By Jerry Nyazungu
ln 2021, I discovered something that changed the way I treat my team and no, it wasn’t a new business book or a fancy HR seminar. It was a fainting incident.
Back then, we used to give our staff a food allowance as part of their salary. I thought I was doing the right thing giving them the freedom to choose what to eat. But then I noticed something: many weren’t eating at work at all. They were saving the allowance.
Now, I understand. I was once an employee too. When I got a lunch allowance, I saved it for “a rainy day.” But here’s the problem: my stomach did not understand financial planning. It wanted lunch, now.
One day, a student on attachment fainted at work. We didn’t call an ambulance we called the tuckshop. A bottle of Fanta and a few buns later, he was back to normal. No injections. No medication. Just sugar, carbs, and instant revival. That’s when it hit me: this wasn’t sickness… it was hunger.
From that day forward, even when the company account is groaning, I make sure my team gets breakfast and lunch. Why? Because in some homes, eating three meals a day is a luxury, not a given. And a hungry employee is not just unproductive they’re one step away from passing out.
Here’s what I’ve learned as an entrepreneur:
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Food in the stomach is fuel for the brain.
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Hunger is the enemy of productivity.
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You can’t expect people to dream big when they’re thinking about sadza.
You can call it employee welfare, corporate social responsibility, or kindness I call it common sense leadership.
Feed your people. It’s cheaper than replacing them when they collapse.
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