A recent study from the University of South Florida (USF) suggests that frontline workers, including cashiers and retail clerks, are more motivated by company perks such as free food and social outings than by health benefits or gym memberships.
The research was co-authored by Dipayan Biswas, the Frank Harvey endowed professor of marketing at USF’s Muma College of Business. The study analyzed five categories of wellness benefits: food, social, mindfulness, physical, and health. Its goal was to determine which types of programs most effectively resonated with employees in customer-facing roles.
Findings published in the Journal of Marketing Research indicate that offerings like free meals and events—such as happy hours or company picnics—help employees feel more valued and foster a sense of indebtedness toward their employers. This increased appreciation leads workers to care more about their companies’ well-being and reciprocate through improved job performance and higher-quality customer service. According to the research, these improvements also translated into greater sales for retailers.
“The recommendations for any business, small or large, is when you’re having these wellness programs, the ones that foster nourishment and connection have stronger downstream effects on customer-related positive effect,” said Biswas.
Biswas explained that among all benefits studied, food had the greatest impact on employee motivation, followed by social gatherings. Mindfulness activities like meditation rooms also had positive effects but to a lesser extent. Physical wellness options such as gym memberships or flu-shot drives were found to be least effective in boosting employee engagement.
The article draws on five separate studies conducted by researchers. One preliminary sales study took place at a large supermarket chain in the Nordic region of Europe and found that programs involving food, social interaction, and mindfulness led to higher annual sales figures.
Biswas noted that interest in company-sponsored wellness initiatives has been growing rapidly worldwide. More than 90% of companies now offer some form of wellness program and global spending on these initiatives is projected to exceed $90 billion annually.
The findings are supported by various methodologies used throughout the research process—including pilot studies, field experiments, a preliminary sales analysis, and an internal meta-analysis.
