The breakroom is the most common space in the office where people go to enjoy their free time at work. It’s where everyone should want to spend their break and feel relaxed while doing it. Creating an environment that is pleasant tells your employees that you want this to be a good place for them to work. Here are a few simple elements to think about when designing the perfect breakroom that your employees will want to use —
OPEN AND RELAXING —
Many people enjoy socializing on their break, so an open and conversational approach is the best in many cases. Avoiding a dark, dingy, poorly stocked space is an important step in making the breakroom inviting to all of your employees. The seating is another key aspect of making the space cozy and comfortable. Avoiding uncomfortable seating that looks and feels like another desk chair is key. They need to feel like they are in a breakroom rather than sitting at their desk in a different room. Incorporating lounge chairs like the Invitation Lounge Arm Chair by HON or the Flock Round Lounge Chair gives employees the option to sit comfortably. You can get these chairs in many different colors and fabrics to compliment any breakroom aesthetic that you have going on.
FREE CAFFEINE AND SNACKS —
People love snacks, and more importantly—they love caffeine. Offering free coffee, tea and snacks can be a real morale booster around the office. Offering foods that increase productivity will help your employees feel rejuvenated when coming back from their break. Some snacks you could offer are a selection of fruits, granola bars, oatmeal, and nuts. If free snacks aren’t in your budget, a vending machine is a great option to offer snacks to your employees as well. Polling your employees will help gauge what types of snacks they are interested in having at work. Personalize the selection and make your employees feel like you care about their opinion.
DESIGN —
No one wants to sit in a tacky looking room and try to relax for an hour of their day. Incorporating design and natural elements in your breakroom will invite people to spend their time there. Ensure that the breakroom – if possible – is in a naturally lit area with sunlight. There should be multiple windows to allow your employees a look at the outside world. Sometimes when you are sitting at a desk all day you can forget that there is a world going on outside.
You can take many different approaches when designing your breakroom. Do you want it to be minimalist? Modern? Industrial? Whichever style you choose – you should try and keep things simple, decluttered and maintain a refreshed feeling. There should be a sense of separation of the breakroom from the office, so it feels like you are getting away from work and taking a break.
OFFER ACTIVITIES —
Since a breakroom is a place where you can relax and loosen up, it would only make sense to include some fun activities. Many people love watching TV. This could be an important part of a successful and useful breakroom. Some other things you could offer are magazines, books or board games. Everyone is different when it comes to what they like to do to decompress.
STOCK YOUR BASICS —
From condiments to plates, bowls, utensils and more, people want to have access to things like these. Eliminating the stress on employees to bring all the basics they need could help boost morale in your company. Doing small things like that could reduce a lot of stress that people run into when preparing their food on their lunch break.
FEEDBACK —
At the end of the day, your employees are the ones using the breakroom. Ask for their opinion. No one knows what your employees want to see better than them. If they feel that they have a say in what the breakroom is like, they will likely be more inclined to use it.
We have a great design team here at Office360 that would be more than happy to help assist with your breakroom design. Contact us today to set up an appointment and get a quote on what your new and improved breakroom could look like!
