How Eating a Co-Worker’s Lunch Drives Employee Disengagement

I fly a lot.  One of the benefits of this is being exposed to random pieces of data in magazines, advertisements, and on airplane napkins.  Last week, I read that an American Express Open survey discovered 18 percent of people have eaten a co-worker’s lunch.  You may be wondering what this has to do with Employee Engagement and my answer is, “Everything!”

When as employee is engaged, he/she trusts the people around them and feels an emotional connection to the brand.  Because of this, the employee goes above and beyond the call of duty and gives the organization a lot of discretionary effort.  If someone eats your lunch, trust is immediately broken as you do not know who the culprit is/who violated you.

The word “violated” may seem extreme to some, but the truth is that food is a very personal thing.  Most people do not stop at a restaurant to buy food in the morning and put it in the office fridge for later.  Often, food put in an office refrigerator is left-overs from dinner the night before or something the employee loves, and is looking forward to eating later in the day (many times in an effort to eat healthy).  When someone steals that from you – especially in an environment where everyone is supposed to be on the same team – it’s jarring and plants a seed of distrust.

WHAT CAN I DO?
I’ve heard that you can find the answer to any question on YouTube.  I did not believe it until now.  Here is a video entitled, “How to Deter Co-Workers from Stealing Your Lunch,” which actually provides some great tips.  Just doing my share to ensure employees stay engaged!