Top Office Breakout Room Ideas

Top Office Breakout Room Ideas
The traditional work patterns and productivity

The traditional work patterns and productivity methods used in decades past have slowly started to change. Taking regular breaks from work, especially from intensive and stressful tasks, can help employees to remain focused and maintain performance levels. Creating a breakout room in your workspace could be a great place to start, with a wide range of design solutions to choose from. We’ve put together a few suggestions and ideas you could include in your office breakout areas, whether large or small.

What is a breakout room

What is a breakout room?

A breakout room is a space within the office that is used for employees to rest and unwind away from their workstations. The design is typically in contrast to the rest of the working area, with more relaxing furniture and other features for employees to use so they can recharge and return to work.

A breakout room or breakout space can also double up as another area for informal meetings or casual work chats, which can be good for both employees and visitors.

Why are breakout rooms important?

Why are breakout rooms important?

A breakout room is a hybrid space that can find multiple uses for your business. On one hand it can be a place for employees to get away from the hustle of the main office floor, where they can take some time to recharge and return to work with more focus. It is also used to hold smaller, more informal meetings and as an overflow area for people to work in on busier days.

The concept of a breakout room has become increasingly popular in the modern era, with more awareness of how employee’s mental health can be impacted by stress and overwork. Creating an area that provides escape can let them de-stress for a while and think more clearly before returning to work.

Proper use of a breakout space can impact how engaged your employees are with their tasks, enabling them to work in a more informal environment that gives them a little more autonomy.

Some studies have found that productivity can be significantly increased through the introduction of a breakout room or space, as encouraging staff to take regular breaks helps them avoid burnout.

Building a breakout room helps your business to remain compliant with legal requirements related to employee breaks. While there is no legal guidance on how frequent or long breaks should be for anyone using display screen equipment, the HSE recommends 5-10 minutes every hour.

Providing a dedicated space allows you to meet this standard and support staff who can return to work with a refreshed approach.

What makes a breakout space effective?

What makes a breakout space effective?

To make a breakout space really effective, some thought must be put into furnishing it. It’s not enough to simply allocate a space without thinking about the contents. The form and function of the breakout area furniture should be tailored to the space as well as complementing the company ethos and brand.

The quality, design and type of breakout furniture is a big part of what makes this an enjoyable space for employees. Creating a relaxing and really inclusive space makes employees feel valued as well as helping them to re-energise.

What breakout furniture do you need?

What breakout furniture do you need?

Breakout room seating can be a mixture of individual and group spaces.

  • Sofas and chairs – For breakout seating, consider comfortable chairs and low sofas – choosing these pieces from a modular seating range will allow you to create bespoke seating sizes and change things around when required. Add side tables in and around low seating.
  • Booths – If the breakout space will be used for eating or screen work, it will be necessary to have some higher tables and chairs. Booth seating is a great solution for this and booths or banquettes are available in bespoke sizes to fit any space.
  • Modular cubes – Modular breakout furniture like cubes allow people to arrange the room differently everyday. These fun designs are always very popular and they are a great way to add pops of colour.
Spaces that work for introverts and extroverts

Spaces that work for introverts and extroverts

The best teams are made up of a variety of personality types and one size of office design rarely fits all. The flexibility of breakout furniture can help everyone to find a solution.

  • A breakout area could allow people who work better in silence to remove themselves from noisy areas when they want to focus.
  • People who thrive on teamwork and socialisation may benefit from the informality of the breakout area and the ability to come together in groups.
  • Adding a high-backed sofa or booth in a breakout room allows privacy, a space for making phone calls without disturbing others or simply a quieter space to work or relax in.
10 ideas for a breakout room

10 ideas for a breakout room

  1. Build a games area
    Offices can be stressful environments, especially in industries where teams are asked to work to tight deadlines or short turnaround times. So, building a breakout space that includes a games area can be a great way for staff to unwind and destress away from their desks, while also helping to re-energise and encourage productivity. It can be anything from a snooker or table tennis table to a dart board or even retro arcade machines – just something simple and engaging that can install a fun culture and also boost team bonding and morale.
  2. Double up your office breakout area
    If you operate in a small office space, you will probably have to make the best use of every square inch, especially if you are growing and taking on new staff. So, while you are considering breakout area ideas, you could weigh up the possibility of also using it as an additional workspace. This enables employees to use the space when it is not in use for other activities and gives them more options in where to work, which works in-line with the rise of ‘activity-based working’ trend that is becoming increasingly common.
  3. Add a feature wall
    Feature walls have been an interior design trend for quite some time, and they remain as popular as ever. They also offer one of the less expensive office breakout ideas, as it could even be something you create internally without any professional help. A feature wall helps to create a colourful office space and will transform the surrounding areas, bringing new life to an interior décor that may seem a little old and in need of a refresh.
  4. Expand to open plan
    An office breakout area doesn’t necessarily have to be separated and blocked off in another part of the workspace. Going open plan will incorporate it into the wider design scheme, ensuring the area is in the peripheral so they know the space is always ready to be used. It can be particularly useful for small office break room ideas, as it creates the illusion of more space being available, especially when there is good lighting in place. You can still create a specific zone for the breakout area using carpet tiles or other flooring designs, so it doesn’t fully merge into the normal working area of the office.
  5. Embrace some colour
    When designing a breakout space, it’s easy to stick to safer colours and ideas that are neutral and perhaps a little less ‘controversial’. However, you can still add in some colour without making the space look unprofessional, while still making the space more fun and welcoming for employees to use. It doesn’t have to be anything more than a few pops of colour, so you have the creative freedom to include it in the flooring, carpet, walls or even one or two pieces of office breakout furniture. The idea will work even better if your company branding is already quite bold, or you work in a creative industry, so it makes more sense to make a colourful office space for your employees to enjoy.
  6. Include some booth sofas
    Booth sofas are a great idea that adds a little more privacy and escape for employees while they are taking a break from their desks. Pods come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, adding a little more novelty and fun. You can have one or two in the area in contrast to a more open place breakout space, giving people the option to spend a little time by themselves, if needed. The pods can also be helpful for holding meetings and individual working, helping you to get the most out of them.
  7. Try a breakfast bar
    It’s often the case that employees don’t have enough time in the morning to eat their breakfast at home, whether it’s due to the early start or because of a long commute. That means many catch up with their first meal of the day at their office desks, but the simple inclusion of a breakfast bar can help them eat and take a break away from their workspace. Your employees will really appreciate the added touch to the office, and it can also double up as an extra work area when not in use, with a breakfast bar and highchairs providing good seating support.
  8. Make it low maintenance
    One concern you may have about creating a breakout area is that it means there is another part of the office that needs to be kept clean. However, there are plenty of low maintenance furniture options available that you can use in the breakout space, so you don’t have to work too hard to keep them clean. Just as importantly, this also helps with general hygiene, so stains, marks and crumbs are left lingering around to fester. It can be anything from tables and chairs to leather sofas even flooring that can be wiped down quickly and easily.
  9. Offer a recharge room
    A more modern iteration of a breakout room is something called a ‘recharge room’. This is a space that is separated from the main work area and more secluded, enabling employees to get away from the office environment and general work stress, so they can refocus and reset themselves to return with more energy. A recharge room can be totally electronic free, offering space for employees to take a nap, do some yoga stretches, play a few games or even enjoy a short massage to loosen up the limbs.
  10. Install some glass partitions
    Glass partitions are a great solution for creating separate areas in the office without making too much of a divide. Once installed they can add more depth to the space and encourage more exposure to sunlight, which will make the office brighter and could also aid productivity. Glass partitions keep the space open, while also allowing for increased privacy, which is ideal for meetings, private conversations and dealing with sensitive information.
Maintaining your breakout space

Maintaining your breakout space

Once you have the breakout space set up and made accessible to staff, you should give some thought towards how you can keep it organised and maintained. Naturally, there will be a lot of activity in the space, with people passing through all the time, which means things will be moved around and mess will be made. So consideration needs to be given to how the space can be kept in an orderly fashion. Try some of these helpful tips:

  • Include storage space
    Even if you can only include a little bit, storage space will make it easier for things to be tidied away and accessible. And once people know there is a home for a certain item, they are more likely to return it there once they are finished with it.
  • Make enough space
    Try not to overcrowd the breakout space with too many items as clutter quickly leads to disorganisation. When everyone has enough space for their needs this allows it to be used more efficiently and makes it easier to keep clean and tidy.
  • Create a rota
    If you do not have an office cleaner, it is a fair practice to implement a cleaning rota so everyone who uses the space is invested in its maintenance. This should also help people think about their responsibilities while they are using the space and the impact it will have on others while.
Get started on your breakout room design

Get started on your breakout room design

Spaceist is an established office breakout furniture supplier that works with businesses and organisations in all types of industries. Whether you are refurbing an existing space or looking to build a brand new breakout space, we can help you find the right furniture to suit your design ideas. Take a look at our website or come and visit us at our 2,500 sq. ft. showroom. Get in touch with our team today to find out more.

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