At an initial glance, there may be no correlation between employee satisfaction and the utility of food delivery apps. But, in reality, there are several ways in which a food delivery and restaurant booking app, like Swiggy, can help business owners support their employees.
Food for parties:
It doesn’t take long for any news about a business’ achievements to spread across the office. Usually, business owners and upper management prefer to arrange a party or a professional lunch for the employees to celebrate achievements. However, arranging a company-wide party or lunch can be challenging for three reasons:
1. It’s difficult to get restaurant reservations for all the employees unless the business owner decides to book the entire venue for the period, which can be really costly.
2. Ordering food for a large group of people can be time-consuming. The process of collecting everyone’s food preferences and dietary restrictions is also cumbersome.
3. It’s not necessary for employees to like the restaurant’s food. This may result in a fading spirit of achievement along with a spoiled mood.
It’s in conditions like these that food delivery apps surface as the silver lining. With food delivery apps like Swiggy, each employee can order their favorite dishes and desserts from the restaurants they like. They get to choose from vegan restaurants to non-vegetarian food outlets, as per their preference. This attribute eliminates the need for having a manual coordinator to collect and place orders from different restaurants. Additionally, the payment for the food can be made using corporate cards and business accounts, saving employees from having to spend out of pocket and indulge in the process of reimbursement.
Corporate gifting:
Certain food delivery or table reservation app may allow businesses to generate gift cards. A great example of this is Swiggy, which lets businesses create money vouchers, one-time discount vouchers, or prepaid meal vouchers. Businesses can then securely give these vouchers to their employees as a welcome gift or to celebrate work anniversaries, promotions, etc. The gifting feature is immensely practical given the rise of remote work culture because,
1. Gift vouchers can be a way for the company to exude that they appreciate the efforts of the employees working remotely.
2. If all the teams in a company work remotely, it may not be possible to host lunches or parties, thus restaurant discounts seem to be a way to celebrate achievements.
Sharing gift cards can result in increased employee motivation and productivity, which can further enhance the company’s performance. Thus, corporate gifting can be thought of as an investment rather than a liability.
Late night orders:
There may be times when employees would have to work overtime, no matter how much the business owner tries to avert it. Working overtime is a critical situation that necessitates business owners and managers to be supportive and compassionate toward the employees because:
1. Employees working late hours often have to skip meals or eat whatever is available from random non-vegetarian or vegetarian restaurants, which is not always healthy. This takes a toll on their wellbeing and energy levels, eventually impeding productivity.
2. Working overtime can result in employees getting negative feelings about the work environment.
Business owners can utilize food delivery apps to place orders for employees late at night and get food directly to their offices. Some seafood restaurants, or other places that serve exotic dishes, may even be open late at night; enabling employers to order food that matches everyone’s needs and preferences. This can be a way to express support and care for those working overtime. Food delivery apps present a range of restaurant options, which increases the likelihood of a manager being able to locate a restaurant that takes orders late at night easily.
Final Thoughts:
While it may appear that there’s no correlation between employee wellbeing and food delivery apps in reality, food delivery apps can deeply elevate employee motivation and productivity. Some apps like Swiggy have realized this early on, and it’s clearly evident from their corporate gifting feature.