March 26, 2020 Breakroom Areas

Tips for improving breakroom areas for your workforce.

Keeping your employees happy and satisfied is one of your top priorities. A content employee is a productive employee, and a productive employee can improve the performance and profitability of your business. One of the best things you can do to improve the morale of your employees is to improve their breakroom. Here are some tips for doing so:

1. Comfortable outdoor space

Consider investing in an outdoor break area that workers can access when the weather is warm. This outdoor break area can include a range of amenities such as a gas grill and outdoor kitchen cabinets for storing utensils and cleaning supplies. The setup could also contain:

-Couches, hammocks, and sleep pods

-Chairs, benches, and picnic tables for eating

-Exercise balls, yoga mats, and stationary bikes for those who want a brief workout

2. Coffee station

The breakroom is the first place that most of your employees will go when starting their shift. When they get there, they will want a cup of coffee. For this reason, you should create a spacious and robust coffee station. If you really want to ingratiate yourself to your employees, you should include custom mugs and fresh pastries each morning. Optimize the coffee station with the addition of a Keurig or espresso machine.

3. Television

Your employees will be looking to relax and distract themselves when on their break. You can help this effort by having a large screen television installed. It should have a range of cable channels, and you may even want to include Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Indeed, you can split your breakroom into 3 sections. One section for employees who want to eat and have a chat, a second section for those who want to watch television, and the third section for those who want a bit of peace and quiet.

4. Library

If you split your breakroom into different sections and create a quiet room, then you should also establish a small library of books and periodicals. It’s not that hard to have the shelves stocked with magazines of interest as well as novels and other kinds of literature. This quiet room and library will also cater to the more introverted of your employees who do not like to socialize. Those who like to meditate and reflect during their break or need some quiet to write a text message or email will also find this space useful.

The best quiet rooms include the following features:

-Lights that can be dimmed

-Reclining chairs

-Soundproof walls

-Yoga mats for those who want to meditate

5. Snack Bar

You should also create a snack bar. This will give your employees the opportunity to eat sweets and tasty snacks during their break. You can stock the bar with a mixture of snacks—those that are healthy and those that are tasty but not so healthy. You should also install other vending machines in the break room, including those that dispense soda, and sandwiches.

Spending money on your employee breakroom is an investment that will pay-off in the long-term. It will show your employees that you care about their welfare and that you appreciate the long hours and hard work they put into making the business successful. The best way to get a read on which of these ideas are most popular is to survey your employees.

Subscribe to Industry Today