How can I explain the benefits of a break room to my employers?

Question

My new company does not currently have a break room. Seeing that there is an unused room right next to our workspace, I asked whether it was possible to turn it into a break room.

My superior seemed pleased about the idea, but the higher-ups were lukewarm. At first they said that they would not be able to allocate any budget. I then suggested that my colleagues and me pool the money to furnish the room little by little, but that did not seem to sway them.

After a bit of probing I learned that the higher-ups are not convinced about the potential benefits of a break room. They are afraid that their employees might get tempted to spend too much time in it and laze around.

On the suggestion of my supervisor, I am writing a small document in order to explain what we would like to do with the unused room, and what good would come out of it. How can I properly convey to my employers the benefits of having a break room in the workplace?

Answer 1

The best way to convey the benefits of a break room to your employers is to make sure those benefits support the business's goals. Try framing the perks you're hoping for in a way that highlights their benefit to the whole company. Here are a few possible examples:

• Noise reduction: A break room allows for friendly conversations without interrupting others. It's also a good place to take the occasional unexpected personal call away from the hustle of shared team space.

• Comraderie: A shared "off work" space might mean people can eat together more easily, and teams that don't work together may bump into each other more often. This builds overall team unity and can encourage impromptu brainstorming that will benefit the company in unexpected ways.

• Recruitment & Retention: A break area can be a good spot to showcase personality (an "art wall", chalkboard, or photo gallery of employees/family/friends/pets) and inject some whimsy (ping pong tables, anyone?). These spaces can be a great way to coax potential hires & reduce stress/burnout among current employees.

You also want to make sure everyone enjoying the space does so in a respectful manner. Especially since management has expressed some concerns, anyone near the new break room will be viewed with extra scrutiny. Try talking with your superior & colleagues to make sure your expectations are all clear - it doesn't matter how good a letter your write if the next day your boss is slacking off & napping by the new water cooler!

As Mawg mentioned above, providing some additional structure around the plan may be helpful too. Write a policy that includes a time frame for reviewing whether or not the break room is working out. You might also reframe the words "break room": this already appears to have a negative connotation. Try "team space" or something significant to your company/location/culture.