Free meals, safety assurances and more: What companies are offering to bring employees back to office

SUMMARY

After over a year of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across the globe are giving away various incentives to employees to bring them back to the office. Here's what a few of the top firms are offering

By CNBCTV18.comAug 18, 2021 4:53:08 PM IST (Published)

Several global companies like Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Havas SA, and Compass Group Plc among others are wooing their staff with free food and safety assurances to return to work.

“Food is playing a much more central part in office life and businesses are using their food offers to try and influence behaviour," said Robin Mills, MD, UK and Ireland, Compass Group Plc, a catering company, which also a client of Havas London.

Goldman Sachs | Offering employees free breakfast, lunch and ice cream too at offices in London, New York and Hong Kong. UK staff can also enjoy meals on Plumtree Court’s landscaped roof garden that was once reserved for clients and visiting royalty only.

Havas London | Free lunches on Mondays and Fridays throughout August. The London-based advertising firm that had once enticed employees with free food before the pandemic has upped its in-house kitchen, café, and coffee shop. It has allowed employees to make menu suggestions and is offering heavily subsidised food choices. “Wellness Wednesdays", a new concept of healthier meals, is also on the menu.

Janus Henderson Group Plc | The asset management group that offered a three-course meal for a few pounds at its London office prior to the pandemic is offering free meals as employees are expected to come to the office for two days a week.

Workspace Group Plc | Flexible office space firm, which has a presence across central and suburban London, has upgraded its on-site cafes.

Amazon.com Inc. | To keep the economy buoyant, the e-commerce giant has bought more than 100,000 cups of coffee from local vendors for its employees in the Puget Sound and Arlington headquarters. The scheme was also expanded to other North American tech hubs.