University News Last updated 07 March 2013
The Faculty of Education Law and Social Sciences (ELSS) is launching a scheme to give each member of faculty staff a free piece of fruit each week. The Free Fruit Plan is a joint initiative between ELSS and Sodexo, the University's food supplier, to help encourage staff to eat healthier foods, to take breaks from their work, and to get away from the workstation for brief periods.
Research suggests many UK workers do not take enough breaks and certainly do not eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. The 'workstation-lunch' is becoming a real problem for time-poor and pressured workers.
From Monday 11 March, ELSS staff can present their free vouchers to staff at the "Streats" section in Baker Café, and choose their free fruit. The scheme will hopefully be rolled out to other outlets on City North Campus.
Craig Jackson, Professor of Workplace Health Psychology in the Division of Psychology, said: “This is part of a wider initiative within the ELSS Faculty to improve peoples’ everyday working lives. Workplace diet, taking of rest breaks, and spreading out workload are serious issues that can make a huge impact on the quality of peoples’ workplace experiences and their health.
"Although we are only talking about small changes, such a piece of fruit here, or a rest break there, evidence shows it is these little behavioural changes that can produce a cumulative effect in making improvements to worklife. The free fruit is a behavioural nudge, to encourage people to take breaks and get away from their offices, which in turn will make work easier to cope with. Sodexo have been vital in helping us secure a good price for the fruit, and in providing an easy way to distribute the fruit in a way that gets colleagues away from their desks.”
Colleagues can collect their fruit on any day of the week they like, but Professor Jackson warns: “We’re running this on a 'when it’s gone it’s gone' basis. We’re not sure yet what the demand will be from colleagues, and it may take a few weeks to ensure we provide just the right amount of stock without wastage.
"If we’re left with a 'fruit-surplus' on a Friday afternoon then we’ll probably distribute the remaining fruit by hand, to colleagues in their offices if we have to. Hopefully this initiative will take off, but it will only do so if colleagues take up the free offer. There's no catch - it's just a freebie - to help improve the work-life of all of us in some small way.”