Happy workers are productive workers, which is why the humble break room is undergoing a serious makeover. More and more CEOs are beginning to realize the importance of company culture, and a space for employees to take a healthy timeout from work does wonders for morale. So, say goodbye to drab, uninspiring bare rooms with little more than water coolers and coffee pots. Modern trends feature utility, comfort, color, and thoughtfulness. Here are five office break room ideas to boost productivity among your employees.
1. Focus on Convenience and Community
Your office break room ideas should start with ways to create a comfortable space. Because employees go to the break room to enjoy a quick cup of coffee, lunch, or a snack, it’s important to offer plenty of tables and chairs. Add a few workstations for overachievers — or just ensure that all electric outlets are accessible if someone needs to plug in — and create an inspiration wall for employees who have their best ideas when munching on a sandwich. Make it half whiteboard for “light bulb” moments and half bulletin board for posting notes and upcoming events. In addition to work-related happenings, encourage employees to share personal information like birthday news and baby announcements.
2. Foster Relaxation
You want to talk cool employee break room ideas? Take a page from some of the hottest startups, and design a space to help everyone relax. To encourage a relaxing respite from work, make comfort a key part of your break room design. Start with a few cozy couches, and add coffee tables topped with current magazines and newspapers.
If your space lacks natural light, then add floor or table lamps to brighten the room and make it feel larger. To encourage employees to further disconnect from work, mount a TV to one wall, or pipe in pleasant background music through the sound system.
3. Bring in Pops of Color
Nothing transforms a room from drab to fab like a pop of color. To keep from going overboard, paint walls in a neutral hue, and add brightly colored dining chairs, vibrant end tables, bold throw pillows, and wall art. It’s important to remember that color affects people in different ways. There’s even a whole field of research devoted to the practice, known as color psychology, and you can incorporate it into you break room decorating ideas.
Research shows that bland-colored offices tend to make people feel gloomy. Even more, they can impact productivity. The break room is the perfect space to break up the rest of the neutral décor. If you’re looking to motivate employees, then add touches of orange, or choose bright yellow to evoke friendliness and cheer. Red excites and stimulates workers, while blue and green offer a sense of peace and tranquility. Layering with different shades of the same color adds depth and harmony to the office space.
4. Add a Few Fun Touches
Some of the most successful companies know that the break room should feel separate from and different than the rest of the office. It lets your employees really disconnect from their desks and relax so they return to their workspace feeling refreshed.
A few fun touches can take your break room to the next level. Entertaining employee break room design ideas include adding games such as foosball, table tennis, and pool tables to provide an enjoyable breather from work and promote staff bonding at the same time. If you’re looking for less expensive distractions, then stock a book shelf with board games, jigsaw puzzles, word games, and playing cards. Multiplayer games are a great way to promote bonding and teamwork both in the break room and throughout the rest of the office. To inspire employees, pepper walls with motivational posters, and make your space more festive by decorating for holidays and other special occasions.
5. Don’t Forget Food and Beverages
Another example of break room ideas at work: refreshments. Employees always appreciate companies that supply food and beverages. To start the day off right, provide coffee with a variety of flavored creamers and a selection of black, green, and herbal teas. Consider adding an espresso machine to the mix for a high-end feel that will keep your employees in-house for their breaks instead of heading to the nearest coffee shop.
If your break room has space for a fridge, then stock it with healthy snacks such as fresh fruits and veggies, yogurt, granola bars, and mixed nuts. Also, keep a little dark chocolate on hand for an antioxidant-packed pick-me-up.
CEOs serious about improving company morale can start with these office break room ideas and branch out from there. Spaces that combine color, utility, comfort, and thoughtfulness allow employees to relax and recharge before returning to their tasks. CORT Furniture Rental can help with trendy tables, chairs, sofas, and more.
