Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters

Cooperative activities among coworkers can provide valuable group-level benefits; however, previous
research has often focused on artificial activities that require extraordinary efforts away from
the worksite. An investigation was carried out in organisational benefits that firms might obtain through various supports
for coworkers to engage in commensality (i.e., eating together). Field research was conducted within
firehouses in a large city to explore the role that interacting over food might have for work-group
performance. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, our field research shows a significant
positive association between commensality and work-group performance. The findings establish
a basis for research and practice that focuses on ways that firms can enhance team performance by
leveraging the mundane and powerful activity of eating.