5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Fridge for Your Office
Offering a mix of office amenities for your employees is a great way to boost morale. Creating relaxation spaces or lounges for break times is a good place to start, especially those that allow employees to enjoy their lunchtime. Consider providing tables and comfortable chairs, as well as basic kitchen appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, freezers, and refrigerators. This will allow your employees to store and prepare their food.
To help you here are five things to consider when choosing a fridge for your office.
1. The Size
Fridges come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. It’s important to make sure that your fridge will fit into the physical space that you have set aside for it. For smaller spaces, you may want to opt for a mini-fridge. These can fit underneath counters or desks to allow for more elbow room. If you have a larger space, then a standard-sized fridge may be just the ticket. For companies with a lot of employees, an even larger commercial refrigerator can help everyone’s lunch bag find a cool place to rest.
2. The Energy Draw
Adding in a refrigerator can add usage to your utility bills. Help cut down on that by looking for fridges that have Energy Star or other environmentally friendly ratings. Newer fridges use less energy to keep food cold than older models. This will help you save money without sacrificing cooling capability.
3. The Reliability
In a corporate environment, you can expect your fridge to see a lot of use. The doors will likely be opened and closed frequently, the shelves will be rearranged to accommodate storage needs, and the water dispenser filter will need to be changed often. A fridge that can stand up to all that use without breaking down is one in which you’ll want to invest. Look for models that are known for their reliability and that come with warranties on parts. This will give you and your employees peace of mind that the fridge won’t fail them in the middle of the day.
4. The Smart Features
Modern refrigerators often come with many “smart” features. These can range from basic features, such as door alarms and water filter replacement alerts, to very advanced. Some fridges even come with TV screens or the ability to order groceries through connected apps with voice commands. These options can make office life even more comfortable for you and your employees, as well as enrich everyone’s break time. It’s worth testing out the different options to see which may fit best with your office’s needs.
5. The Interior Storage Space
One of the major drawbacks of having a communal fridge is that there never seems to be quite enough space. Lunchboxes take up a lot of room and items can easily get shuffled to the back and lost. Take this into consideration when choosing the best fridge for your office. Models that offer a lot of shelves and drawers, especially ones that can be adjusted to different heights, may be the most beneficial. You could also look into shelf dividers or fridge lock boxes to help keep everyone’s food separate and secure.
Offering a fridge in your corporate building for employee use is a great way to help your team feel supported and engaged. Choosing the right fridge can be difficult, though. Take the time to look at the needs of your office and your people, and then find the model that best serves those needs. Combine the right features with reliability and you and your team just may find that lunchtime becomes the most exciting part of the day.
