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Is Your Break Room Helping or Hurting Office Culture?

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Is Your Break Room Helping or Hurting Office Culture?

When was the last time you gave your break room any thought? Maybe that’s because you didn’t realize the role it can play in determining office culture and morale in the workplace. The best break rooms offer a place to relax and renew, enhancing production and optimism. But some have become spaces for gossip and griping. 

Ideally, a break room would be a multi-purpose location where workers could go to recharge, grab a coffee, get a bite to eat, or meet with coworkers to collaborate on a project. It would also be a place where managers could meet and eat with workers, opening up the lines of communication and showing that they are approachable. 

There are many reasons for creating and supporting a break room that’s a center for positive conversation and growth rather than one of the never-ending streams of complaints and negativity. Here are just a few of them: 

A common break room encourages teamwork.

Coworkers can congregateunwind, and build relationships in the break room. It allows workers to talk with someone they can’t interact with while they are working. These relationships in the department can lead to higher morale and improved teamwork. 

The right atmosphere encourages mental breaks.

Every worker requires a mental break. Even when they are enthusiastic about their work and are driven to perform at a high level, they need that mental break to stay focusedupbeat, and efficient. 

As a company leader, you need to ensure that they have an area in which they can clear their minds and relax for a few minutes. Taking these short mental breaks will renew their energy and help them to be more productive. 

Break rooms can help attract top talent.

Today’s young workersmillennials, in particularare drawn to companies that offer more perks than workers have been receiving in the past. This well-educated and talented group is not shy about telling others that they have found a company with much to offer, and that could include things like a break room as a place to re-charge and get free coffee and healthy snacks. 

On the flip side, you could lose valuable employees to a competitor that does provide the relatively inexpensive benefits of a modern break roomBy providing these perks to your workers, you stand to gain the attention of many more potential employees.  

It can break down barriers among departments.

Workers in different departments tend to have little interaction with one another. Those in the production areas don’t always realize that the shipping and receiving people, for instance, are also involved in the overall function of the organization. Everyone is caught up in their tasks and duties and may be unaware of the bigger picture  

The break room can become the venue in which various departments gather and break down the invisible boundaries that can be harmful. Interdepartmental bonds can form, resulting in increased trust and team-building. 

Are you looking to increase the size of your team?

Let us help you. Contact Pro Resources for the light industrial or technical/professional help you need. We’ve been in business for over 30 years, so we can use our experience to help you find your next top-notch team members. 

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