18 Mar Corporate Breakout Spaces: Why Should You Have
If you were to ask a random group of people from many different industries to demonstrate the modern workplace, you would get hundreds of different examples. So what does the modern workplace look like? Well, we want to keep to tradition of keeping productivity and efficiency levels high. Which means your employees will be spending much more time at their desk, glued to a computer screen and answering phone calls, so the idea of a breakout space is becoming increasingly attractive to employees. The real question here is why should you, the employer, create a break out area in your office?
What Is a Break Out space?
A break out space describes any space open to employees or visitors that is separate from their usual working area. It can be a place for employees to relax, eat their lunch and even hold informal meetings. Giving employees some reflection and time away from a computer screen also benefits your staff to keep motivated, healthy, and happy.
Small to medium companies can sometimes see a break out area as an unnecessary luxury that the company cannot afford, but employers should consider the benefits and how this will impact on the company’s performance before ruling out an office break out area.
What Kind of Furniture Do You Choose?
Break out spaces are mainly for providing a separate area for employees to go and take a few minutes away from the confinement of their desk or the stress of the everyday work load. They can also be used for spur of the moment meet-ups with fellow employees or informal meetings with clients.
Remember to provide different types of seating if the space is available. Canteen chairs or multipurpose chairs around a central table provides somewhere meetings can be held or lunch can be eaten whilst soft seating, such as tub chairs or sofas, can make employees feel relaxed and comfortable when having a break. If you are really tight for room in your office, simply placing a high back couch can create the breakout space you are looking for. The highbacks reduce noise pollution and create a calming getaway from the desk area.
JM&C offers great world renowned suppliers such as Allemuir, Arcadia, Artopex, Davis, KI, Leland, and VS, to just name a few. All our suppliers provide a variety of great seating options
How Do You Create an Efficient Break Out Space?
The office break-out area doesn’t have to be extravagant or even take up much space. If you do not have a separate room available to the company, try using a screening system to section off part of your open plan office and add some comfortable chairs and tables to allow employees a break away from their desk. A break out area can also double as an informal meeting area or lunch/ cafeteria space so it is important to consider noise pollution in busy or loud areas.
Give your employees or visitors somewhere to make their own hot beverages so they can relax in the break out area. A tea-point takes away the need for employees to leave the building several times a day for the well-known coffee-run and can improve staff moral by providing this facility benefit.
Take inspiration from world-leaders in fun, modern office design such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon who take break out areas to a new level with innovative design, quirky themes and interesting furniture. You could even incorporate a slide from the upstairs because you know, stairs take time.
We hope this blog was inspirational and that you consider a breakout space like the many amazing spaces below for all shapes, sizes, and budgets! Contact Jonathan Morgan & Company’s design team to get started with your offices’ redesign.
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