The importance of quality food and drink provision in your wellbeing strategy - a panel discussion

In the modern workplace, wellbeing isn't a luxury – it's the bedrock of employee engagement and retention. Recently, a study by Hays recruitment found that 73% of workers have either left or would consider leaving their job due to a lack of wellbeing support – meaning a robust wellbeing strategy is absolutely essential.

We were recently part of a panel at Facilities and Estates Management Live, where we were joined by other experts in the sector – from workplace psychology and design to food and beverage provision – to discuss the core ingredients for a healthier, more productive office, particularly when it comes to food and drink provision. Here’s what we learned.

Enhanced wellbeing is enhanced engagement 

It’s well-documented that organisations and businesses that provide enhanced wellbeing are much more likely to see a higher level of employee engagement, better employee retention rates, and better performance. 

We all agreed that though there are many facets to wellbeing at work, one of the most important – and often overlooked – areas is the food and drink on offer throughout the working day.

It’s important to acknowledge that as experts in drinking water, we are a very small part of the very complex area of health and wellbeing in the workplace, and there are many steps that can – and should – be taken outside of hydration to help employees feel their best at work.

Nonetheless, we know the benefits of providing great-tasting drinking water to staff, and as far as we are concerned, filtered chilled drinking water is a workplace essential – not just a perk. 

Hydration on tap

Better hydration is proven to reduce stress, improve cognitive performance, and aid digestion. This makes complete sense – we’re 60% water, and the NHS recommends 1.9 litres or at least 6-8 glasses of water every day to maintain a healthy fluid balance. 

Yet, according to a survey of 2,000 UK residents, 70% of people often go 7 or more hours without drinking a glass of water. When asked why, two-thirds of people cited being ‘too busy’ during the working day. 

This stat cannot be ignored. But how can we help those that are too busy? We debated this over the course of the panel, and there’s no one simple answer, but providing great-tasting, easily accessible water across your workplace – not just in the kitchen is a good place to start. And with HydroTap’s integrated font, this couldn’t be easier. Install anywhere in your office away from a sink and keep productivity flowing.

Personalisation drives employee engagement

Wellbeing at work is increasingly linked to the personalisation of the working day. From  hybrid working patterns and flexible start times to individual meal plans and customised climate control, employees expect work to fit around them. 

We discussed personalisation across food and beverage provision during the panel – and across the category, we are seeing an acceleration in innovation, particularly around healthier alternatives to classic workplace snacks like biscuits and fizzy drinks.

There are many ways to make meals and snacks more personal at work, but it may feel impossible to provide personalised hydration to staff. After all, water is water… right?

That’s where our latest innovation, Twist, comes in. 

Pour a drink as unique as you are

Twist allows employees to customise their hydration with up to three enhancements, including all-natural flavours and sugar-free sweeteners, dialling up or down the strength to suit their taste. With over 600 ways to make water yours, there’s a unique flavour combination for everyone. 

While this might feel like an optional perk, it’s much more than that. According to deel.com, employees increasingly expect personalisation in work benefits, mirroring the intuitiveness found in apps.

Twist also allows you to replace your fizzy drinks and cans with a healthier and more sustainable alternative – helping you to reach your ESG targets, one refill at a time. 

Dedicated breaks = better performance

Wellbeing and nutrition are intrinsically linked. In our experience, providing a good variety of options for employees in food and drink is essential for wellbeing at work.

These things are more than ‘nice to haves’ – they are fundamentally important. Not least because proper provision – a dedicated space, ample choice, and reasonable prices – allows for a clear break in the working day. 

These breaks are absolutely vital for productivity. According to the Harvard Business Review, regular breaks actually improve productivity and allow colleagues to take some time to socialise and spend time together, which naturally improves teamwork.

Why then is it sometimes so difficult to push ahead with initiatives that improve access to healthier foods at work? Perhaps it is down to a lack of understanding or research into the importance of these areas at work, or perhaps in a world that is obsessed with productivity and output, it can be hard to marry up regular work breaks = more work done.

There’s no simple way to change this perception, but one way to help employees take breaks in their day is to provide good-quality food and drink for all.

Pour productivity into your work day

We know that a 1% reduction in hydration results in a 12% reduction in productivity. Helping people to stay hydrated is therefore key to keeping productivity high.

Far from the outdated and unstylish water coolers of the past, HydroTap is a high-end, high-performance choice that puts water within easy reach for the whole office, with the ability to install on a font anywhere drinking water is required. 

Sustainable values are key

Employees care deeply about their employer’s values – particularly the younger generations in the workforce. The Deloitte Gen-Z and Millennial study 2025 revealed that 70% of respondents reported that they consider a company’s environmental credentials or policies to be important when evaluating a potential employer

Therefore, providing good quality drinking water and food is not enough. This also needs to be backed by a clear sustainability agenda – and the benefits are clear. Appealing to young talent is important, no matter your industry.

At Zip, we’re proud of our sustainability credentials. We’ve recently added a tool to our website that allows you to calculate the environmental benefits of installing a HydroTap in your office, and the results speak for themselves.

HydroTap eliminates your need for single-use plastic bottles across the office while providing pure-tasting filtered water on tap – helping you tick ESG boxes and retain talent at the same time. 

Keeping maintenance simple

We know how busy facilities management is. That's why you need solutions that are simple to manage, with reliable service and maintenance built in. With our award-winning HydroCare service packages and over 100 directly-employed engineers nationwide, you’ll always have the help and support you need. Best of all, HydroCare is included as standard with a rental package, ensuring you’re never left high and dry.

Wellbeing at work – the bottom line

Though wellbeing at work is a huge area which can seem hard to navigate, here at Zip Water, we can help. Speak to us about workplace hydration today, and we’ll help you to build a workplace that fosters loyalty, engagement, and high performance.

– Dan Johnson

Service Director, Zip Water UK