Employee break rooms are important to have as they’re a sanctuary away from the madness of what is going on outside of it. Staff are encouraged to step foot into the employee break room and relax and take their breaks. This allows them to refresh and recharge their bodies and minds in order to finish out the rest of their shift strong without stress or other hindrances getting in the way.
When it comes to employee break rooms, there are many necessities that are important to have, such as a refrigerator, seating, and maybe even a TV to help ease your staff’s minds when their work day is hectic. Another important thing to have are snacks–because who doesn’t love their favorite savory or salty treat to help make the day better!
Not sure what types of snacks to add to the employee break room? Here are some of the top snacks recommended for any break room, plus other information that you need to know!
Why Are Snacks Important For an Employee Break Room?
How a simple snack can be the ultimate pick-me-up for any hardworking staff member!
Snacks are essential for any employee break room to help sustain energy and reduce stress before finishing a shift. Image courtesy of Marche.
It is essential to understand just how important food is for your body. Not only can it come in many different forms, sweet or salty flavors, or even grown in your own backyard, but it’s important to know just what food can do for you as a whole. Food provides us with the energy that we need to get through the day, and it’s another reason why it is necessary for any employee break room.
Good vs. Bad Snacking: The Effects of Each on Your Body
Snacking is something that many people do–and there is both good and bad snacking. Good snacking is eating foods that will help sustain energy to the body and are a much healthier option, which could be anything from nuts, yogurt, or fruit. On the other hand, bad snacking consists of ultra-processed options that are high in everything from sugar, salt, and fat.
When you’re snacking on fruits, vegetables, or other healthier options, it can have a positive effect on your body. From helping to satisfy hunger faster, providing energy to the body, and also giving you the essential nutrients you need compared to bad snacking.
An excess of chips, sodas, pastries, or even processed candy and snack bars can have the opposite. Too much can result in excess weight gain and even leave you hungrier than you were before you snacked–hence making you eat too much of the said unhealthy snack. If done in moderation, unhealthy snacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but most nutritionists and other health experts advise to choose healthier options to help benefit your body and mind more.
How to Snack Better
While snacking is something that–for many people–can happen at any time during the day, there are a lot of ways to overall snack better. Timing is the biggest part of snacking where it is advised to not snack after 9 pm due to it being linked to poorer fat and blood sugar levels, plus it can hinder digestion when you’re sleeping.
Choosing snacks is also the most important factor to consider when you need a snack to hold you over before your next meal. By reading labels, you can avoid snacks that are too high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fats that can over time cause weight gain, raise inflammation, and raise cholesterol. Fruits and vegetables are always a good option, or even something that adds more fiber or protein in your diet.
The Best Snacks for Any Employee Break Room: The Ultimate Breakdown of Healthy and “Treat Yourself” Goodies
Snacks should be a reward after a tough shift, and these top ones belong in any employee break room!
Employee break rooms deserve to have some snacks and drinks that are a reward for staff throughout the day. Image courtesy of Colorado Pure.
It’s important to take care of your staff members throughout their shift. While it’s important to put the spotlight on them and recognize individuals or teams for the hard work that they do each and every day, it can also be done by restocking the employee break room with delicious snacks.
Here is a list of some of the top snacks that are perfect for any employee break room!
1. Fresh Fruit
One of the best types of snacks that you can have in an employee break room is simply some good, fresh fruit. Not only is fresh fruit absolutely delicious, but it comes with a ton of health benefits, they’re packed with essential vitamins your body needs, boost your fiber intake, and even improve immunity. Some of the best fruits to have in your employee break room consist of bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, and oranges.
2. Protein-Packed Snacks
Protein is crucial to implement into your diet everyday. While eating different kinds of meat is typically for big meals, they don’t make the best snacks. There are plenty of options that can provide protein to the body besides chicken or red meats, plus also give options to those who are vegetarian too. Some of the best types of snacks that you can add to the employee break room with tons of protein in them can be anything from hard-boiled eggs, greek yogurt, beef jerky, trail mix, string cheese, almonds, or even add in a selection of protein bars.
3. Healthy Snack Bars
Snack bars are sometimes the go-to for many people who are on their lunch break as they’re a quick snack to eat that is healthy and provides a little pick-me-up to keep you moving throughout the day. There are many different types of snack bars, but choosing a healthier option can sometimes be tricky with all that is out on the market today. If you’re looking to add snack bars into the mix for your employee break room, consider something brand-specific. Some brands that are known for being healthier and delicious include RxBar, Quest Protein Bars, IQBar, NuGo, Barebells Protein Bar, and David bars.
4. Salty Snacks
Sometimes a salty snack is just what you need to satisfy your taste buds. While they may not be the healthiest, eating one serving of something salty is enough to keep staff happy and look forward to when they go on break. Some delicious salty snacks that are great for any employee break room can include anything from potato chips, roasted nuts, pretzels, or crackers.
5. Something Sweet
Just like many people enjoy their savory treats, many others prefer something that is sweet. Sugary snacks can result in giving people a quick energy boost and sugar can create a dopamine rush that helps to satisfy the brain. If you’re looking for something to help staff satisfy their sweet tooth, consider choosing anything from candy, apple chips, pudding, flavored yogurt, fruit with peanut butter, or bagged treats that are a serving size to help prevent overeating.
6. Pastries
While they’re not completely necessary due to health reasons, sometimes surprising your staff with store-bought or homemade pastries can be one of the best things you can do for them. There are many different types of pastries that are perfect to choose from. Some of the best pastries that you can get for your staff include a cake, donuts, cookies, croissants, muffins, danishes, or sweet cinnamon rolls. While it is advised not to consume these delicious treats every single day, they often make a good surprise for staff when they’ve completed a project, for work milestones, or to celebrate birthdays.
7. Popcorn
One of the most highly nutritious snacks available out there is popcorn because it is a 100% unprocessed whole grain, low in calories, and high in fiber. What makes popcorn unhealthy are the ingredients that are used to flavor it. While you can eat popcorn plain, many like to make it a sweeter or saltier snack. If you’re looking to stock up your employee break room, popcorn is always a great choice and you can purchase bags of pre-popped popcorn that come in a variety of different flavors to satisfy anyone’s snack craving, or choose from a number of microwavable options as well.
8. Oatmeal
There are many healthy snacks to choose from that can provide many health benefits to your body and help you perform better at work. A snack that many people overlook when wanting to choose something that is healthier is oatmeal–that not only comes in an array of delicious flavors, but can also promote heart health, stabilize blood sugar, and even help control weight management. Oatmeal can come in great flavors such as maple brown sugar, apple cinnamon, or peaches and cream, but there are also many seasonal flavors that come as too–like pumpkin for the fall–or you can opt for individually-wrapped oatmeal squares as well.
9. Vegetables
If you’re looking to provide your staff with healthier food options, then consider keeping the employee break room fridge stocked up with the most essential food that can improve anyone’s diet–vegetables. Veggies are delicious and they’re a healthy snack to enjoy to replenish your energy and continue working hard on your shift. If you want your staff to enjoy something healthy while on break, consider cutting up vegetables, such as celery, carrots, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower and even get some dips–like ranch, spinach artichoke, french onion, or hummus to pair with it.
What Else is Missing From the Employee Break Room? Don’t Forget the Digital Signage!
Digital signage–like Shift–can help to boost company morale as well as employee engagement and productivity!
Digital signage is a great way to boost employee engagement and productivity using dynamic content that can increase company morale.
While adding a ton of snacks to the employee break room can help give staff the energy boost that they need to complete their shift, there is something else that many companies should consider adding too–digital signage. Digital signage can help to boost employee engagement, help update staff on company news, and even help them feel more recognized through appreciation posts or spotlights. Simply using digital signage and a content management system (CMS) like Shift can help to promote deeper connections between managers and other coworkers.
What is Shift?
Adding digital signage to an employee break room is a great way to get staff more involved with the company that they work for, but it can’t run all on its own. A CMS software application is also needed to help create the dynamic content that is displayed on the digital signage screen, and Shift is one of the top options to use.
Shift is a CMS software application that allows managers to create dynamic content and its main goal is to help deepen relationships with staff. This can be done by creating employee spotlights, posting real-time key performance indicators throughout the day, announcements regarding the day’s schedule, upcoming company news and events, and interactive content to help get to know staff better.
Using a CMS can help impact any company by helping staff feel more recognized and appreciated, boost employee engagement, improve productivity, and even help increase internal communications that creates a more positive and interactive workplace environment.
Consider Both Healthy Snacks and Delicious Treats to “Treat” Your Staff to
Stocking up the employee break room with some delicious treats and snacks is a great way to boost employee satisfaction and overall company morale. While this is something that you don’t have to do, it can go a long way into making your staff feel appreciated while also being the pick-me-up that they need to get through the rest of the day with the energy that they need.
Consider adding one (or more!) of these top nine delicious snacks to any employee break room today!
