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Food can play an important role in motivating employees to spend more time in the office, work more effectively while there and generally view their workplace more positively, finds a nationwide survey of nearly 1,100 full-time professionals across more than a dozen different industries. The survey by Seamless, the leading service for ordering delivery and takeout from restaurants in the U.S. and U.K., also reveals the importance of food as a means for building and fostering relationships with clients. Since the average employee works more than 40 hours a week, “food remains a relatively untapped perk that companies can use to measurably improve employee retention and happiness and show their appreciation, while separating themselves from competitors. Free food all the time is unrealistic for most companies, but the occasional pizza party or afternoon treat goes a long way,” says Nick Worswick, vice president and general manager of corporate at Seamless.

Health experts agree: exercise and physical activity can only get you so far. To a large extent, you are what you eat. So, with proper diet an integral part of any wellness program, why can it be so hard to eat healthy? One in three American adults and 20% of American children are now considered obese, says Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Michael Moss. Additionally, Moss says, 24 million people in the U.S. suffer from type 2 diabetes with another 79 million having pre-diabetes. [Images: Shutterstock]

If you want to lead your wellness program to success, prepare to charm and disarm your health plan administrator. To get useful and useable data may take some perseverance. It’s easy for them to throw around technical terms and intimidate you into surrender. Here are four scenarios offering common responses from plans and how to counter them. (Compiled by Linda K. Riddell, frequent EBN guest blogger and principal at Health Economy, LLC.) [Images: Shutterstock]

Regardless of where in the country they live, Americans have one thing in common when it comes to stress – they consistently report experiencing more stress than they believe to be healthy. They also report work as one of the top stressors in their lives. Here’s how stress levels vary in major cities across the country, according to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America report. [Photos: Thinkstock]

Employers have started to “nudge” employees towards better savings and investment in their defined contribution (DC) plans, but many employees still aren't saving enough. Using automatic defaults in contributions and investments helps, but may not produce adequate retirement income for most employees. Even if an employee accumulates sufficient assets, there’s still the problem of managing those assets during their retirement years. To help employees make the most of their retirement savings plan Alan Vorchheimer, a principal at Buck Consultants, offers 8 strategies for DC retirement plan sponsors. [Images: Shutterstock]

When one of your employees calls your employee assistance program provider for help, you want to feel confident that he or she will be treated well. Colleen Grady, senior consultant with Longfellow Benefits, a Boston-based employee benefits consulting firm, suggests employers ask the following questions of prospective EAPs.

According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, nearly half of adults in their 40s and 50s have a living parent and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown one, aged 18 or older. Fifteen percent of middle-aged Americans are providing financial support to both an aging parent and a child. "While the share of middle-aged adults living in the so-called Sandwich Generation has increased only marginally in recent years, the financial burdens associated with caring for multiple generations of family members are mounting," the Pew researchers say. [Images: Thinkstock]

Rewards and recognition work best when the accolades are timely and relevant to the person being recognized. In his new book, “1501 Ways to Reward Employees,” Bob Nelson, Ph.D., offers low-cost and no-cost creative ideas and strategies to nurture talent and retain skilled employees. Show your employees a little love this Valentine’s Day with these suggestions. [Images: Thinkstock]

By lowering the length and duration of time away from work due to injuries and illnesses on or off the job, return-to-work programs have reduced workers’ compensation, disability and medical insurance costs as well as strengthened employee morale and productivity. RTW programs also have helped protect employers from lawsuits regarding regulatory non-compliance, particularly related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, RTW programs aren't without pitfalls. Kevin Ring, director of community growth for the Institute of WorkComp Professionals,outlines 10 mistakes that can derail your RTW effort.

In a recent survey conducted by Transitions Optical, only 16% of employees reported getting education from their employer related to their eye health, a gap that is reflected by a lack of understanding of how many lifestyle choices and activities can affect the human eye. Most expressed awareness in how aging (83%), ultraviolet exposure (70%) or lack of sleep (64%) could negatively impact ocular health, but other risks were less recognized. [Images: Thinkstock]