8 Breakout Space Tips for a Happier, More Productive Team

In an era where more businesses are looking to lure employees back into the office, a well-designed office needs to offer something truly valuable. That’s why many companies focus heavily on their office breakout area design, seeing it as a crucial element of a thriving, happy workspace.

Indeed, this isn’t simply about giving employees a place to eat lunch – it’s about creating a space that contributes to improved wellbeing, enables collaboration, boosts productivity and improves team morale. Arguably, this makes the breakout space a secret ingredient to a successful workspace.

For the reasons stated above, we’ve put together a list of breakout area ideas and tips to help foster a happier, more productive team. From fun additions that encourage activity to rooms that help with mental restoration, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here.

Related content: 20 Office Breakout Area Ideas

Offer an Alternative Work Zone with a Multi-Use Breakout Area

When it comes to working in office spaces, employees like choice. In fact, data from Leesman suggests that those who have diverse seating arrangements enjoy a better workplace experience than those who don’t.

Given that this is the case, consider adapting your breakout area so it offers an alternative work setting. For example, Ward Security created a furniture-rich breakout floor that employees can use as a laptop lounge, collaboration space, team meeting area and dining setting.

Likewise, Classic Collection created a breakout floor with a range of stylish and practical furniture, including coffee-shop style banquette seating with power points for laptop work. This means the employees can alternate between the breakout floor and main office above, offering greater choice and flexibility.

Related content: 8 Office Design and Layout Ideas

Add a Hint of Fun to Encourage Activity

One key benefit of incorporating breakout spaces into your new office design is that they can encourage movement and a change in posture. This is important for combating health risks associated with prolonged sitting, such as back pain and even eye strain.

Some companies even go as far as providing gaming areas to encourage employees to step away from their desks and be more active. Take Hudl’s London office refurbishment in the image above. The sports-tech firm introduced a fun ping pong table and dart board to boost both mental and physical employee wellbeing.

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Offer a Change of Scenery (or Create a “Destination” Breakout Space)

An office breakout area design is often intentionally different from the main office floor. This helps employees mentally disconnect from their tasks, reducing stress and anxiety levels.

To offer employees a change of scenery with your office breakout area design, consider the following ideas:

• Coffee shop aesthetic – Think banquette seating, round coffee tables, comfy sofas, booths and breakfast bars with stools. For a great example, check out Circle Square, who went for a modern-industrial breakout area design with wooden finishes and filament light bulbs.

• Biophilia – Sometimes, it’s just too cold to go out for a walk (especially in the UK), so why not bring the outside in with features like walls of foliage? As shown in the Ward Security example above, this can tie in well with the coffee shop theme.

• Hospitality-Inspired Design – If you’ve got employees who travel regularly on business, they’ll love a breakout area inspired by boutique hotels and high-end departure lounges. Find out about hospitality-inspired design more via our Corporate Office Design Trends article.

You can think of these as “destination” breakout space ideas. Rather than just offering a comfortable area with soft seating, think about where your design will take them. In essence, it’s about creating an enticing office where people want to commute.

Bring Teams Together to Foster Relationship Building

As employees often spend their time in departments most of the day, it’s important to encourage socialising by bringing teams together with a breakout space. This is exactly what Albion Fine Foods did with its breakout area in Dartford, Kent.

Like Ward Security and Classic Collection, Albion created an entire breakout floor for office and operational staff to share. With diner-style booths, a breakfast bar “island”, modular sofas and shared coffee tables, there are plenty of opportunities for both groups of employees to mingle and socialise.

In addition to strengthening the company culture, this helps employees to build meaningful relationships that boost happiness. Statistically, three in four people make their friends at work, so spaces like breakout areas serve as important “connectors”.

Related content: How to Boost Team Morale Through Office Design

Offer Catering to Improve Cognitive Performance

Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance, so it’s important that employees aren’t wasting away when working on important task! Furthermore, employees need to be eating the right kind of food to be at peak performance, as pointed out by Ron Friedman via the Harvard Business Review.

Given the importance of sustenance and diet, consider introducing catering to your breakout space. For Albion Fine Foods, an office vending machine simply didn’t cut it, so the Kent-based firm introduced a servery to offer food to its hardworking employees. This includes a stone-effect servery top to harmonise with the breakout area’s industrial theme.

When it comes to the type of food on offer, Albion has a slight advantage given that it supplies ingredients to the hospitality sector. Whatever type of food you go for, it’s worth considering how it will impact staff performance throughout the day.

Offer a Retreat for Mental Restoration

As we covered in our article on Deep Work, downtime plays a big part in improving employee focus. By giving activity a rest, employees can restore their ability to focus on difficult tasks that require a high level of concentration.

• Recharge Rooms – As the name suggests, recharge rooms offer employees a private, calming environment where they can leave stress behind and recuperate. The Hudl example above includes imitation grass walls and acoustic properties for an atmosphere of calm, peace and tranquillity.
• Quiet Zones – If you’ve got pockets of space that are unused, consider optimising them with office furniture to create quiet “getaway” spaces. Like the example above in Kings Hill, the corporate insurance company introduced soft high-back chairs for employees to step away from the main office environment.
• Booths – As booths are semi-enclosed, they offer greater privacy while staying connected to the office. As such, they are ideal for quick retreats away from the main office buzz, allowing employees to recharge with a cup of coffee.

In addition to providing a retreat for mental restoration, these areas offer an alternative quiet space for employees who prefer to work independently.

Encourage Short Breaks with a Tea Point

As we’ve touched upon in the point above, sitting at a desk for long periods can lead to mental fatigue. Like the booths and recharge rooms, tea points can provide a place where employees can step away from their desks and give their minds a rest.

The examples above give a good idea of what you can achieve with a well-designed breakout space. Crucially, both include an adjoining seating area, allowing employees to grab a tea or coffee using the water tap and take a break from their screen.

Even a short break can reduce mental fatigue, so a tea point can be a real asset to an office design in terms of productivity. Furthermore, it can provide a space where employees can connect with other team members, contributing to a community-driven workplace culture.

Install a Multi-Purpose Bleacher Breakout Area

Bleacher seating, also known as stepped seating, is characterised by a tiered structure similar to that of a baseball stadium. Given its fun and informal setup, it offers a great breakout option where employees can sit with colleagues and enjoy a chat with a cup of coffee.

What’s more, it can be used as a place to hold events, host team meetings and celebrate achievements – all of which can help to boost morale. According to author Tracy Brower (author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work), recognising small successes and appreciating colleagues contributes to a positive environment.

The other great thing about bleacher seating is that it isn’t exclusive to large spaces. For example, Fastned Charging introduced bleacher seating despite having a modest sized office. This helped to create an additional work zone and area to hold team events or meetings.

For an example of large bleacher seating, make sure you check out Classic Collection’s breakout space here.

8 Breakout Area Tips for a Happier, More Productive Team – Conclusion

These days, a well-designed breakout space isn’t just for show; it’s a fundamental part of a workplace strategy to develop a thriving, high-performance team. Furthermore, it can be key in creating a strong and positive team culture that’s at the heart of every successful business.

By making an investment in your breakout area, you are investing directly in your people and, in turn, the long-term success of your company. The right design can turn a simple dining area into a valuable and versatile asset to your company, helping to generate growth.

Ultimately, it’s about creating an environment where employees feel valued, re-energised and ready to do their best work.

Get in Touch with Rap Interiors – Office Interior Design Specialists

Inspired to transform your workplace into a dynamic, people-centric environment? Rap Interiors specialises in creating practical, on-brand office spaces that inspire employees, drive productivity and boost wellbeing.

Let’s start with a chat. Please call 0333 600 1234 or fill out the enquiry form below to get the ball rolling.