Have a policy about keeping the break room clean. ![]() You may even end up with annoyed employees leaving passive aggressive post-it notes all over your break room. Unfortunately, such things do not always happen, which causes a lot of break room complaints. In an ideal world, employees would clean up their messes in the break room, and they would not leave old food behind in the refrigerator. Make the break room a comfortable place to go. Stock your break room with basic snacks, coffee and tea. One place I worked even had a panini press in the break room. Also, if space is available, add a couch, and provide a table where employees can leave magazines and books to share. Put up artwork and a bulletin board for employees to share information. Go the extra mile and make the break room look nice. Consider also having a set of office dishes and silverware for employees to use. It should include adequate seating, a refrigerator, sink, microwave and coffeemaker. If space permits, the breakroom area should be in its own room and not just stuck in the middle of the workspace. Employees were strongly encouraged to take their 30-minute meal break away from their workstations, but there were few options unless someone wanted to leave the premises. There were still break areas with tables in one of the warehouses and production, but seating was at a premium. As the staff grew to over 600, break rooms transformed into office space, and soon office employees were left with a little more than an old refrigerator stuck in a corner and, if they were lucky, somewhere to put a coffeemaker. I once worked at a company where space was at a premium. Having a dedicated break room gives an employee a physical space that effectively says, “I’m on break right now. ![]() When an employee has no other option but to sit at their desk during their break, there is a likelihood that they may take a phone call or answer a quick question from a coworker. Here in California, employees must be relieved of all duty during their meal break. From a policy standpoint, it gives employees space to get away from their workstations for their breaks-something that is really important in states like California that have strict meal break requirements. Why a Breakroom is importantĪ breakroom should not be considered a luxury. While there may not be a magical solution to make all break room problems go away, there are some things you can do to improve the break room experience for your employees. ![]() The funny thing is that in all my years of working in a variety of different workplaces, the complaints are pretty consistent. Whether the break room is inadequate (or nonexistent), employees are messy or someone ate a coworker’s lunch, this small space can cause frustration. Perhaps second only to complaints about the thermostat temperature in offices, break rooms are often a cause for griping in workplaces.
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