Having breakrooms at work offers a space where you and your employees can take time to relax and decompress. Taking regular breaks is not only good for our health, but it can help increase productivity too. Regular breathers can give us time to reduce stress, calm down and see new ways of tackling business problems. A good breakroom also offers the chance to help foster new relationships with colleagues and increase social collaboration.
Find out more about benefits of an ideal office breakspace below.
How often should you take a break at work?
Getting up for a quick walk every hour, to fetch a glass of water or stretch out, is important. An extended break of at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, should be taken once per day.
Getting up, stretching and walking around is beneficial for blood flow, posture and your muscles. Humans aren’t supposed to stay seated for long, so regularly moving is essential to preventing muscular aches and pains.
Leave your desk every hour or so for a few minutes, whether that’s heading to the bathroom, refilling your water bottle, or speaking to your colleagues in person rather than sending an email.
Why taking breaks is good for your brain
As much as your body needs a rest from deskwork, your brain does too. Prolonged work can cause stress, tiredness and even burnout. Taking a few minutes to relax can help break up the working day and can often increase productivity by working in shorter, more creative bursts. Getting away from your desk for a few minutes may help you to see a problem differently, or be inspired by your surroundings and come up with other creative solutions.
The benefits of an office breakroom
Having a dedicated office breakroom gives your employee’s somewhere to relax and get away from the working environment for a few moments, whether that be a short tea break or an hour at lunch.
Some of the benefits of an office breakroom include:
Encourages teamwork
Having a space where your employee’s can chat and be social helps with fostering good working relationships. You can go further by stocking your breakroom with some game’s tables, such as table tennis or table football. Not only are these games fun, they’re a great way to build collaboration and relationships with your colleagues.
Allows a place for relaxation
Everyone needs time to get away from it all for a few moments. Whether you need a breather after a stressful meeting, or just need to take time to see a problem differently, having a space where you can go and relax for a while can help you decompress, tackle high stress levels and even come up with new creative solutions.
A space for company events
A large-sized breakroom gives you an effective space for hosting company events. Whether that’s weekly business meetings, celebrating birthdays, or hosting work socials, a large breakroom can be a good area to get everyone together.
An office breakroom offers a space for you and your colleagues to relax, build relationships and take some time to yourselves – all of which are important aspects of the modern office environment.
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