The Break Room and Your Organizational Culture

There are many ways to make sure employees stay safe and happy on the job and all of these duties are part of a   manager’s job. A commonly overlooked perk of the job is the employee break room. A break room should be an office neutral zone allowing employees to step away from their work and recharge for a moment. The right break room experience can really set the tone for the office in general. Here are four things you can do to make your employee’s break room experience better right now.

1. Clean it up. While employees should be responsible for their own dishes and messages, the overall upkeep of the room falls on the company. Create a cleaning protocol. If you work with a cleaning service make sure they understand the requirements of cleaning the break room. Keep it safe by immediately taking care of spills or broken glass.
2. Make it comfortable. The atmosphere of the break room should be inviting. Not only should you have comfortable tables and chairs for your employees to use while eating, you should also provide a couple comfortable couches or spaces for conversation. You should encourage your employees to take breaks throughout the day and use the space, just monitor it to avoid abuses.
3. Offer games. You may choose to offer your employees access to video games, table tennis, foosball or other distractions. These games can engage their minds and give them a burst of physical activity to energize the rest of their day. Occasional office competitions can be fun as well.
4. Health food options. The office can be a difficult place to maintain a healthy diet. Access to junk food and soda from vending machines is a weakness for many people. Rather than providing unhealthy foods they can be replaced with water, juice, fruit and other healthy snacks. When the right choices are available some people find it easier to change their bad habits.

Are you considering ways you can improve your employee break room experience and energize your team? Contact the staffing partners at Harvard Resource Solutions to see how we can help you!