Do Your Colleagues Know These Unspoken Office Refrigerator Rules?

June 4, 2017

Office Refrigerator Rules and Etiquette

The office refrigerator can be an interesting place. Leftover sandwiches and containers that resemble Petri dishes can quickly appear, leaving little room for employee lunches. You’d think employees can act like adults without having unspoken refrigerator rules, but that’s not always the case.

If you are getting complaints from employees about the office refrigerator, it may be time to implement some rules. This office refridgerator etiquette has been successful in other offices – you can practice them with your employees.

1. Clean Spills Right Away

A major cause of a smelly sticky fridge is ignoring spills. Encourage your employees to clean up any spills that happen right away.

2. Food Time Limits

Limit the time an employee can keep an item in the refrigerator. A common office rule is to remove all food by the end of the week. At this time, your office cleaning company or another staff member can check to make sure everything has been removed.

3. Keep Your Food Labeled

You can avoid office drama easily by making sure that employees label all food properly. It can be frustrating to employees if someone else eats their food or it mysteriously goes missing from the office fridge. Labeling can help avoid this phenomenon and hold your employees accountable for their own food.

4. Always Make Sure the Door Is Shut

Your office refrigerator door is opened and closed frequently. If too much cold air escapes, the food will go bad. Have employees make sure to shut the door every time they close the fridge.

5. Regular Cleaning Schedule

Put together a regular cleaning schedule and post it near the office refridgerator. Make sure employees are aware of the dates. If they leave anything in the fridge, it will be thrown away.

Office Refrigerator Rules Last Resort – Refrigerator Cleaning Sign

If a simple email reminder of kitchen and refrigerator etiquette didn’t do the trick, post a sign on the fridge. Create a sign detailing your office refrigerator rules for using the fridge. Employees will see this reminder every time they use the fridge and should start to change their habits.