I’ll be honest. Although I am neither a huge fan of deserts (in fact, I am regularly reprimanded by friends and family for my complete lack of a “sweet tooth”) nor a candy-holic, at work, I am a complete candy junky. With candy dishes abounding, I become a candy fiend—a connoisseur of all things sugary and sweet. This perk of the workplace—a simple gesture intended to promote good will and dialogue—has a dark side, however. Even though candy bowls may be filled with bite-sized items (allowing the candy’s eater to feel less shameful about his or her decision to partake in a bit of caloric binging), for the dieter, or even just the healthy eater, these glass dishes are packed to the brim with neatly wrapped temptation that can set the tempted on a slippery slope to unhealthy eating.
Concerning candy bowls, Wall Street Journal contributor Sue Shellenbarger, in an article titled “The Battle of the Office Candy Jar: Sweets May Be Boosting Workplace Morale, But Sabotaging Our Diets,” provides this bit of critical commentary: “in the end, each empty calorie rankles co-workers trying to eat healthy.” Shellenbarger further explains that according to a study published in the Journal of Obesity the type of vessel chosen to house the candy can dramatically impact how much candy passersby take. According to the study, “when candy was visible in a clear, covered dish, participants ate 2.5 pieces of chocolate on top of the 3.1 candies they would have eaten had the chocolates been in an opaque container.” In addition to this, the study shows that “moving the dish closer, so the subjects could reach the candy while seated at their desks, added another 2.1 candies a day to their intake.” Although it would be a shame for candy bowls to be banned from the workplace—Shellenbarger’s story does cite one driven employee who has demanded that her fellow employees remove all sweet treats from visibility—it is important that co-workers see candy for the temptress that it is, something which perhaps even the most ascetic employee cannot pass up.
In light of this, it is important to find creative solutions, which both accommodate those who use candy as a proverbial hook (and those who enjoy candy’s sweet allure) and those who would be better-served if candy was banished from the office. Some such solutions may include choosing a different vessel in which to store your candy (perhaps one that both has a lid and is opaque), or, as Shellenbarger suggests, replacing candy with fruit or using sugar-free candy as bait. Beware, however: the latter can be just as rich in calories as their sugar-infused counterparts.
Comments are closed.