How to Create the Ultimate Break Room for Your Office

Every office needs to have a break room for workers to use. Without a dedicated space to relax and unwind, workers are much more likely to suffer from stress and other issues. If you want to create the ultimate break room for your office, here’s what you need to know.

Why Your Break Room Matters

It’s far too easy to overlook how paramount the break room is your workers, especially if you have been working in a managerial position for a long time and haven’t experienced frontline work for a while. However, your workers will be relying on the break room to provide them with a place where they can unwind, make their morning coffee, and socialize with their coworkers.

If you don’t provide them with a comfortable break room – a place where they can relax – your employees’ performance will suffer. Lost productivity is never a good thing, and when it is so easy to avoid it, there is no excuse for allowing it in your business. Keeping your employees happy will also keep them motivated. Motivated employees will want to work better and will naturally produce better results for your business.

Keep It Well Stocked

For many Americans, the day doesn’t properly start until they’ve had their first cup of coffee. Even if your employees usually bring their own, you should still aim to keep your office stocked with emergency supplies just in case anyone needs them. If you have a big office and your employees burn through the break room supplies quickly, it is a good idea to designate someone to act as the break room manager who will take responsibility for ordering new supplies as and when they are needed.

Don’t underestimate how much of a difference it can make to your employees to know that they will always be able to find coffee, tea, and any other supplies they need when they need them.

You can also add vending machines and coffee machines to your break room. These can be a great way of generating some extra revenue while also allowing your employees to purchase refreshments if they would prefer to do so. However, if you are going to add machines that charge money, you should also provide some free basic supplies. Even in a large office, the costs of keeping your break room well-stocked are nothing compared to the morale boost they will provide.

Invest in Comfy (And Fun) Furniture

When you are choosing furniture for your home or office, you need to think about more than just whether it is functional. The furniture that you choose for your break room will determine how it feels when you’re inside. If you want to create a laid back and relaxing atmosphere for your office break room (and trust us, you do), then the furniture that you fill it with has a significant role to play. Comfortable furniture that makes your employees feel relaxed to be around, as well as being relaxing to use, will lead to a much better atmosphere all around.

To this end, we cannot recommend Comfy Sacks enough. Their range of Comfy Sack furniture comes in a range of styles and provides your employees with the comfortable, modern seating available in a variety of colors. Oversized bean bags make a fantastic addition to any break room. They will enable your employees to unwind in style. However, if your office has a more formal atmosphere and your employees tend to come to work in attire to match, beanbag-style furniture might not work as well.

The style of furniture that you provide and the way that you arrange it will also determine how your employees use it. If you want your employees to talk to each other during their breaks, thereby improving their communication and teamwork abilities, then you should arrange your furniture in the same way you would at home. By creating a family room atmosphere, you will allow your workers to relax and conversation to flow freely.

Games Can Be Great Teambuilding Tools

Another excellent way of encouraging teamwork and improving communication between your employees is to provide them with video games. Even board games and tabletop games can be effective. It doesn’t matter whether the games require teamwork to play or are competitive; they will still help to improve your employees’ collaboration.

Not only are games excellent teambuilding tools, but they are also a great way of encouraging creative thinking. When you have teams of workers struggling to solve a problem, providing them with the right distraction can be invaluable in helping them to navigate the block. Sometimes, finding something to take your mind off the problem enables your brain to offload it to your subconscious. While you are doing something completely unrelated, your brain continues to work on things in the background without your knowledge.

Adding a games console to your break room doesn’t cost that much these days, and it is a modest investment for the mileage that you will get out of it. It is up to you to decide which consoles and games are most suitable for your business and workers. You should also be mindful of the kind of working environment that your employees expect. Games that are gratuitously violent or full of bad language might make some of your workers uncomfortable. Your break room should be a relaxing sanctuary for anyone.

If you get your break room right, it will be a useful ally in encouraging your employees to do their best at all times. Your office break room is where your workers will go to relax and socialize with one another. If they aren’t able to do this, the effects on their morale can be catastrophic. Fortunately, creating a relaxing and calming break room is a straightforward process. Use the advice above as a starting point and ask yourself what games you think your workers will respond to the best. The possibilities are endless!