One of the more common perks of working in the tech industry is the free food. This is especially true for successful startups that strive to keep their employees happy and morale high, and 50onRed is no exception. We have two free lunches per week, desserts once a month, stocked cabinets of snacks, a full fridge, and plenty of beer. While these perks are part of what make our culture so great, they can easily add a few notches to our belts.
It isn’t hard to support the validity behind the newly dubbed “Tech 15”. Inspired by the “Freshman 15”, where the freedom of dining halls and late night pizzas contributes to college freshman gaining 15 pounds their first year away from home, the concept is essentially the same for the Tech 15. Instead of college freshman, though, the Tech 15 affects young professionals in the tech industry who spend the majority of their workday seated, indulging on whatever’s in the office fridge.
50onRed has a few strategies to help combat the Tech 15 and promote healthy living. Sure, you’ll find chips and Pop-Tarts in our kitchen (and we wouldn’t change that for the world!), but there are plenty of healthy options, too. There’s always fresh fruit and veggies, salad, hummus, and grilled chicken in our fridge. We’ve got two separate snack closets labeled “Healthy Haven” and “Craving Closet”, each with low-calorie and organic options like granola bars, nuts, trail mix, oatmeal, and desserts. Getting enough exercise is high on our list of priorities, too. To keep our bodies as active as our minds, we offer gym membership perks, team up for kickball and dodgeball leagues, and encourage employees to sign up for local marathons.
While the Tech 15 is a growing problem (see what we did there?), companies can provide solutions to help keep employees healthy. Lucky for us, that doesn’t mean taking away our Pop-Tarts.
Source: NBC Philadelphia