12 Break Room Design Ideas That Up Your Employees’ Game

We’ve all heard that highly engaged employees value a good time-out from their work. Being stuck at a workstation for 8 – 10 hours does not make a productive or happy employee. Employees know this and yet many do not take much time for themselves during a shift.

Developing and keeping highly engaged and productive employees takes many forms. Current trends include flexible hours, remote workspaces, exercise and health benefits. Some cost more than others and are not always feasible. But every employee should be taking a break. So how can you use breaks to your advantage? By creating an employee break room environment that allows real rest while fostering camaraderie and productivity. 

By approaching this portion of your office more holistically, employees can enjoy a high-quality break space and return to work refreshed. Try out these twelve ideas to get your employees working well with less stress.

1. Make it Colorful and Comfortable. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just comfortable and designed to encourage a bit of relaxation if that is what is needed. Focus on warm colors and natural light.
2. A Picture Says a Thousand Words. Get some artwork on the walls. There are so many good local artists no matter where you are located. Maybe you can rotate artwork or simply buy posters that match the mood.
3. Food. You don’t have to go the way of free lunches for everyone to keep them at work, but a few healthy treats, even if only on certain days, keep brains awake and are a small way to enhance employee morale. 
4. Microwave. Gotta have one. People bring lunches and expect these. Larger if you have the space, and keep them clean so employees aren’t confronted with exploded spaghetti sauce when they go to use it.
5. Tasty Beverages. Not just good-quality coffee, but cold brew, probiotic drinks and juices are the rage. These chilled beverages are a real perk and will perk up employees, too. If you’re not ready for that, at least keep the coffee going all day with tasty creamers and options.
6. Foster Fun & Games. Why not play hard, too? Video games, a putting green, or traditional games get employees collaborating in a low-stress way.
7. Company News and Updates. This is the place to post mission statements and success stories so everyone sees them. Include kudos, high-performers, news and relevant industry information.
8. Schedule Breaks. If games don’t work for you, how about having everyone take a break at the same time. They get to chat and work through ideas, even though they’re technically on a lunch break.
9. Encourage Education. Book shelves, a sharing library, and reference books all create a bit of respite for minds that focus on other things all day. Newspapers and magazines are also helpful to create discussion and keep employees up-to-date.
10. Computer. Not all employees use a computer at work, so having one available to check emails, make appointments, and gather information for personal planning is kind and easy to provide.
11. TV. This might not fit every office, but many people prefer watching TV to clear their minds and relax. Even if the TV is not a common focus, it is great to have one during major world events and sporting matches to encourage some fun banter.
12. Clock. While the goal is to make breaks and lunch times effective and helpful for employees, they do need to get back to their job on time. Hopefully, each person leaves feeling refreshed and ready to return.

No matter what you can afford to do, the break room can be a heart-center of a business. Do what you can to encourage healthy relaxation, refreshment, and collaboration.

We’ve all heard that highly engaged employees value a good time-out from their work. Being stuck at a workstation for 8 – 10 hours does not make a productive or happy employee. Employees know this and yet many do not take much time for themselves during a shift.

Developing and keeping highly engaged and productive employees takes many forms. Current trends include flexible hours, remote workspaces, exercise and health benefits. Some cost more than others and are not always feasible. But every employee should be taking a break. So how can you use breaks to your advantage? By creating an employee break room environment that allows real rest while fostering camaraderie and productivity. 

By approaching this portion of your office more holistically, employees can enjoy a high-quality break space and return to work refreshed. Try out these twelve ideas to get your employees working well with less stress. No matter what you can afford to do, the break room can be a heart-center of a business. Do what you can to encourage healthy relaxation, refreshment, and collaboration.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007, and 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.