Employee break rooms can be an afterthought – but what if you created a healthy and beautiful break room that your employees could truly enjoy?
- There are simple steps any office can take to update their break room. Start with 2-3 of the ideas and see what type of reaction you get from employees.
- In this post, we’ll cover 10 ideas to create a nice break room for you and your employees.
Is your employee breakroom an afterthought? And why does it matter?
In today’s busy corporate environment, many businesses don’t take the time or energy to create a beautiful break room. When businesses are leasing their space, the break room can be cheap and outdated and there is a reluctance to invest in facilities that are not owned. When you own the building, you may be looking to cut costs. Plus, there is the need to add the maintenance of the break room to an employee or cleaning crew’s responsibilities.
But focusing on the break room can have a huge impact on your employee morale and improve office culture. There may be benefits you haven’t considered like improved relationships, increased productivity, and higher employer ratings. Plus, wouldn’t it be great to list it as a perk when you’re hiring new folks?
10 Ideas to Create a Healthy and Beautiful Breakroom
1. Buy a nice dish drying rack. (Or create a dishwashing station!)
Employees are often washing their coffee mugs and lunch storage items. As a low cost option, give them a nice place to let their items dry. And while you’re at it, provide a nice dishwashing sponge or wand with a dedicated holder and some dish towels. I’m sure we’ve all seen that dirty sponge by the sink and dishes drying on a paper towel on the counter. A little sponge and dish drying rack would go a long way!
2. Leave out disinfectant wipes to encourage cleanliness.
Buy a large case of wipes and place a tub at all times at a dedicated space on the counter top.
3. Create a coffee station.
Coffee makes the office world go round. Really want to wow your employees? Provide branded mugs (or ask for some of ours). Buy a condiment station and fill it full of all those nice-to-have things any coffee lover would love to have.
4. Then, clean the coffee station regularly!
Did you know a 2011 study by NSF International showed that coffee reservoirs were the fifth-germiest place in a home? [Insert gasp here!] Rinse the coffee pot or K-cup filter area daily with water. Run a vinegar wash through the brew cycle monthly. Make sure to remove old coffee grounds and used k-cups at the end of every day. Then, wipe up any coffee or grounds from the counter.
5. Clean your vending machines
Disinfect the touchpad daily and dust the top of the machine. Have an old vending machine? See if your vending provider will swap it for a new one.
6. Provide snacks (like fruit)
Buy a tiered wire basket and fill with fruit twice a week. Don’t feel like making a trip to the store? Try a delivery service like The Fruit Guys or join a local farm subscription box. What a nice (and healthy!) compliment to your vending machines.
7. Keep your breakroom well stocked.
Keep plenty of paper towels, coffee, filters, etc. and make someone responsible for taking a weekly inventory.
8. Clean out the fridge and freezer regularly
Don’t want to do this? Ask your cleaning crew!
9. Make the fixtures nice and modern
Invest in some new and modern dining furniture that’s easy to clean. Put in some durable countertops and nice appliances. Hang some inexpensive art work or print some company photos on canvas. Remember, this is where your employees go to refresh. Make it a home away from home.
10. For large break rooms, put a napkin caddy on each table
Placing napkins and condiments on each table is a nice touch to make your break room a warm and welcoming environment.
Tips
Tip #1: Add break room management to an employee’s responsibilities. Many companies “share” the break room responsibilities and then nothing ever gets done. Make sure to communicate clearly who is responsible and how frequently.
Tip #2: Lean on your cleaning crew. Many of the ideas above could be executed by your commercial cleaning partner. Ask them for a consultation!
Contact Us for More Ideas
Want more ideas of how to make your office building healthy and beautiful? Drop us a line at https://www.kustomkleaningservices.com/contact/.