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During the past couple of decades, the notion of the 9-to-5 job has eroded almost completely, as more businesspeople are electing to start their day earlier and earlier. This is a fact that seems to be supported by one of the UK’s leading meeting room and serviced office providers, Executive Offices Group ( EOG), who confirm that one of their peak booking times for meeting and conference rooms now is at 8am.
Clearly, the globalisation of business is a principal driver behind this trend, as people tailor their working day to maximise their use of international time zones. And while our working patterns with the US (between four and eight hours behind GMT) are well-established, continually emerging opportunities, and business associations with companies in the Far East and Australasia (between eight and eleven hours ahead of GMT), are putting a fresh focus on the need for an early start. Reflecting this trend, international video conferences are hugely popular between the hours of 7-9am GMT.
Putting the need for international business aside for a moment, many companies are finding that a staff or group meeting first thing in the morning helps the team to ‘gear up’ for the day, and focus on its objectives – before the company phones start ringing, and the day’s many distractions (such as dealing with the average 30+ emails that people receive each morning) kick in.
Another reason for the popularity in early starts is that many people find, quite simply, that they are more alert and work better at the beginning of the day. Perceived wisdom is that it has to do with our brain’s reaction to light, and that after sleeping during darkness, when the body slows down for the night, the body and mind are refreshed in the morning. This, combined with eating breakfast – several hours after not eating at all – gives the body and mind a surge of energy, resulting in increased productivity.
In Oliver Stone’s 1987 classic film, “Wall Street”, Gordon Gekko, the character played by Michael Douglas, proclaimed that “lunch is for wimps”. Luckily, we never heard his views on breakfast. But, with more people now regarding the business breakfast meeting as the critical, first appointment of the day, the importance of good nutrition and the science of eating well in the morning has begun to take on real significance.
These days, for example, sightings of the Full English breakfast are becoming rarer in the business world, as people become more health-conscious, time-sensitive and productivity-aware. As to the potential effect of the Full English, recent research by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( CASH) showed that a traditional English breakfast can contain as much as 6g of salt alone – the limit for an adult for an entire day.
Interestingly, however, it also found that many lighter breakfast options, such as croissants, pastries and muffins, may contain more salt than you think. The saltiest sweet pastry it surveyed was a Starbucks Cinnamon Swirl, which contained 1.74g of salt – equivalent to the salt content of two rashers of bacon.
Most people now believe that eating a light breakfast is the best way to start the day. Carbohydrates are particularly beneficial, as they both provide slow-release energy, which keeps the body and brain well-nourished for hours at a time, and enhance the absorption of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin – a neurotransmitter which positively affects our moods and energy levels.
Grains, fruits and vegetables are key sources of carbohydrates; hence wholegrain breads, wholemeal cereals and fresh fruit are ideal foods to start the day with.
In its website on healthy eating, the NHS advises us that drinking fruit juice at breakfast is a healthier alternative to a caffeine-loaded drink like tea or coffee, and that water, too is an important part of a healthy start to the day. Water is essential for concentration and mental alertness – although studies have shown that most people’s intake falls well below the of 1.5 – 2.0 litre RDA, meaning that their brain is potentially working at below its full capacity.
So, if the dynamics of your business require a strong start to the day, it is worth taking a moment to think about the fuel that will have your team firing on all cylinders. For team meetings, consider not just the venue of the meeting room or conference, but also, whether the food provided will help to get the best out of the meeting attendees.
A number of the meeting venue and serviced office providers, such as Executive Offices Group, now offer nutritious, healthy breakfast menu options as part of their on-going meeting room services to clients, and are happy to advise on a range of breakfast packages, aimed at making getting out of bed for an early business meeting just that little bit easier…
© 2010 - Executive Offices Group