In order to keep your employee morale up, you’ll need to keep your break room fully supplied and stocked with the right equipment and paper products. A typical break room consists of paper plates, cups and lids, and utensils for eating. Here’s what you need at a minimum.
- Styrofoam cups. Make sure you have a variety of sizes. Not everyone wants a 20-ounce cup of coffee in the morning. Then again, not everyone can thrive on just 8 ounces either. Supply your break room with a variety of cup sizes from 8 ounces to 20 ounces. They’re also available in 10-ounce sizes, 12-ounce sizes, and 16-ounce sizes.
- If you’re ordering cups, you’ll also need to order lids to fit the sizes that you stock in your break room.
- Paper cup sleeves are nice. Otherwise, your employees could burn their hands on hot coffee.
- Paper and foam plates and bowls. If you’ll be stocking soups and other foods for people to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (even snacks), then you should make sure they have the proper supplies for their meals.
- Utensils. That includes forks, spoons, and knives. You can use plastic ware for most break rooms, however, if you really want your employees to live well, then you can order silverware. But who’s going to wash it?
- Straws for cold drinks. Stir sticks for coffee and other hot drinks.
- Trash can liners. Every break room needs a trash can. If you don’t use liners, your trash can will begin to smell over time.
- No break room is complete without paper towels to clean up small spills and for employees to wash their hands before and after they eat.
- Hand towels are also nice for when you have larger spills or to wipe off tables and countertops periodically.
- Bathroom tissue.
- Finally, you should include hand sanitizer so that employees can rid themselves of germs before and after their meals.
When you order supplies for your break room, make sure you count how many people use the break room over time and order enough to last at least a couple of weeks to a month. A well-stocked break room will keep your employees smiling and looking forward to work.
