More and more organisations are seeing the benefit of bespoke office break out spaces as a way of encouraging staff to get away from their desks and embrace a change of scenery.
Break out areas can be anything from a small kitchen area with a kettle and microwave, to a large informal workspace with tables and whiteboards. Ideally it will have seating, windows and a more relaxed feel than the main office.
From wellbeing to productivity, there are several advantages to including a break out space in your office fit out. We’ve outlined some of the key reasons you should consider it.
Impact on employee wellbeing
A welcoming and comfortable break out space that is separate from the main working area is ideal for allowing employees to properly switch off during their breaks.
Encouraging staff to get away from their desks at lunch time helps them to feel relaxed and ready for the rest of the day – reducing tiredness and stress while promoting a healthy attitude to office wellbeing.
Providing an alternative space to work from also encourages flexibility. It gives staff a chance to take a break from their screens and work on a different task somewhere else for a while, helping them beat fatigue and refresh their minds.
Encouraging communication and collaboration
Team work and collaboration are key aspects of a successful business, so it’s vital to give your employees a place to do this effectively with less formality.
In some offices, it’s not always feasible for staff to work together and brainstorm ideas while other colleagues are trying to concentrate around them. Having a break out space they can turn to for informal meetings and impromptu planning sessions is ideal for this scenario.
Promoting movement in the office
Working in an office where you spend the majority of the day sitting in the same chair at the same desk isn’t great for your health.
We all know we should be taking breaks to stand up and stretch our legs every now and then, but it’s easy to forget about if there’s nowhere really to go.
Having a break out space for staff to go when they want some time away from their desks helps to promote movement in the office, which in turn creates a healthier workforce.
Some offices choose to incorporate standing desks, ping pong tables, pool tables or other activities to promote mobility as well – but even just having an alternative working space could be enough to inspire your staff to stand up and move around now and again, rather than sitting in the same place for hours on end.
Increasing team productivity
There are several examples of why a break out space could help to boost productivity in your team. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to refocus your attention on a task, and so having an alternative space could be imperative for getting the work done.
Offices can be distracting environments – with phones ringing, printers beeping, and colleagues chit-chatting. As some tasks require a higher level of concentration than others, having somewhere a little quieter to work from is really important for increasing productivity.
Generating creative thinking
Having a break out space tailored for brainstorming and informal meetings is great for pushing your employees to get their creative juices flowing.
It can be difficult to think outside the box when you’re sitting at the same desk you see all day every day. A beautifully designed space with all the tools needed for creativity can be really helpful for thinking up new ideas and solutions.
Read more about our latest office fit out where we incorporated a large break out space into the design.
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