Failure to Lunch? ezCater Survey Reveals Tax Professionals Are Skipping Meals

96% of respondents admitted to regularly skipping meals to meet work deadlines during tax season

Tax season is hard on everyone, but for tax professionals it's even harder. Their busy season extends past mid-April and tax professionals working long days don’t have time for much else besides work. ezCater, the most trusted provider of corporate food solutions, surveyed over 600 tax professionals to see what those grueling days were like when it comes to eating. The verdict? 96% are forgoing meals to focus on work.

The new report, “Fueling Tax Season,” found that many tax professionals aren’t just skipping meals. More than 80% agreed their diet is also less healthy during the tax season when they are finding time to eat. Additional key findings of the report include:

• Busy tax season means more desktop dining: 36% say they’re more likely to eat meals at the office during tax time. Asked if they leave their desk for one meal a week, only 1 in 4 (25%) said they do.
• Quick, unhealthy meals are often the only option in the tax season crunch: 27% said they replace full meals with snacks like granola bars. Female respondents were 20% more likely than male respondents to eat snacks as meals. Convenience was another big theme: 24% turn to frozen meals and 36% eat fried, fatty, sugary comfort foods.
• Tax professionals want balance and better food options: 37% desire healthy food that is more accessible during tax season, and 31% wish that restaurant meals were more available. Gen X respondents were 86% more likely than Gen Z to turn to comfort food during the busy season.
• When employers provide free meals, tax professionals feel appreciated: 98% of tax professionals who get free meals during tax season say it makes them feel appreciated. 66% of those fed for free say it helps them eat healthier food, and over half (55%) who don’t get free meals say they would feel less stressed if they did.
• Free food makes long hours feel less grueling: 82% of those given free meals during busy seasons say it provides a break from their work, and 3 in 4 (75%) note that it encourages them to interact with other employees. 72% of those provided with free meals say it enables them to work extra hours.

“When meals are provided to tax professionals, they can take a much-needed pause in their day to take a breath, connect with colleagues, and, most importantly, eat,” said Diane Swint, Chief Revenue Officer at ezCater. “The takeaway for employers is that providing meals for their staff makes them feel appreciated, keeps them fueled, and can serve as a powerful retention tool. In fact, seven in 10 people surveyed say free meals during tax season make them more likely to stay at their current company.”

Click here to access the full report. To learn more about ezCater’s corporate catering solutions, visit ezcater.com.

Methodology

ezCater surveyed 633 individuals currently employed as tax professionals, audit professionals, and tax preparation workers between the ages of 18 and 76 living within the United States.

About ezCater

ezCater is the most trusted provider of corporate food solutions. With over 100,000 restaurants across the US on its platform, ezCater provides flexible and scalable food solutions for everything from recurring employee meals to one-off events such as sales calls and board meetings. ezCater is purpose-built for food for work and supported by best-in-class customer service, enabling companies to centralize and manage their food spend in a single, customizable platform. To explore corporate food solutions or place a catering order, visit www.ezcater.com.

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