An office break room plays a huge role in a company’s culture. Make sure your office break room lays the groundwork for the kind of environment you want to cultivate. Find out some benefits to an office break room that you may not have thought of.

Create Community and Encourage Connections

Giving your employees a place to have a non-work related conversation can go a long way in improving mood and morale of employees. Most people spend more time with their coworkers than their own family! Reward this dedication by offering a comfortable space for them to grab a cup of coffee, sit down with coworkers and have a casual chat. Work doesn’t need to be all work and no play (we all know how that one turned out…) and having a place for some levity can greatly reduce tensions in the workplace.

Break Down Barriers

A coffee break during the day is a perfect opportunity for people of different departments to interact and converse, where they may ordinarily not have the chance to connect. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day grind of your job and not have any interactions with other employees unless you have to. This can lead to isolation and a feeling of ‘us vs. them’ that is destructive to business environments. The benefits of interactions among employees from different departments goes beyond just the cup of coffee or snack they share. For instance, you’re much less likely to complain about the IT department when you have friends in the department. Similarly, sharing a space with those in leadership positions can make them seem much more approachable. 

Mental Health Breaks are Key to Productivity

A few minutes spent chatting in the break room over a cup of coffee clears the mind and fights burnout. Give your valued employees a comfortable space to get away from their work and take a few minutes to reboot.

Promote Wellness & Healthy Living

Use the break room as a place to promote healthy living and wellness. Healthy employees are happy employees who are more productive, call in sick less frequently, and reduce insurance costs overall. It truly is a win-win for everyone! Provide healthy snacks and drinks, maybe some fitness options, and your employees will thank you.

Brainstorming and Collaborating

Providing a space that is comfortable and inviting can lead to more than just socializing. It may be a place where employees gather to brainstorm ideas and collaborate on a project. Make sure your breakroom is equipped with seating that is conducive to socializing and working together. Perhaps employees will brown-bag it and have a working lunch or bounce ideas off those in the break room at a given moment. 

 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to offer your hard working employees the benefits of an office break room. If a state-of-the-art break room isn’t in the budget right now, then start slowly. Designate a space and provide as much as you can as you can afford it. It’s amazing what some new furniture and a coat of paint can do! Get in touch with Coffee Mill today and find out what products and services we can offer to your employees. No matter your budget or company size, we can customize a plan that fits your office’s needs!