After a stressful first half of the day, many staff look forward to their scheduled lunch break to get away from the chaos of the work day. No matter if you’re sitting behind a computer all day plugging numbers into a spreadsheet, speaking to customers over the phone, or collaborating with your team members, taking a well-deserved break in the employee break room is a great way to decompress and refuel before finishing any shift.
The break room is a sacred place for staff and it should also be designed as so. An employee break room should be a comfortable and even inspiring place to be where staff can come and relax, catch up on their personal matters if necessary, or even take the time out to re-focus on other responsibilities to prepare for the last half of the day. Modern settings are often described as sleek, clean, and even practical, and your employee break room should be as well.
From choosing the right furniture, technology, and even down to the colors, here are some of the best modern break room ideas to enhance this essential space within your company!
1. Digital Signage
One of the best forms of technology to add into any modern break room as a mood booster!
Technology is something that many modern break rooms have, and it can come in a wide variety of forms and TVs are often one of them. Instead of having a TV that can only play the news, movies, or TV shows, instead opt for using it or another LED/LCD screen for digital signage.
Digital signage is a great addition to the employee break room as it helps to keep staff engaged and informed about anything from upcoming company events and news or information about healthcare benefits, but it can also be a way to form deeper relationships with your staff and build a stronger team. From employee recognition spotlights, posting QR codes of surveys to fill out, posting a poll to vote on the location of the next company Christmas party, adding wellness tips, or encouraging staff to share pictures of their pets can be a simple, but effective way to get staff more involved in the business.
2. Charging Stations
Catching up on social media or decompressing with some videos only works best with a fully charged cell phone!
One of the most important pieces of technology that we constantly keep on us at all times are our cell phones. From answering phone calls and text messages, scrolling through and updating our social media feeds, or even working by organizing docs and spreadsheets or answering emails, cell phones are important on both a personal and professional level. This makes charging stations an essential when designing a modern break room and making sure all of your staff’s needs are met.
Charging stations are a simple, yet useful addition to any modern break room as you can purchase tables and chairs with outlets connected to them, add cubbies that staff can plug their phone onto and enjoy a break from the constant screen time they have throughout the day, or even to catch up on social media or watch videos while they eat. Instead of fighting for one or two singular wall outlets, charging stations can be accessible to all staff to use when they need it.
3. Tap-and-Pay Vending Machines
Less and less people are carrying cash on hand, which is why tap-and-pay vending machines are becoming more convenient!
Vending machines are usually a go-to to add into any employee break room, but your staff carrying cash with them is becoming less and less common. As we continue to go deeper into technology, carrying physical credit and debit cards or having them connected to your phone’s built-in wallet is becoming more of the norm and a tap-and pay vending machine may be a better alternative for your modern break room.
Everyone knows how easy and secure it is to use tap-and-pay at the checkout. It takes less than two seconds and goes faster than swiping or inserting your card into the machine. This could be the same with the vending machines in an employee break room where instead of making sure you have exact change or a couple dollar bills on you. Staff can instead tap and pay using their credit or debit card to get a quick snack or a caffeinated drink to help give them the energy and fuel they need to finish their shift.
4. Comfortable Seating and Tables
Instead of purchasing cheap furniture to fill up the space in an employee break room, consider more comfortable seating and tables!
Many generic break rooms have foldable tables and chairs that are not inviting or comfortable to say the least. While this seems to be the norm, it’s important to think outside the box and take your employees into consideration. Creating a break room that is both inviting and comfortable will help them feel more at ease when they’re on their break and providing a wide variety of tables and comfortable seating can help them relax and decompress.
The best approach for any modern-style break room is to choose a variety of blended furniture that has soft seating and cafe-style dining tables and chairs that help to save space. Choosing anything from cafe bistro chairs and small tables, high-top tables and barstools, and a few sofas and armchairs can help to create an easy-going environment your staff will look forward to going to.
5. The Right Color Scheme
Choosing the best colors for your modern break room can help promote relaxation, recharging, and even socializing!
Colors can often invoke certain emotions out of us and modern office rooms should also consider this as well. Choosing the right color pattern for your break room can help to calm down your staff and help them de-stress and with the modern theme, there are a wide variety of colors that can help make a difference.
There are many trending colors in the modern design that can perfectly suit any break room. For example, warm neutrals can give the space a sharp architectural edge and can be anything from a cream color to a soft taupe. Other colors like teal or mint provide a refreshing atmosphere that is more uplifting and muted pinks and blues can also provide a comforting feel perfect for staff to relax and recharge during their break.
6. Indoor Plants
Have a lot of extra space and natural light in your break room? Consider adding plants for a mood boost!
Nature has a way of being peaceful and helping to de-stress, hence why people love getting lost on hikes and soaking in all that the earth has to offer. The same can be said about indoor plants and how they can truly add to any space you have. With enough indoor light, both bright and indirect, there are many types of plants that can help fill up any extra space in your modern break room.
Indoor plants help to improve the air quality while also lowering stress and mental fatigue making them the perfect decoration for any break room. Low maintenance plants are the best option for employee break rooms that don’t need a ton of direct light or be watered often either. Some of the best plants to choose this space include snake plants, pothos, peace lilies, ZZ plants, and aloe vera, all beautiful plants perfect for any modern break room setting.
7. Bean-to-Cup Coffee Brewers
Do you have staff members that can’t live without coffee? Don’t forget the essential cafe-style brewer for delicious coffee any time of the day!
Coffee first thing in the morning is one of the best ways to kickstart your day in a positive way. Enjoying your fresh cup of brew the way you like it shouldn’t be difficult and those basic coffee makers in typical break rooms just don’t cut it. To modernize your employee break room, you should consider the type of coffee maker that you currently have and switch it out with something better such as a bean-to-cup brewer.
Bean-to-cup coffee brewers are revolutionary for employee break rooms because it gives staff more options to make their cup exactly the way that they typically like it. These types of coffee makers offer a coffeehouse-style brew with customizable coffee and espresso drinks all with the touch of a button. Your staff can choose the strength, cup size, and their blend to make it taste just the way they like it, but also don’t forget to supply some seasonal coffee creamers, sugar, and honey to further enhance the taste and sweetness!
Thinking of Digital Signage For Your Break Room? Choose Shift as the CMS Platform Controlling Your Content
The perfect CMS platform to help create, organize, and manage your content is all in one place with Shift!
So you’ve chosen digital signage for your modern break room–great choice! Not only is this the best way to help keep your staff in the loop about upcoming company events, news, policy changes, and other updates, it can be a way to get your staff engaging more with each other and also improve internal communications.
Why Shift is the Best Option For Your Digital Signage
Digital signage is a revolutionary form of technology that can help to improve many aspects of a business, but it’s important to ensure that you have the best content management system (CMS) to help manage the content you’re projecting onto your screen. When choosing the best CMS platform, Shift offers a well-rounded experience for many businesses that is easy to work with and requires little learning time, not to mention they also offer a guaranteed increase in relationship development with staff.
Shift offers unique pre-made templates that can make content creation easy for those who are unsure of how to begin. With tons of customization options, it can help continue to spread brand awareness with the font and colors of your business, plus help to internally keep staff informed on essential news and changes within the company. It’s also a great way to boost engagement through employee recognition spotlights to improve retention.
The CMS platform also offers its unique Content Navigator, which helps to remotely manage your content, including the creation, editing, managing, and ultimately scheduling it for publication.
Upgrade Your Modern Break Room to Increase Employee Satisfaction with Digital Signage from Shift
Modern break rooms are breaking ground where many managers see a positive effect on their staff. With digital signage, upgraded vending machines, more technology, a comfortable environment, and coffee customization, a modern break room can be the change your business needs to ultimately create an environment where your staff can de-stress after a busy and hectic day.
Consider using Shift for your employee break room digital signage and see how a modern style can positively affect your staff!
