating with colleagues helps them get to know each other better and create new bonds. Meanwhile, different sectors and industries across Hong Kong have varying food subsidy plans for employees:
- One-third of employees said their company always offers subsidies for meals while working in the office, but less than 13% offer subsidies when working from home.
- 39% of respondents whose offices are based in the New Territories said that their company always offers subsidies for meals when in the office, compared to less than 28% of respondents whose offices are based in Kowloon and 33% of respondents whose offices are based on Hong Kong Island.
- Offices based on Hong Kong Island are more likely to offer subsidies when working from home more than those in New Territories; 16% vs 10%, respectively.
- Industries such as Healthcare and IT & Telecom were the most likely to say that their companies offer meal subsidies, while the education sector was the least likely.
Diverse food options & meal benefits
Interest in a diversity of workplace food options is high amongst office workers in Hong Kong. Nearly 90% of employees surveyed say they would like daily meal allowances to boost their productivity over other incentives, such as transportation or well-being subsidies. Companies need to be more creative on benefits offered to maintain and attract talents. Additional insights into worker preferences uncovered through the Survey are:
- Coffee (67%), Fruits (49%), Soft Drinks (46%), Biscuits (46%), and Chocolate/Candies (43%) are employees’ top five preferred food items regularly available in the office pantry.
- Sushi and tea, along with juice and pizza, were selected as the top workplace food options among 37% of those surveyed.
- 43% of employees expressed interest in receiving an extra day of annual leave as a small prize, while 34% would prefer a food delivery, grocery gift card or electronic gift card instead.
- Most employees preferred food delivery and grocery gift cards over dine-in vouchers (27%) as a result of the pandemic
Spencer Miau, Head of Deliveroo for Work (Hong Kong & Singapore)
“COVID-19 has caused tremendous shifts to take place in workplace culture, and companies should react swiftly to emerging trends. They can do this by listening to their employees and offering solutions to build a winning culture."
Spencer Miau, Head of Deliveroo for Work (Hong Kong & Singapore), said, “COVID-19 has caused tremendous shifts to take place in workplace culture, and companies should react swiftly to emerging trends. They can do this by listening to their employees and offering solutions to build a winning culture. It’s unsurprising to us that employees across Hong Kong feel disconnected from their colleagues, and we believe that more creative food-related offerings are key to re-establishing bonds between co-workers following the pandemic.” He added, “Throughout the pandemic, we have remained committed to suggesting new and innovative ways to increase employee engagement. As an example, we decided to focus on rolling out e-gift cards last year as a more flexible way for our partners to reward their staff working remotely.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
