Many companies are considering the option to eliminate eating and recreation areas in the office for a number of reasons. These spaces are generally viewed as extra or unnecessary spaces in an office. When extra space is needed and the money is not in the budget to relocate or expand the office space, the thought of eliminating this space is common. Some companies will also consider eliminating eating and recreation areas in an effort to reduce the cost associated with maintaining them. For example, appliance repairs in a break room, cleaning costs and other expenses are common. However, before you consider eliminating these spaces from your own office, consider how beneficial they truly are.

A Space to Store and Eat Food

A break room is commonly used as a primary place for employees to store, prepare and eat their snacks and meals while at work. Of course, employees could make do without a refrigerator or microwave at work. They could, for example, pack a sandwich in an insulated cooler rather than bring in leftovers from last night’s dinner. However, even storing food and eating it at the desk is not ideal. The smells and sounds associated with meals in primary work areas can be bothersome to other employees who are trying to work. Furthermore, there is always a risk that crumbs or spills can damage computers and other machines at the desk.

The Importance of Downtime

You may think that your break room and recreation room promote goofing off and ultimately keep employees from focusing on their work throughout the day. However, the exact opposite may be true. Many employees may want to gab with each other about non-work-related matters while in the office. Without a break room, they are forced to do so within earshot of other workers, and this can be demotivating and distracting to others. In addition, workers may be able to focus better on their tasks at their desks when they are able to get up and move around for a period of time throughout the day. By taking a few minutes to stretch and move around, they will be more focused and alert when they sit back down to work.

A Place in the Office

The fact is that many people will make the decision to get up and move around, eat meals and otherwise take a break from their desk at some point during the day. When they are not provided with a place to do this on-site, they may be tempted to leave the office to enjoy their break. While all employees may have the right to leave the office as needed, it is in your best interest to encourage them to stay on the property. They will be more likely to take a shorter break and get back to work when they are in the office. This ultimately can result in increased productivity in many cases.

A break room or recreational room may not be as required in an office as work desks and a work room with a copier, fax machine and other business machines. However, these spaces are nonetheless highly important to your office.

Will writes for Principal Corp a leader in the consumer electronics, office fit out & managed print systems industries, Principal can ensure you have the right office and technology solutions for your business.