Google’s doing it. Facebook’s doing it. Your competitors are doing it. Everyone’s doing it: creating a company break room that resembles more of a lounge or coffee shop than a, well, break room. While you might scoff at the idea at first and think, “employees are here to work, not relax or play,” you’d be remiss not to consider the benefits of a well-designed break room:
- Increased productivity
- Impressing clients
- Boosting morale
- Promoting socialization among employees
Wait…what? How does a break room that encourages socializing lead to a more productive workplace?
Glad you asked. See, it’s all about engagement. The more engaged your employees are, the more productive they tend to be. And, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace, a whopping 70% of workers are disengaged. Not good.
What is good, however, is that there are ways to improve engagement among your employees…your break room being one of them. So here are some quick tips to help your create a break room that your employees will love.
5 Ways to Create a More Engaging Company Break Room
1. Free Snacks & Coffee
While this might seem like a costly endeavor, it’s really an investment. Employees will feel more valued and develop a stronger connection with your organization. This connection leads to better engagement, and better engagement leads to higher productivity. Companies are increasingly embracing the pantry system, wherein they can order wholesale snacks and supplies and have them delivered to their office then keep them stocked in their own break rooms.
2. Games & Entertainment
Sometimes you just need to let out a little stress. What better way than a quick game of ping-pong with a colleague, or getting lost for a few minutes in a video game. New research shows that such activities can actually improve productivity while helping relieve stress. Plus, it can build a sense of camaraderie among employees, fostering stronger work relationships.
3. Stimulating Decor
Those big tech companies probably spent a lot of money on their break room design. We’re not saying that’s what needs to be done, but how the room is designed does play an important role in how effective it is in keeping employees engaged. Here are a few simple ways to achieve this:
- Natural elements (plants, trees, etc.)
- Different color wall paint
- Stimulating artwork
The break room needs to have a different feel to it than the rest of the office so employees get the sense they’re getting away from work for a few minutes and actually taking a break.
4. Comfortable Seating
While all these elements work together in harmony, comfortable seating is perhaps the key ingredient. Invest in some comfy, plush seating. None of that hard plastic or wooden stuff. A chair that envelops you in it’s plushy goodness like a venus fly trap made of pillows is what you’re after.
5. Books & Magazines
Good ones. Not the stuff you see at your dentist’s office that people flip through only to find the sample strip of the latest Gucci fragrance. (Except for maybe Highlights.) Take a survey and see what people like…what their interests are. Encourage everyone to bring in the latest book they finished to share. While there won’t be time to start and finish a novel in one sitting, even just reading for a few minutes can help lower stress, which is what your employees need from time to time.