Could your break room use a facelift? Seating, vending machines and more!

Have you ever given any thought to the importance of an employee break room and how beneficial it is to your employees?  Right now it is estimated that only 18% of businesses have a dedicated break room. If you have been thinking about adding a break room to your business, BarsandBooths.com is able to custom build exactly what you are looking for and can help you design it too! With custom booths, dinettes, vending machines and décor items, you will have a lot to choose from. If you know what you want and how you want to design the room, then stop by barsandboot.com and take a look!  You can order the items you want and have them delivered straight to your door.

Break rooms are an often an overlooked feature of the workplace. Break rooms are so named because they’re intended to encourage a mental and physical break from the daily rat race of the office, but there are many other ways you can make your break room an effective, relaxing area in your workplace. You don’t need to go crazy with upgrades, but if you invest in your break room with some major essentials, you’ll see a difference in your employees’ productivity almost immediately. Take these features of successful company break rooms as inspiration.

1. Free coffee. Free coffee is a staple in most offices for a reason. Make sure you have some kind of coffee available in your break room, with all the extras–sugar, cream, cups, and stirrers, at least. Coffee works as a positive incentive for your workers, functioning as an added perk for the job (pun intended). But keeping a flow of coffee is also beneficial for your company’s long-term productivity. Caffeine increases attention spans, improves focus, and boosts mental energy so your workers can work more and feel rewarded while doing so. Plus, coffee is relatively inexpensive, so it’s a small investment for a potentially large return.
2. Lunch tables. No break room is complete without an area for your employees to actually take a break. Lunch booths and tables are important for the obvious reasons: they give people space to sit down and eat a meal during their lunch breaks. But they also serve a more important purpose–they create a natural opportunity for your workers to engage with one another. Those conversations can help to solve existing problems facing those workers, or promote interpersonal connections and a greater sense of teamwork.
3. Make It Different. Don’t make your break room a simple extension of the rest of your office. Do something to make it stand out. For example, you could change the color of the walls or the layout of the room to make the break room feel like it’s a part of a different building. Making this distinction is important because it will allow your workers to fully disconnect from their work and relax. The change in environment will give them a chance to unwind and enjoy the change in scenery. When they return to work, they’ll start fresh, and productivity will substantially increase.
4. Music. Music is important in the break room for two reasons. First, it gives people a chance to unwind and take their minds completely off of work. It helps relieve stress and promotes greater productivity when the employees go back to work. Second, if you offer a variety of tunes, it can promote bonding amongst your workers and leads to a stronger team mentality.
5. Design. The break room should be a lively, stimulating place. Don’t keep the white walls with a single poster describing workers’ legal rights or OSHA Rules. Instead, paint the break room a unique color or feature uniquely designed furniture. You can also decorate your tables and walls with various items, from motivational posters to community-based bulletin boards. Whatever you do, it’s important to make the break room an interesting and fun place. Otherwise, it will feel like a part of the office, and your workers won’t feel relaxed. Try to create an interesting environment that stands out from the rest of the office.
6. Healthy food options. If you want to go the extra mile, include some healthy food options for your workers. Like with the free coffee, your workers will consider it an extra perk of the job, but there are other benefits to offering healthy food in the break room. A healthy snack can curb workers’ hunger without a sharp spike in insulin, which can lead to a crash later. This way, workers can settle their hunger and improve their productivity without resulting in a lethargic mid-afternoon droop. You can include popcorn, snack machines with healthy snacks or other healthy choices.
7. Comfortable seating.Stiff wooden chairs won’t cut it for a successful break room. Comfortable furniture might cost a bit more, but it will also help your workers feel more relaxed and respected. Since your break room is more than just a place to eat lunch, you could even include a couch or two to accommodate workers just looking to relax. Upgrading your furniture may seem like a trivial improvement, but the long-term benefits are significant.
8. T.V. Televisions are expensive, and for that reason, they aren’t for every business. But if you can afford to put a television or two in your break room, go for it. Keep them at a low volume and restrict the number of channels available to cut down on their potential as a distraction, but televisions can be extremely valuable in entertaining and informing your employees. A steady stream of relevant information, such as national news, helps your workers feel more involved and get more informed about the happenings of the world outside your office. If you can’t have televisions, newspapers may be a suitable alternative.
9. Celebrations. Break rooms can be host to regular celebrations in your company, depending on how and when you choose to honor your employees. For example, you could celebrate individual employees’ birthdays or save it for recognizing individual achievements. No matter what types of celebrations you include, make your break room a place people associate with positive experiences. It will add to the relaxing, separated atmosphere of the room and improve the break time your employees have on a regular basis.
   

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   Contact us if you would like help designing a new break room or if you need advice on how to set up a room so that it’s comfortable for your employees!  You can call us at 304-728-0547 or email us! We are here to help!