How to Handle Snack Breaks at Work: Are There Office Admin Rules for This?

We work in a corporate office where punctuality is highly valued. We have fixed schedules for lunch, tea, and coffee timings. As an office and general admin, I have observed that some employees have snacks, breakfast, and light meals during office hours. I believe this habit could disrupt others as well!

Seeking Advice on Office Administration Laws

Members, please suggest if there are any office administration laws that allow us to ask these employees to discontinue this habit.

Regards

Addressing Snacking Habits in the Workplace

It's a finicky pattern followed by employees in all means these days. Snacking at work is wrongly thought to make the work easier, but not! What's more, there are certain strategies that should be followed to avoid workplace divergence.

- You may circulate an inter-office communication informing triggers that cause a decrease in workforce productivity and also concerning the health of employees.

- A short meeting can be scheduled to comprehend the facts and raise awareness to keep employees' hands busy at work.

- You can also place a note at every workstation: "Stay hydrated throughout the day" — Water is the best option, or tea, or any other no or low-calorie beverage.

- The best phrase on a sticky note is: "Snacking will make you OBESE." This would decrease the intensity of snacking.

- Consuming too many snacks through overeating leads to health issues. Therefore, provide them with healthy yet delicious snacks to keep them satisfied.

Regards,

When there is a scheduled lunch hour at your workplace, employees, in general, must avail themselves of their lunch during lunch hours. However, it may so happen, more so in metros/major cities where commuting is an issue, that one or two employees, for certain compulsive reasons like domestic commitments, might have reported for work without breakfast or a proper breakfast, and they may intend to avail themselves of their lunch a little early. After all, an employee with a hungry stomach cannot focus too well on his/her work. The management shall not take offense to such employees or be too fussy about them. However, they can be asked to avail themselves of their snacks/lunch in the lunchroom, if any. But it shall not be a general phenomenon in the office that everyone opens his/her lunchbox at any time and starts munching, provoking the taste in others more for food and less for work.

In such a case, you need to circulate a memo among employees requesting them to avail themselves of their lunch during lunch hour only, and those who want to avail themselves of their lunch early for any compulsive reason can do so in the lunchroom. They cannot again avail themselves of their lunch hour at the scheduled lunch hour. Please ensure that the language of the memo shall not leave any bad taste in the mouth of the employees. It shall be polite.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

HR & Labour Law Advisor

Mumbai