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It may be hard to believe, but, Canadian manufacturers have been making changes to their products for the last 10 years with the goal of improving the health and well-being of Canadians…and not saying a word about it!

The concept is called “stealth health.”  It was coined by a scientist at Yale University (Dr. David Katz) who had the idea of creating healthier habits for daily living. Stealth health can be defined as: making changes to ingredients or recipes to improve the nutritional attributes of a food or product without promoting or advertising the added benefits.
 
Stealth health can take many forms, such as:

•    Improving nutrient density (e.g. adding healthy multi-grain flours and oats). 
•    Including ingredients with added health benefits (e.g. the explosion of cranberries and almonds in many snack bars).
•    Reducing or eliminating unhealthy ingredients (e.g. lower in sodium or reduced fat snacks). 
•    Cleaning up the ingredient deck so that consumers know what is in the product and can name every ingredient without researching it.

With all this potential good news, why would manufacturers not want to promote the added health benefits? It is for the simple reason to protect the brand and the perception of the customer.  Consumers may not want their favourite brands to change, so the last thing manufacturers want to do is alienate existing customers by forcing health claims or the perception that a product will not taste as good anymore. The formula changes to recipes must be carefully executed and often can happen gradually over time. Let’s reflect on one of the best executions of stealth health: the Oreo® cookie’s evolution to a healthier option.  
 
In the early 2000’s a lot of attention was being paid to the risks of Trans fats and the high level of hydrogenated oils used particularly in the baking and snack industry. At the time, Nabisco made an announcement they would work towards removing these unhealthy oils from all of their products, and they went to work.  By 2006 their famous Oreo® cookie contained no Trans fats, however there was an absence of a large marketing campaign to highlight this; the packaging ingredients were updated but you never saw a “no Trans fat” tag on the package, and customers never tasted the difference.  Extensive product development and work went into formulation changes to ensure customers wouldn’t see any noticeable difference in the Oreo® cookie. The result…higher sales! Legacy customers stayed with the product, and consumers paying attention to Trans fats could see from the ingredient deck that the cookie did not contain any; therefore, incremental sales were achieved.
 
Some manufacturers have chosen to go all out to promote the perceived added health benefits, for example potato chips are being marketed as cholesterol free (surprise, they always were!) were not because of improved formulations, the interest in consumers for healthier snacks drove interest in promoting the product as a possible healthier snack item.
 
What does this mean for you? Providing choice and balance in your product offerings. Pay attention to the top sellers while also ensuring that at least 10% of what you offer caters to the health-conscious customer group who want to indulge without feeling guilty about it. 
 
Looking for other Stealth Health products for your vending, office coffee, or micro-market operation? Let QUASEP help you to find the perfect mix of products for your customer base. Take advantage of member pricing on hundreds of essential items and assistance from a dedicated locally-based Account Manager, in addition to a wealth of easy-to-use tools and helpful resources to help you run your business more efficiently and effectively. 

 
About the Author:
Brian Emmerton is a Registered Dietitian and the Vice President and General Manager of QUASEP, a leading supply chain solutions provider for non-commercial clients and hospitality organizations across Canada. Brian has been working in foodservice and consumer affairs for over 30 years to help clients source food and nutrition options that deliver experiences that enrich and nourish lives. 

In the face of the pandemic, thousands of employees in the restaurant and hospitality industry have demonstrated an unprecedented level of care and commitment to their customers, guests and to each other. This shared common enemy served as a powerful focal point for people at all levels in organizations to come together to fight, at times to grieve, and in the end, to celebrate shared wins.

For the most part, employee motivation was not an issue. The severity of the pandemic (the potential loss of life and livelihood) provided all the motivation people needed to stay focused, to get the job done right, and well.

For leaders, two important lessons must be gleaned from this experience:
1) Your people CARE!
2) Your people HAVE motivation!

Moving Into The Post-Covid-19 Period

So now what? As the severity of the pandemic is reduced, what is happening to the motivation levels of your staff? With the neutralizing or corralling of the common enemy, you may experience a drop in staff morale to pre-pandemic levels, or even see them plummet further. Exhaustion, and dealing with ongoing controls and expanded work demands, may undermine peoples’ motivation to push on through to the end, as the wait for the “good old days” seems indeterminable. Motivation may become a challenge for many people.

For leaders looking to shepherd their workplaces into a post-pandemic period of positivity, it is more imperative than ever to focus on employee motivation. Good leaders know that their success is measured by how well their people do their jobs, and when motivation wanes, everyone suffers.

The good news is that even after all you have gone through, you can create a culture in your work comprised of highly motivated employees - without spending all of your fiscal resources. In fact, all of the strategies shared here are no-cost approaches to promoting highly motivated staff.

This article focuses first on the two major myths regarding human motivation, and then examines a three-step process to accelerating employee motivation.

Debunking the Two BIG Motivation Myths

Myth #1
And the first big motivation myth is…$$$$. Just as the Beatles declared years ago (Can’t Buy Me Love), money will not buy motivation. Paying people more money does not result in more motivated employees demonstrating improved productivity or heightened morale.

In some jurisdictions we have seen attempts to positively impact the workplace by paying a pandemic bonus to front line staff. Not only did this demoralize all other employees who were going above and beyond and received nothing extra, it did not address the core issue – the lack of staff to deal with added care responsibilities.

While these front line staff may have felt somewhat vindicated with the added bonus, based on Silver Meridian informal research with leaders and employees, front line staff would have appreciated more “hands on deck” to help with the work, rather than a bonus to do the impossible. And of course, since everyone was working to capacity before the bonus, increasing wages did not relieve the pressure or result in the provision of more and better service.

There is one caveat to the money and motivation issue. If people are underpaid (i.e., they are paid less than others in comparable positions of responsibility and scope), then the lack of reimbursement is usually a de-motivator, impacting productivity and morale in a negative manner (such as the non-payment of a pandemic bonus to people other than front line staff!).

Myth #2
And for the second big myth… it is your job as a leader to motivate your people.

Balderdash! Not true! Absolute rubbish! A complete misrepresentation of your role as a leader! In fact, you have the responsibility of motivating only one person… YOU! That’s it!

Now do you feel a little more relieved? One less task on your plate!

And who is responsible for motivating your people? They are! The reality is that human motivation comes from within. Your people are just like you – they do what they do because there is something in it for them, something that they want that inspires them to be motivated. We know the expression “You can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” – unless he wants to drink. What would prompt him to drink? If he is thirsty, then he drinks.

The role of leaders is to respond to the “thirst” that resides in every person – the thirst or desire to have something, do something, be something - anything that inspires them to be motivated. People are motivated to change when they see a benefit for them. This leads to the universal truth.

Three-step Process to Fostering Employee Motivation

So now that we have these two myths out of the way, we can focus on how leaders can INSPIRE others, and thereby increase the likelihood that they will be motivated to change.

We call this approach Inspired Leadership, recognizing that truly great leaders know that to elicit change in others, they must find ways to inspire them to want to change. And by change, we are referring to any action or response that represents something different than what is currently happening. So, whether you are looking for someone to do something different as a result of a change in a procedure, changing the way an individual deals with others (or with you, the leader), or any other form of change, the key is to inspire the other(s) to want to change because they see a benefit for them.

So here are the three steps to fostering employee motivation:
1) Step One: Look Inside You
2) Step Two: Monitor What You Do
3) Step Thee: Respond to What They Do

The first two steps are about what you need to reflect on within yourself, in order to become a leader who inspires others to be motivated. The third step focuses on specific actions you can take with others – actions that connect how you project yourself, to what people see as benefits that inspire them to be motivated.

Step One: Look Inside You

During stressful and uncertain times such as we are experiencing, and continue to experience, it’s normal to feel anxious, frustrated, overwhelmed, and even scared. Chances are, most people around you have been experiencing similar emotional responses. Ignoring such feelings can result in seemingly unrelated sporadic outbursts (one of those “where did that come from?” reactions), and at the very least, subtle telling signs of frustration or fear (involuntary physical responses, such as sighs, eye rolling and look-aways).

When experiencing such stress, it’s easy to infect each other with anxiety and fear. As a leader, it is imperative that you not only confront such feelings, but take the lead, and consciously commit to countering them with more positive responses within yourself.

The first step to countering such feelings, so you will act in ways that inspire others, is to look inside yourself, and search for what is most important to you. By focusing on your positive hopes and aspirations, it allows you to reframe your thoughts and perceptions of what is going on around you.

Here are some fundamental questions to reflect on in this personal internal journey (we will explain the numbers shortly!):

• What do I most value? (3)
• What inspires me, gets me excited; what do I want to do more of? (2)
• What turns me off? (3)
• How do I want to be seen as a leader? (1)
• Where do I want to be in my life within the next 3-5 years? (2)

Your responses to such questions will point you to what inspires and motivates you.

From this reflection point, take a few minutes to relate your responses to the following:

your workplace’ (1) Mission; (2) Vision; and (3) Values. Using the numbers (1, 2, & 3), match your responses to the corresponding Mission, Vision or Value number. While your personal Mission, Vision and Values may not be identical to that of your workplace, you are looking for congruence. As long as they are not in opposition to each other, then you know you are personally working in the right place.

Taking this deep dive into your own personal points of inspiration, to see what motivates you, is essential. Before you can take Step Two in this motivational process, you really do have to examine what is most important to you.

Step Two: Monitor What You Do

While Step One helped you focus on what inspires you, Step Two is about paying attention to these personal points of inspiration!

We are reminded of the story (attributed to the Cherokee) of the talk between an elder and a young child. The Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all.  One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority.  The other is Happiness.  It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.” When the child asked, “Which one wins?”, the elder responded, “The one you feed”.

While staying in this more positive state of “happiness” is a challenge during such times of high demand and stress, we can take steps to protect ourselves from these emotional contagions by feeding the positive wolf within.

For example, monitor and reduce how often you engage in venues where fear feeds on itself, such as social media, cable news, and frenzied conversations with friends and coworkers. Verify resources, distinguishing between people who are speculating, and those who have sound information.

Also, take care of your mental health. Commit to exercising, practicing mindfulness and meditation, volunteering, and seeking out positive, high-quality connections with others — even if they’re virtual. Simple wellness practices like these will help you build resilience and positivity, which will influence how others perceive you.

Step Three: Respond to What They Do

Now that you are clearly focused on what inspires you, and are committed to feeding your inner happy, positive wolf, your actions and interactions with others will be more inspiring to those you work with and lead every day.

Keep in mind that the following strategies and approaches are not sequential and are often successfully employed through a “blend” of interactions.

Lead with Optimism: Even in dire circumstances, you can still lead with optimism, helping your team stay resilient amidst uncertainty. First, be a role model. Lip service alone won’t work. Also, keep in mind that a positive outlook is easier to adopt as a group, so help employees foster a sense of connection with each other.

This can be as simple as:
- Celebrating when a team or department hits a milestone
- Starting meetings with each person saying one thing they’re grateful for
- Review progress – Flip chart and post accomplishments from Day 1 to now
- Create an “Appreciation Wall” for everyone to post messages of encouragement
- Share and celebrate good news stories – both internal and external

As a leader, you have an opportunity to set the conditions for a collective positive outlook on your team. Take advantage of it.

MBWTA – Managing By Walking and Talking Around: Ideally, make it your mission to get out of your office and connect with people at least twice, every day. Even at the best of times it can be a challenge to get out from underneath the pile of tasks you face. But just as you abhor task-oriented care of your customers, you too need to re-frame your focus on the bigger picture of what is most important, and connect with people. Otherwise, you performing as a task-oriented manager – not a leader.

A side bonus – You are more likely to sense when something is “off” when you are circulating, and by dealing with issues in the moment, when they are minor concerns, you save time and aggravation of having to deal with it later when it comes through your door as a major issue.

Catch People…Doing Things Right (CPDTR): Yes, we know you do this now, but do you do it well, and enough? We often ask people in training sessions to put up their hand if they are tired of being told they are doing a good job. The reality is everyone loves to be recognized as a valued, respected member of the team, and acknowledging what is valued inspires people to do it even more. The practice of praising more is one of the most impactful behaviours a leader can have to positively inspire others.

Here are four simple suggestions that make for better, more impactful, praisings:
- Praise specific behaviours – focus on what the person did or said - avoid generalizations.
- Link the praise to your work or company’s values.
- Praise immediately – don’t wait for their PA session!
- Praise “routine” actions – it is about doing the small, caring things for your customers that are meaningful to them.

Ask Questions - Listen More – Talk Less: People feel inspired and motivated when they feel valued and respected for their contributions. Asking people how they are doing, or asking for suggestions, are only effective if you listen and show an interest in what they say. By asking questions, you are encouraging people to become a part of the solution, and contributing to the solution is an empowering, inspiring place for most people to be!

Boost Morale with a Thank You: Closely aligned to CPDTR, don’t underestimate the power of symbolic awards, such as private thank-you note. To maximize their effect, it’s essential to customize these rewards to each unique context. Ask yourself: Are you the best messenger, or would this expression of gratitude be more impactful coming from someone else? When is the best time to offer the message? And should it be communicated privately or publicly? Whatever you decide, your message can be short and sweet — as long as it’s thoughtful. When employees feel that it’s sincere, a symbolic gesture of recognition can go a long way.

Enter Into THEIR Homes: Take your expressions of gratitude and praise to an even higher level by sending them home – to the employee’s home. Sending a personalized note of acknowledgement, or a birthday card with a personal message, to where the employee lives is a powerful way for you to share your praise, and for the person to be seen as special by the people that mean the most to them. Handwriting the message (and the outside name and address), is the finishing touch to the personalization of your message!

Our Company Vison: An ideal Company Vision is not about what your Company is, but what is a realistic goal of how your Company aspires to be seen in the future. By reinforcing this Vision, by bringing it to life in your daily practice, it can serve as an inspirational rallying cry for everyone. When you incorporate your Company’s Vision into your discussion every day, you hear yourself saying things like “How will this help move us forward with our Vision to being recognized as…?”, or “Wow, that brings us one step closer to realizing our Vision of…”.

Such acknowledgements reinforce where the Company is headed, and represents an opportunity to inspire people, as they realize they are helping as you move forward together.

Help Your Team Make It Over the Finish Line: Pandemic fatigue. Mental fog. Work/life blur. Whatever you want to call it, you and your people may be going through some version of it right now.

As a leader, it is imperative that you help focus everyone on what’s important over the long term, not just what is urgent right now. That short-sightedness can set the team up for failure when the crisis is over. This ties into the focus on the Company’s Vision, noted above. The Vision helps people see beyond the immediate obstacles, and towards a longer term goal.

Make room for foolishness: While dealing with essential work responsibilities must be done, occasionally making time for fun and levity is also important. Declaring a time for some spontaneous fun and laughter, such as a “Foolish Four” minutes of making faces at each other, or sharing your most embarrassing teenager moment, can help to alleviate the strains of the day. It is helpful to declare the time (duration) up front, to encourage people to not get carried away for too long of a period. Try to make the activity a “leveler” - something that everyone can do, regardless of education or position. And perhaps most important, make sure you, the leader, take part in the foolishness!

Summary

Good leaders recognize that their role is to inspire others, such that they are motivated to excel. Motivating others to change is not something you can buy or demand as a leader. Rather, it is about what you as a leader believe, what you project, and what you do to inspire others, such that they want to change.

This is not about spending money to motivate people.
This is about being an Inspiring Leader.



About the Author
Ron Martyn is the Co-Owner of Silver Meridian. For over 20 years, Silver Meridian has helped Long Term Care managers hone their leadership skills, by empowering and energizing people, and becoming recognized as Inspired Leaders (English only). The Silver Meridian approach to leadership practices are readily transferred to other sectors. Go to Silver Meridian (https://silvermeridian.com/training-focus/) to see extensive listing of leadership options and solutions to your leadership challenges.

Much attention has been focused on health risks associated with Canadian diets for many years and after a heightened attention about sodium and salt intake, the next bandwagon coming to the forefront appears to be sugar.

Why is sugar becoming the next ‘naughty’ ingredient? The fact is that we Canadians have a love for the sweet taste and pleasure derived from both the natural (fruit sugar in fruit juices) and added sugars (found abundantly in many products to enhance the flavour) in our favourite foods. Increasing obesity rates (particularly in young children), higher incidences of diabetes and heart disease, emerging diet trends focusing on sugar elimination like Keto, and an increased attention to ingredients and food sources has raised the attention to this potential big bad category!

The question is, do we consume too much sugar? Well, many health experts will say yes, but believe it or not, there are some interesting trends that demonstrate we are actually consuming less sugar than we used to:

• The overall amount of added sugar consumption in Canada has declined in the last 20 years. Food preferences and intakes have changed, while ingredients and formularies of ingredients that contain sugar have also undergone small reductions.  The proliferation of sugar substitutes has greatly increased as had variety of low-calorie products (sugar free soft drinks in particular), as consumers looks for lower calorie options with the same sweet sensation.

• Canadians consume an average 30% less sugar than our American counterparts. It is predominantly due to the lower amount of regular soft drink consumption.  Is it because of fewer choices or a higher proliferation of low-calorie carbonated beverages? The answer is no. Canadians simply reach for water or unsweetened beverages more often (and remember water and sparkling water consumption continues to climb!).

In recent years, some provinces have tried to regulate consumption of sugar through health programs such as school food guidelines and standards. These regulations impacted our industries ability to offer traditional choices that were available through vending and self-serve areas. For the most part, Canada currently does not have any nutritional guidelines related to the quantify of sugar Canadians should or should not consume, however Health Canada suggests choosing foods with little or no added sugars.

So how will this impact our business going forward? Health Canada’s new nutrition labelling requirements which have been worked on for years, are scheduled to be completely implemented by December 31, 2021. In addition to sugar being a mandatory item on the nutrition label, packaging requirements will also change under this new legislation as symbols indicating a product is high in sugar will have to be identified. Stay tuned!

How do we ensure our business thrives even given these potential bumps in the road? Here are a few things to pay attention to:

• Choice & Selection. Offering customers choice and selection in all categories ensures that you are providing a variety of options without added or natural sugar; both impulse purchases and regular frequent offerings can help you demonstrate your commitment to healthy choices. Some customers may look for more natural sources of sugar (i.e. honey) as a preference. Remember to display a mix of both sweet and salty snack options in your impulse section of micro markets, feature areas, as well as in any combo packages you offer.

• Sugar Free Options: This trend is growing, we recommend that 20% of your beverage offerings are free of sugar (e.g. water, sparking water beverages such as Bubly) or low-calorie offerings. It may seem like a lot, however over your entire portfolio is it quite simple to do

• Say Tea! There is an opportunity to focus on tea as it is currently a growth category. Hot and cold tea consumption continues to climb and provides strong revenue opportunities while offering choices with health benefits (and interesting exotic flavours)

Whether your customers have a sweet or salty tooth, staying on top of trends is critical. It can help to keep your customers interested, demonstrate that your services reflect the current marketplace drivers, and provide your business with a competitive edge.


About the Author:
Brian Emmerton is a Registered Dietitian and the Vice President and General Manager of QUASEP, a leading supply chain solutions provider for non-commercial clients and hospitality organizations across Canada. Brian has worked and researched consumer behaviors for over 30 years to assist clients in following trends and practices that can drive revenue and growth opportunities.

It is no surprise, but water is still the most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the world and is North America’s most requested drink. So how does something so abundantly available out of every tap become one of the top revenue opportunities for us? The water industry continues to grow, and while proponents of single plastic and other interest groups touting environmental concerns have triggered more attention to the category, sales of this clear gold continue to increase.

Water is the best way to become hydrated and ensure the body has sufficient fluids to keep the body functioning. Google searches for hydration have doubled since 2015 and there are even apps available to remind you when to drink water. Drinking more water is really about hydration as part of the wellness trend.

Do you know what triggers people in work locations to purchase a beverage? It may surprise you, but basic hunger or thirst is not the top reason. According to Foodservice Monitor, customers are selecting food and beverages at work are for the following top 4 reasons:

1. Mental Upliftment: This does not always mean a caffeine beverage; it could also be quick nutrition (e.g. fruit juice) or a break that is providing an uplift (such as a water break).
2. Basic Thirst/Hunger: Customers will reach for standby’s like bottled water.
3. Craveable Rewards: This is where other water-based beverages come into play such as sparkling water including flavoured sparkling beverages (like Bubly) that help to balance out the craving and nutrition interests.
4. Comfort: Selling the brands people love to keep bringing them back for more.

Has our love for water started to deteriorate? Not at all! Bottled water continues to be a top seller in workplace locations, sports arenas, and colleges and universities; all because it meets a variety of top needs, plus provides nutrition, hydration, convenience, and portability. The water category continues to expand, watch for these two up and coming trends and ensure that your beverage offering reflects this growing channel:

• Sparkling Water: While the overall carbonated soft drink category continues to decline, carbonated and sparking water’s growth continues on an upward trend. Why the popularity? Sparkling water responds to many customer needs- a mental uplift, balanced nutrition, craveable rewards, comfort, and many health claims are pushing the fact that carbonation allows fizzy bubbles to fill your stomach and trick your brain into thinking you are full. Overall, the biggest benefit continues to be a solution for hydration.
   
• Alkaline Water: Believe it or not the premium price (and higher revenue opportunity) cannot be ignored with this growing trend. Alkaline water has a higher pH than regular drinking water (it is also referred to as Ionized water).  Alkaline water is promoted to improve energy and balance the body’s pH levels. Some argue it can neutralize acid in your blood stream, aid in bone health, and some studies have also touted benefits to prevent disease such as cancer and heart disease; however, there is very little credible evidence to support these claims and yet sales continue to climb!

It is all about exposure: water needs to be always accessible to ensure you can maximize your revenue. Make sure your water options are font and center in each of your machines and display areas; in micro markets or self-serve areas, room temperature still water is still an opportunity to encourage add on purchases for later consumption so maximize your space by having a basket of bottles close to check outs.

About the Author:

Brian Emmerton is a Registered Dietitian and the Vice President and General Manager of QUASEP, a leading supply chain solutions provider for non-commercial clients and hospitality organizations across Canada. Brian has been working in foodservice and consumer affairs for over 30 years to help clients source food and nutrition options that deliver experiences that enrich and nourish lives. Learn more about how QUASEP can help your organization by visiting quasep.ca.