How to Improve Company Culture with a Global Food Menu
By Kristen Evans
You might not think office catering is on the front lines of shifting company culture, but what’s on the menu can have an outsized impact on cultural diversity in the workplace. Whether you want to honor the backgrounds and tastes of your coworkers, or make visitors more comfortable, diverse foods can improve company culture by making it more inclusive and by helping employees learn about different cultures.
According to the U.S. census, population diversity in America is increasing exponentially — and minority-owned businesses are growing fast, too. While many companies have only just started to address our shifting workforce, a healthy dialogue about cultural diversity in the workplace will determine the success of companies for years to come. Office food culture can be an important part of this conversation. In Finland, for example, a new state recommendation suggests caregivers organize “ethnic food” themes every week during daycare. Researchers behind the recommendation argue that exposure to different foods reduces hostility to unfamiliar things and defuses confrontational attitudes — all lessons that can easily transfer to the office.
Employers have the power to strengthen cultural diversity in the workplace by fostering cross-cultural awareness and celebrating diversity at work through food. All it takes is re-examining your go-to caterers. Here are 6 global cuisines you can try instead of ordering pizza — we promise your employees will welcome the change.
1. Indian
If upper management is razor-focused on how to improve company culture, consider a tried-and-true approach to fostering employee relationships: the working lunch. Spicy curries, soft naan, and samosas are perfect for lunch meetings — plus many Indian caterers make it easy to order for your vegetarian colleagues, too. Setting up your lunch buffet style encourages mingling and helps employees learn more about one another before getting down to business.
2. Ethiopian
New York City, Washington, D.C., and Midwestern cities like Minneapolis have seen an explosive growth of Ethiopian residents. To foster cultural diversity in the workplace, say goodbye to brisket and BBQ, and hello to injera, a spongy round bread made from teff flour, and mesir wot, a spicy red lentil stew. There’s plenty of options for vegetarian and vegan eaters, too.
3. Vietnamese
How your CEO decides to improve company culture or foster diversity in the workplace can impact the entire team, from sales reps to management. As an office manager, you can make your lunch-and-learn meetings more inclusive by ditching sandwiches for banh mi, or soup and salad for pho. Vietnamese cuisine is fresh, packed with flavor, and vegetarian-friendly. It’s perfect for a light lunch meeting or after-work social.
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