What do you do when employees steal food out of the refrigerator at work?

Question

I need to write an email at working....help please! People at my work have been stealing food from the refrigerator...I don't know if its the employees or the janitors...please help me, or find some links that will help me...this has happened too many times...thanks! also just give me constructive answers..if your not going to help or be a smart a** then please dont answer this...once again thanks!

Answer 1

cook something that looks and smells really good, but put some poison or something that will make you sick. when the guilty party eat's the food, then you will know who it was and I bet they will stop eating other peoples food and when word gets around the job, no one else will eat other people's food either. you can't get in trouble because that person is stealing and if they didn't steal your food then they wouldn't be sick.

Answer 2

First, you have to determine whether she is able to stop after being confronted. A true kleptomaniac can't help it. If it's just garden-variety dishonesty, you might handle it differently. Second, you'd do well to review company policy, and perhaps even get legal advice from an attorney who handles employment law. You'll need to know what to do if she were to sue you or the company for something or other. Third, you have to have solid proof. You could use video tape from a hidden camera, or some other method perhaps suggested by police or your attorney. You could simply terminate her employment. Let her know the reason, but tell her that you won't make it public unless she raises a stink about it. You'd better let her know that you won't be able to give her a good reference -- only the dates of her employment with you. If you're willing to take the risk of keeping her on, and you believe that calling her on her petty thievery will make her stop, you could warn her that any more such incidents will result in her immediately being fired. Perhaps she really does think that such items are some sort of common property. None of this is actual legal advice, mind you. It's a delicate situation that can't be allowed to continue -- I hope you can work it out.

Answer 3

Is this a fridge in the employee break room or in a kitchen in a restaurant? If it is in the breakroom place a sign in there stating that employees caught sneaking other's lunches will be placed on suspension for 1 week. If it is stealing out of inventory automatic termination will stop any further thefts. Send an email stating that hidden cameras have been placed in the kitchen to catch the person/people responsible, and that when caught there will be no warning, automatic termination of employment. People think that just because it is food that it doesn't matter, but that stuff has to be replaced, so it is just as bad as stealing money. I work for a Mc donald's franchise that keeps their freezers locked and the supervisors have the keys. We need something out of the freezer they have to open it for us.

Answer 4

I think this is a big problem in any work environment. We have this one over weight slob (not to be mean but she is!) who always steals other people's food from the fridge at work. She even has the nerve to ask people if she can have some when they're eating something. The only way to resolve this problem is to inform someone who can do something about it. A lot of us at my work place informed our HR manager about this and now there are signs everywhere in the break room saying whoever is caught stealing food will be fired, no excuses. The theft of food has gone down but I'm sure it still happens every once in a while. Also, write your name on things and put DON'T TOUCH! Always works for me.

Answer 5

I'm guessing from your question that you are the manager or person in charge? In my experience, if there were things going on at work that needed to be fixed, our boss would post a note by the schedule just saying, "It has been brought to my attention that food has been taken from the refrigerator. You are welcome to bring your own food and keep it in the refrigerator. Please label your food with your name. Any unlabeled food will be thrown out. If we continue to have incidents, we will no longer be able to allow you to bring food to work." Or something along those lines. Putting up something like this keeps the guilty party (parties) from being singled out and reminds everyone of your policies. If it continues, then you can be more firm. Hope that helps a little. Good luck!

Answer 6

The Management are aware that Food items are being removed from the refrigerator without consent on a regular basis.

Anyone caught removing food from the fridge, without prior consent will face diciplinary procedures.

Theft is a serious crime and could result in legal action being taken.

Answer 7

If this is theft from inventory for a store or restaurant, then firing is in order. Make that abundantly clear in your e-mail.

I found a sure-fire trick to keep people from stealing my food from the fridge when I lived in the dorm. I put it in a small metal file box, locked the box, and put THAT in the fridge. Funny how my stuff was always there when I wanted it... ;-)

Answer 8

My company put up obvious (but fake) cameras at the refridgerators. I just stopped putting my food in there (if they'd steal it who knows what else they would do), and carry an insulated bag.
The company also sent out an e-mail stating that anyone caught stealing would be subject to "corrective action".

Answer 9

I had a restaurant and had to wind up keeping a very accurate inventory list. While they worked, I let them see me counting everything. And I let them see me go through tickets to see how much of what was sold. The stealing quit.

Answer 10

My boss was stealing my sammich.

So I put a note on my sammich saying "I spit on it."

He added a note, saying "So did I"

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More constructive:
My brother had a little alarm that he'd purchased from radio shack. It had a thingie that could be tied to something else. If you pulled that something else, it'd tug the thingie out of connection with the alarm box, and the alarm would sound.