We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Sara Roberts who took time out of her busy schedule to share her vision to improve the health of workers everywhere.
Sara is the founder and CEO of Healthy Nibbles, which provides healthier on-the-go and office-based food solutions, underpinned by personalised nutrition & data to support the wellbeing of teams. Prior to Healthy Nibbles, Sara founded a brand and innovation consultancy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sara sits on both the Global Nourishment Advisory Board and Covid-19 Taskforce led by the International WELL Building Institute, is an Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland and is one of EY’s European Winning Women.
Tell us about your organisation and how it came about?
Healthy Nibbles grew out of frustration. I sat at the hospital bedside of my father. It was 3 a.m. and I was hungry. The only food available was from a vending machine, serving the usual selection of crisps, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks. Right next to the machine a poster warned ‘diabetes and obesity kill’. And so, the crumbs of an idea became the UK’s award-winning answer to healthy snacking.
The grand plan started with the vision to improve the health of commuters and workers everywhere, and to prove to offices, hospitals, commuter hubs, that vending machines are intuitive, dispense more than caffeine and sugar and fit seamlessly into the future of retail; all whilst championing the wellbeing of the planet by committing to the highest levels of social and environmental impact.
Why do you think the real Living Wage is more important than ever?
Being paid the real Living Wage is the difference between having to worry or not worry about the very basics that many of us take for granted. It is the difference between spending more time with your family and worrying about paying the rent or the electricity bill.
For business there is clear evidence in favour of paying the real Living Wage, creating an environment of employee engagement and value, resulting in improved productivity, lower recruitment costs and reduced employee turnover.
As we navigate our way out of the pandemic, there has never been a greater time to implement the real Living Wage, bringing increased stability to employers and employees alike.
Why do you think committing to the real Living Wage is important to Healthy Nibbles and the retail sector as a whole?
Healthy Nibbles are building a brand that cares deeply about our own people and the lives they impact. The real Living Wage formed an essential part in setting key metrics for recruitment and employee engagement. By providing a wage that meets everyday needs, we know that as a business we are contributing to a much bigger picture in terms of economic stability.
By using the Real Living Wage as a baseline, Healthy Nibbles have fostered an environment of care for our team, from round the clock mental health support, health insurance, annual training budget including onsite business library and external mentoring to ‘One Small Thing’, where each month our employees can take an hour away from the office to support someone who needs help – in 2020 we volunteered over 80 hours of time across global charities, not-for-profits and community initiatives. There’s obviously free snacks, drinks and nibbles too!
It is no secret that retail and service sector employees make up a large percentage of the 2.2million lowest paid workers in the UK, often paid minimum wage, and as the media has highlighted recently, frequently below the minimum wage. This highlights a national problem as there is a clear gap between the cost of living and any salary below the real Living Wage.
The benefits of the real Living Wage are far-reaching, from reduction of mental health issues associated with poverty, improved diet and lifestyle, stronger businesses with engaged employees to an increase in localised spending and economic stability.
What do you think are the barriers that must be overcome to see more workers in retail paid the real Living Wage?
During the successive Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020-21, retail has been a story of two halves; supermarket workers recognised for their crucial work as key workers witnessing exponential growth (shoppers spent a whopping £11.7 billion on take-home groceries, with Lidl reporting a sales growth of 17.9 per cent in December 2020), juxtaposed against the wider retail and service sector.
Despite this, almost 20 per cent of retail workers report that they want more hours than they are being offered, often feeling under-appreciated against the risks they have faced during the pandemic, further amplifying the negative perception of the retail and service industries.
Employers need to acknowledge the business and moral case for becoming a real Living Wage employer, reflecting on the wider benefits of improved productivity, reduced turnover and improved customer engagement.
Even where a retailer is accredited, they need to utilise their influence over the wider supply chain. Healthy Nibbles have a robust supplier onboarding process where we review key metrics including wages, working conditions, diversity and other impact-led initiatives.
Encouraging greater transparency on working conditions, contracts and employee engagement is key to seeing increased adoption rates of the real Living Wage.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Every day I am encouraged by the scale of impact Healthy Nibbles is having and will have on people’s lives. We know that obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are sky-rocketing. It’s estimated that poor diet now causes more deaths than lack of physical activity, alcohol, and tobacco combined, a staggering 11 million deaths per annum. Hardly surprising when you consider that British consumers now get over 60% of their calories from ultra-high processed foods. By 2030, the number of overweight and obese people will rise to 3.28 billion. Given how much time people spend at work, there’s a significant opportunity for employers to support people in making healthier choices.
To have the opportunity to support employee wellbeing every day, whether that is with our own team or that of our clients is brilliant.
What’s been getting you through the pandemic?
When lockdown measures were implemented, the impact was immediately obvious, with vending revenue coming to a halt overnight.
Being a big believer in using the resources you have available, we transitioned quickly into curated box experiences; with recipients ranging from employees and key workers to conference and event delegates. The range widened to reflect the diversity of customers; from different sized boxes and dietary requirements to curated experiences containing luxury gifts and non-food items.
For me personally, it was about going with my gut instinct, whilst being acutely aware of the ever-changing dynamics.
2021 so far has been a year of preparation, building and solidifying business partners and channels, collating and presenting the data on Healthy Nibbles’ impact, securing B Corp accreditation and preparing to launch our Series A investment round.
What are you hoping for in the next year?
As a business we’re focussed on high growth; maximising the opportunities across our product portfolio and distribution channels, whilst exploring several international opportunities. We’ll be scaling the team, both nationally and locally creating a number of high value roles.
I believe workplace wellness will assume its rightful position as a seat at the board table, moving away from a fragmented and siloed discipline to one that underpins business, with nutrition, mental health, overall wellness, sustainability and impact all forming key components in governance and reporting.