Your company has a very valuable asset in the break room. That’s right, your break room can be used as more than just a home for the coffee machine and water cooler. It can be a tool for engaging with your staff. We aim to explain how in this post.

Note that you might not be able to utilize all the suggestions you read here. You may be restricted by available space, your budget, and other things. The point is still the same, though: use your break room to whatever extent you can as a way to engage with your staff. You will all be the better for it.

Conduct Meetings in the Break Room

If you have to choose between a conference room and the break room for team meetings, choose the break room. The break room offers a more casual environment that will put team members at ease. When staff are at ease, they tend to be more willing to collaborate. They are more willing to share their ideas and voice their concerns.

As an added benefit, conducting meetings in the break room means you do not have to carry coffee pots to the conference room. You don’t have to worry about getting that beautiful conference room table dirty, either.

Consider Video Messaging

If your company is large enough, consider adding a video monitor or two to the break room. Video monitors can be hooked to a computer network and used to display important company messages. In between messages, stream the weather report and local news. Video messaging is a terrific way to keep staff members in the loop about all sorts of important things.

Put in Comfortable Furniture

Whether you are having a meeting or workers are taking lunch, nothing will put them more at ease than comfortable furniture. Big tables and plastic chairs have long since lost their luster. Take them out and replace them with furniture that is more conducive to socialization and conversation. Think the local coffee shop here.

Personalize the Environment

Far too many break rooms are cold, impersonal environments that serve only a utilitarian purpose. You can better engage with your staff by personalizing the environment. Put up some interesting pictures accompanied by a few discrete decorations here and there. Even a plant or two would be nice. The goal is to make the break room more like home than the office.

Offer Free Snacks and Beverages

We recommend tying all your engagement efforts together with free snacks and beverages. Studies have shown that this one perk can boost employee satisfaction considerably. Why does this matter? Because satisfied employees are more likely to engage with management and ownership.

Galaxie Coffee has everything you need to stock your break room. We invite you to browse our inventory and then contact us with any questions you have. We would be happy to service your office with a full selection of beverages, snacks, and break room supplies.