If you attempt to stay up to date with new innovations within workplace design, you’ll no doubt have heard about something called a breakout space. The name doesn’t really give much away in terms of what it does, but a breakout space is a vital part of a workplace that wants to ensure overall health and wellbeing for employees.
It’s not just about the type of office furniture you purchase, it’s about where you put it and the intention of what it’s for. A breakout space bridges the gap between a time out area and a collaborative area, and can be used for a whole host of different reasons.
For instance, we all know that stress is a huge problem this day and age. Statistics by the mentalhealth.org paint a rather grim image of the worrying nature of stress, stating that a huge 51% of adults who reported feeling stressed also reported feeling depressed, and a further 61% reported feeling anxious. These are conditions which can lead down very dark roads indeed, and from a business point of view, can also lead to lost sick days.
It is for this reason that purchasing breakout furniture and creating a ‘get away from it all’ space is ideal for a busy office. A breakout space can then be used for employees who are feeling overwhelmed in their work and simply need five or ten minutes to themselves, to calm down and regroup. By utilising modular breakout furniture in this way, and designing a space which brings a sense of calm and tranquility, you’re helping to reduce stress levels and therefore ensure the wellbeing of your employees.
The Ideal Collaborative Measure
In addition, breakout spaces can be used as collaborative areas too. Conference rooms and meeting room tables are sometimes not inspiring enough for brainstorming and creative ideas, but a breakout space which is designed with innovative and inspiring decor could be!
We all know that collaboration is vital for a productive and forward-thinking business, but if you don’t give your staff somewhere to do it, and somewhere which isn’t going to disturb employees who need to focus on quiet work, how can you expect results? A breakout space gives you that option, whilst also being multiuse at the same time.
You can save costs and add a little flexibility by using modular breakout seating and other types of modular furniture. These are ideal because they can be taken apart and adapted for various needs, and packed away when they’re not required.
Put simply, a breakout space which utilises quality office furniture can serve many a purpose and can turn out to be a very useful addition to your regular office space. The other question to consider is where to place your breakout space. Should it be within your office? Outside the office? In the reception area?
There is no right or wrong answer, however if you’re placing a breakout space within a reception area you do need to be mindful of confidentiality issues in terms of what is being discussed. Whilst a breakout space really does create a great first impression for visitors to your office, having members of staff who are obviously stressed and having five minutes’ time out doesn’t look the greatest! For this reason, maybe the reception space isn’t the right place, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t utilise corridor space and far office corners. Provided the breakout space doesn’t cause disruption to the regular work within the office itself, you can look at many different locations.
If you don’t really have the space, i.e. if your building is quite small, you can utilise the conference room too. We mentioned that these types of spaces are sometimes quite uninspiring, but in that case why not give some thought towards creating a more vibrant and imaginative boardroom space instead? Provided you have a room booking procedure in place, and staff know when the area is out of bounds due to a meeting, it really serves exactly the same purpose!