Want to Improve Employee Productivity? Consider Adding Improvements to Your Break Room

If you want to build a really great company culture, one of the often overlooked things you can do to improve productivity and morale is to make your break room work for your employees.

The break room is the safe haven — it’s the one place employees have to themselves in a building. It should be a place that reflects respect for the people who toil every day in your workplace.

Here are some critical things that can help make a break room a better place for the people who work for you.

Free Coffee

Having free coffee or tea or other refreshments on hand does wonders for a person’s sense of well-being, and for their productivity. It decreases the necessity to run outside for these things, and it’s also an important indicator of the company’s status and generosity. That’s why you see these kinds of installations in top-tier work campuses across the country.

Seating and Tables

Having available seating and table space in the break room gives people a place to huddle, to chat, or even to work on projects during lunch. It’s a multi-use part of the break room that’s vital for bringing people together, let alone allowing them to sit down and take a load off.

Break Room Decorations

Another big tip is to set the break room apart from the rest of the building with a different kind of decor. This might mean different colored walls, or it might be putting up some company-specific decorations, as well as some temporary holiday decorations at different times of the year. It might also mean installing functional bulletin boards and other things that facilitate more communication inside the break room.

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Healthy Food Options

For companies that really want to go above and beyond, having healthy food options on hand in the break room can really improve the average employee’s morale and productivity. People spend so much time and effort going out looking for healthy food, but if they have it right there in the break room, it can really add convenience and value. It also helps contribute to the general idea of corporate wellness — companies launch in-depth employee wellness programs in order to try to bring down benefits costs. Having things like raw veggies in the breakroom is a low-cost way to add more to these kinds of campaigns, while saving employees time and money.

Games and Recreational Equipment

Some experts also recommend putting some games or activities into the break room. Managers and supervisors have to use their discretion about what’s going to work well in a break room space, but in a lot of cases, these are additional amenities that can make the break room more attractive and useful — and in general, people who have access to real and enjoyable break times are going to be more productive, not less.

Improve Your Workplace

For additional tips and best practices on ways to improve your working environment, browse our related blog posts. Have further questions? Contact us today!