NEW YORK: It has been nearly two years since corporate America reopened, and employers are still struggling to get people back into the office. Just ask Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, who has been pushing for in-office work, yet 30 per cent of his workers remain hybrid and he continues to face pushback.
So allow me to make a modest proposal. This fall, to get people back to the office, US employers need to do something radical, something bold, something (gasp) very French: They need to buy their employees lunch – a proper lunch, in a restaurant.
There are no sad desk salads in France. Eating in the workplace is prohibited.
Since 1962, French employees have received meal vouchers as part of their compensation. The vouchers used to be paper tickets, but now they are usually loaded on to a plastic card, which can be used to buy lunch at local restaurants. Both employers and employees contribute to the card – the former tax-free – with employers paying 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the lunch’s value.
The voucher can be used for a meal up to €19 (US$21), though that limit was doubled during the pandemic to help struggling restaurants. The number of meals an employee gets each month depends on the number of days he or she works; one meal voucher can be provided for each full workday, provided the meal occurs during the workday.
A SUB-OPTIMAL EQUILIBRIUM
Like most efficiency-focused Americans, I always looked upon this system with a mixture of amusement and horror. I saw it as the sort of thing that can only happen in France. A law against eating at your desk? Talk about uncivilised. I prefer a quick lunch, thank you, so I can finish work and get home sooner.
And as nice as a free lunch sounds, benefits are never really free; they usually mean a lower salary. Once again, thank you but I’d prefer the cash.
Commentary: To bring back the office, bring back lunch
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NEW YORK: It has been nearly two years since corporate America reopened, and employers are still struggling to get people back into the office. Just ask Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, who has been pushing for in-office work, yet 30 per cent of his workers remain hybrid and he continues to face pushback.
So allow me to make a modest proposal. This fall, to get people back to the office, US employers need to do something radical, something bold, something (gasp) very French: They need to buy their employees lunch – a proper lunch, in a restaurant.
There are no sad desk salads in France. Eating in the workplace is prohibited.
Since 1962, French employees have received meal vouchers as part of their compensation. The vouchers used to be paper tickets, but now they are usually loaded on to a plastic card, which can be used to buy lunch at local restaurants. Both employers and employees contribute to the card – the former tax-free – with employers paying 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the lunch’s value.
The voucher can be used for a meal up to €19 (US$21), though that limit was doubled during the pandemic to help struggling restaurants. The number of meals an employee gets each month depends on the number of days he or she works; one meal voucher can be provided for each full workday, provided the meal occurs during the workday.
A SUB-OPTIMAL EQUILIBRIUM
Like most efficiency-focused Americans, I always looked upon this system with a mixture of amusement and horror. I saw it as the sort of thing that can only happen in France. A law against eating at your desk? Talk about uncivilised. I prefer a quick lunch, thank you, so I can finish work and get home sooner.
And as nice as a free lunch sounds, benefits are never really free; they usually mean a lower salary. Once again, thank you but I’d prefer the cash.
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