collaborative post | An office breakroom should be a gathering space. It should be somewhere your team can come together whilst they’re on the clock, to have a good chat, eat lunch, and refresh themselves for the afternoon ahead. In that mind, now would be a good time to think about whether or not your breakroom is set up properly. After all, the better the breakroom, the more productive your team is going to be!
A Condiments Cupboard
Now this might sound a bit silly, but keep it in mind. People are going to bring in their own food to eat at work; try to provide condiments and accompaniments for them to use. From bags of salad in the company fridge to a simple bottle of ketchup on the counter, you can make lunchtime more tasty and nutritious all round.
And if you want people back at their desk on time every single day, making sure they don’t have to leave to grab something they’ve forgotten is essential! With a strategy like this, you could eliminate lateness with just a bit of mustard or some soda.
A Proper Coffee Machine
Everyone loves a good cup of coffee. When you’re at work, addressing this need is more important than ever. So make sure you surf the line of commercial coffee machines and invest in a good one! You don’t want it breaking down on you, which is likely to happen after everyone has got their morning cuppa. You’ll also want to keep it clean, so wipe it out after the end of every day – you don’t want unused granules clogging up the spout in the morning.
Ambience
How does the breakroom feel? It needs to be a cosy and comfortable place to be, and your employees need to enjoy the time they spend in there. Part of this is creating an ambience, using lighting, the right chairs to sit on, and pumping a good smell into the air. You can use scent plugins to easily achieve this, if you’re worried about candles causing a fire, especially if they’re left on after everyone has gone home. Make sure it’s a scent everyone can find enjoyable, so nothing too obvious or overwhelming on the senses.
Somewhere to Charge Devices
This is the main convenience a breakroom needs to have. If someone is on low battery, there needs to be a charging point nearby for them to use. You should also think about providing plugs and cables, in case someone forgets their own from home. They won’t cost much to buy in bulk and keep in a drawer – you yourself might forget to bring the right equipment with you at some point!
An office breakroom is the best place to instil employee loyalty and retention. Make sure you invest in building a quality space to treat your team as well as possible. A good breakroom has something to offer everyone that uses it, so think about the issues above and get them sorted.
