Pandemic pushes techies lunch money to new highs

High-tech employees’ lunch money - received through a Cibus-Sodexo or 10bis card - rose by 18% over the past two years. The average received by tech employees who benefit from the perk has risen to NIS 980 ($310.60) per month, according to figures provided by Cibus-Sodexo.

During the work-from-home period, when many ordered takeout meals to their homes, the average price of such transactions rose significantly. In 2019, an average meal order was NIS 42 ($13.30), while in 2021 that number leapt to NIS 71 ($22.50), showing a 70% increase. According to the company’s estimates, the rise in the value of transactions stems from the fact that subsidies for meals increased, enabling employees to pay for more expensive meals when ordering takeaway, and not necessarily since the cost of dishes rose.

But not everyone works in the high tech industry, or receives these types of perks. Only 40% of employees have their lunch paid for, with men between the ages of 35-44 making up a large share of that group compared to women or other age groups. During the pandemic, employee perks changed with the high tech industry leading the trend. There has been a rise in the number of companies who provide perks related to employees’ wellbeing such as mental health services (55%), lectures on health and quality of life (33%), and private health insurance (22%). On the other hand, there was a decline in company outings (13%).

The research was conducted by Cibus-Sodexo, and analyzed hundreds of Israeli companies comparing them to other countries where Cibus operates. The study found that 80% of high tech employees have company outings, compared to 64% in other industries. Those in high tech also attend more professional conferences (60%) compared to those in other industries (49%), and have more lectures about quality of life (44%) compared to those in other fields (26%).

When examining what employees would prefer to receive compared to what employers are willing to provide, it seems as if employers don’t always meet employees’ needs. The study found that most employees would like to have concerts, hotels, or other attractions (78%) subsidized, but only 38% receive that benefit. The second most important perk for employees was private health insurance (74%), but only half do indeed receive that benefit (51%). However, nearly 31% of employees receive lectures on health and proper nutrition, while only 21% showed interest in receiving this service.

“We discovered that considerations when choosing a workplace based on perks grew by 32%. Employees want to receive more goodies, and consider them an integral part of their employment terms. We also saw that the better an organization treats its employees, their value rises significantly to a degree where they’d even recommend others work at their organization. Meaning, there is a direct link to employer branding, which is a hot topic that everyone is concerned with these days,” said Ortal Dudu-Ravvin, Marketing Manager at Cibus-Sodexo.

“In addition, we’ve noted a change in the type of companies who offer their employees subsidized meal cards. In the past only high tech companies and large enterprises did so, but now we’re seeing a 300% increase from small and medium-sized businesses who are granting their employees meal cards too. Over the past two years, where most of us worked from home - occasionally with children - companies realized the importance and need to offer employees Cibus cards, and as a result their Cibus budgets grew by 50%. Although the high tech industry is still leading this market trend with the largest above-average meal subsidy - which stands at nearly NIS 1000 ($317) per month - we’re also seeing more sectors aligning with the standard set by high tech,” she said.