There are many ways to boost your business, and creating a welcoming break room plays an important role in achieving success. While your office break room may not seem like a top priority or a component of your business that will really make that much of a difference, it does play a key role in employee morale, which will determine your employee retention rate. The way that you set up your company’s break room will make a big difference to your employees, and, ultimately, to the success of your business.
There are many things that you can do to create a well-designed break room that your employees enjoy spending time in. First of all, consider the break room from the perspective of an employee that spends a full shift at your workplace. Imagine that you are tired and would like a place to relax and rejuvenate yourself before finishing up your shift. Does your current break room feel like a place that you can unwind, sit down comfortably, and refresh yourself in? If not, it’s time to make some changes.
If your break room feels stale and generic, add some character by hanging up artwork or adding classy, comfortable furniture. The seating and tables should be comfortable and attractive, yet easy to clean. Consider the break room an extension of the rest of your office or work environment. Just as you work hard to present your workplace in a way that welcomes your clients, create a break room space that welcomes your employees.
The break room is not only a place where employees catch a break from work. It is where they will eat their meals on breaks. For this reason, it is important to provide a place to store their food, including a refrigerator and cabinets. Additional amenities should be provided, such as a good office water dispenser, or a coffee maker. In many cases, employees will stop into the break room for quick breaks to grab a cup of coffee, tea, or other beverage. Amenities such as an instant hot water tap will allow your employees to do this quickly and conveniently. A microwave, toaster oven, and other compact amenities are also important so that your employees can quickly get what they need and sit down to relax or to get back to work.
Provide any extras that you think your employees may enjoy and that you have room for. Magazines, games, free snacks and beverages, and other extras will create an improved atmosphere for your employees who are then likely to be more productive in the work place.
Sonya Simms is a writer for Billi, a company creating innovative features for homes and offices such as the instant chilled water dispenser.