The ROI of Micro Markets: How Investing in Employee Well-Being Pays Off

The concept of return on investment (ROI) is central to just about everything in business. Earning more money than you put in is the name of the game, and successfully achieving a positive ROI over time is what great companies do best.

It’s easy enough to see the ROI potential in something like developing a new product, for example, but it can pay off just as nicely to put money into initiatives like employee well-being. The ROI math here might not be as direct as with a new product, but when your employees are happy and working at their best, the sky is the limit on what they can achieve.

Micro markets from InReach are a powerful employee well-being tool that can deliver an upgrade in job satisfaction for your teams and a nice ROI to go along with it. Our micro markets place fresh, healthy, delicious options within close reach for your employees, allowing them to fuel up quickly and get back to work without missing a beat.

Healthy, Happy Employees Are More Productive

The people sitting in front of the desks throughout your office are not robots—their productivity is tied to more than just how many hours they are able to work in a day. The experience of being human dictates that plenty of emotions and feelings flow through each of those people as they work. While an employer can’t do much about the personal problems an individual may be facing, presenting a comfortable and enjoyable work environment can go a long way toward putting people in a positive state of mind.

What Unhealthy Employees Can Do to Your Business

First and foremost, you want your employees to be healthy because that is what is best for them and their families. It’s also important for your business, as low employee wellness can lead to a number of issues that will need to be addressed.

Two examples of problems that stem from poor employee health are higher healthcare costs and increased absenteeism. Employees with health issues will need to rely on medical services more frequently, driving up the cost of insurance premiums. At the same time, those employees are going to need to spend time away from work dealing with their health issues, and that is lost time that can’t be recovered.

When you add it all up, it’s in everyone’s best interests for employees to be as healthy as possible. Working with InReach to develop a micro market in your office is one great way to take a step in a healthier direction. Always having healthy, nutritious snacks just a short walk away may be all it takes for some of your employees to invest more time and effort in their health—and if this effect is seen across a large portion of your teams, the results can be powerful on a personal and professional level.

Building a Strong Culture

It’s hard to put a firm dollar value on having a strong workplace culture in your office, but it is certainly a meaningful factor in your company’s success. Adding a micro market will provide a boost to your culture because it demonstrates the value you place on your employees and their health and happiness. It’s one thing to tell your employees that they are important to you—it’s another thing entirely to back up that talk with action and dollars.

One way for a strong culture to benefit your business financially is through improved employee retention. It’s expensive to have to consistently replace employees as they move on to other opportunities, especially if those people hold important roles in the organization. If you have a strong internal culture that is fostered in part by employee benefits like a micro market, people will be more inclined to stay, and you can avoid the persistent turnover that plagues some organizations.

What is a micro market? It’s more than just a place to make food available in your office; it’s also about the opportunity for employees to connect and come together for interactions that will strengthen bonds and foster new relationships. Your micro market is sure to become a hub of activity in the building and a place people enjoy walking by just to see who is around and what is available to eat.

Save Time Through Convenience

Your new micro market can also deliver a positive ROI via time savings throughout the day. As an employer, you want to see your people accomplishing important tasks, and while everyone needs breaks to be at their best, too much time away from the desk is sure to take a toll on overall productivity.

When you place quality meal and snack options within your office micro market, employees can just stop by and grab something before getting back to work. This is significantly more convenient than leaving the property to find somewhere else to get food, and there is sure to be a net gain in time spent working. Even if the gain per day is modest, workers will wind up getting more done over the course of a month or year.

Placing Your Company Ahead of the Competition

Most businesses battle with competitors for the top talent in their industry. This is particularly true if you operate in a geographical area where multiple companies compete in the same space. If your nearby competition is trying to secure the same employees who are interviewing with your organization, having an attractive overall working environment to offer could put you at the top.

When a potential employee visits your office to interview, you’ll likely take them on a tour of the building so they can get a feel for what it would be like to work in your company. As they walk past features like a micro market and other employee perks, they’ll get the impression that you care about your teams and want to make sure they are supported. And, if you have them chat with some current employees as part of the process, those workers will be likely to highlight your commitment to a strong office culture. If a micro market from InReach is what it takes to secure the best possible people for your teams, the investment will be more than worth it in the long run.

Seeing the Bigger Financial Picture

When you start to add up everything we have talked about so far—helping employees stay healthy, building a positive culture, and attracting great talent—you see that the real ROI from a micro market is found in how your business is improved overall. You may not be able to easily track the exact dollars and cents that you get from adding a micro market to your building, but when you are left with a stronger organization that is poised to grow into the future, there will be little doubt that you made the right choice.

Learn More About InReach Micro Markets Today

There is exciting potential in what a micro market can bring to your office. And, with the help of InReach, this new feature doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or difficult to implement. Give us a call today to learn more about micro markets or any of our other services, and we’ll be happy to assist.