A breakout area in office environments is an integral aspect of office design in the context of a modern workplace, creating informal spaces for collaboration, leisure and imaginative play. Breakout zones allow staff to leave their desks, recharge and socialise. In this article, we will look at what breakout areas are, the importance and some innovative design ideas of breakout areas in offices, and how to incorporate ideas for productive cultures.
What Is a Breakout Area in Office Environments?
In the office environment, a breakout area is a separate space designed for staff to take some time off, collaborate or discuss less formal agenda items. Breakout areas are flexible as opposed to traditional meeting rooms with solid furniture, they usually have soft furniture, lively decor and much more relaxed feel. Breakout areas can reduce a range of spaces from quick brainstorming sessions to moments of relaxation, and invariably serve a useful function in the office environment.
Why Are Breakout Areas Important in Office Design?
The importance of a breakout area in office design is related to the enhancing of employee wellness and productivity. These areas promote social connection and lessen burnout while developing both wellness and creativity together. Research has shown that breakout areas with a good design can create more job satisfaction and even develop a stronger culture of collaboration, hence breakout areas are essential to any modern workplace.
Different Types of Creative Offices Breakout Spaces:
Creative breakout spaces in offices come in many flavors according to the desires of the workplace. Some types of breakout areas we might be interested in:
- Lounge Areas – For taking a breather with sofas or coffee tables for relaxation.
- Collaborative Spaces- Spaces that are equipped with whiteboards and or modular furniture for brainstorming purposes.
- Quiet Pods- Closed rooms equipped for deep focus and private conversations.
- Recreational Areas- Featuring games such as foosball or ping pong for enjoyment.
- Outdoor/Wild Terraces- Open air spaces with plants and foliage to enjoy fresh air or experience inspiration from nature.
Each has a role to develop or augment your workplace according to different employee preferences.
Also Read: Top 10 Innovative Office Design Ideas for Startups
Creating an Effective Breakout Area
The design of a successful office breakout area involves planning it in a way that meets employee expectations and ties naturally into the office culture.
Purpose
Clearly stating that the breakout area is for relaxation, collaboration or both influences how the space is designed and provides an effective use of the area.
Layout
Opting for an open layout encourages groups to interact while semi-private layouts provide opportunity for focused discussion and breaks and both can be had on any given day.
Aesthetics
Accentuating the company colors and introducing modern decor provides a complementary area reflecting the company’s identity and pride.
Accessibility
Designing the area to be accessible and easy to reach provides a place for all employees, including those without mobility challenges.
Technology
Considerations for charging stations and screens accommodate group collaboration, creating a useful space for brainstorming sessions or presentations.
Designing an intentional breakout space will engage employees and encourage productivity in a setting you designed to advance workplace goals.
Key Characteristics of a Quality Breakout Space
A quality breakout space is somewhere that feels comfortable, and supports involvement and teamwork in a flexible setting.
Comfort
Ergonomic chairs, couches or bean bags would provide a comfortable space for users.
Lighting
Natural light or adjustable lighting would help create a warm inviting space.
Plants
Indoor plants improves air quality, and contribute to a sense of calm, with examples being biophilic attributes, stress-reducing, and health-promoting.
Acoustics
Soundproofing, quiet, or sound absorbing furniture, such as rugs can help with noisy and louder conversations, while being able to also accommodate quieter personal time.
Versatility
Modular office breakout space furniture allows for a variety of flexible arrangements for almost any purpose from work meetings to social events.
Together these features help make the breakout space a dynamic, preliminary workspace of the future focused on employee experience.
Also Read: Gen Z Trends in Modern Corporate Office Interior Design
How Much Time Do Staff Members Spend in Breakout Spaces?
The duration that staff utilize a breakout space is context-driven, and is due to office culture, and purposefulness of the breakout space. Generally, the amount of time will range from 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. The time spent in breakout space is dependent on the particular use of that space: taking a coffee break, a brief informal meeting, or simply a general break. However, if the breakout space is designed with productivity in mind, staff will spend longer in a breakout space, and be more productive while providing engagement within the workplace.
10 Ideas on How to design an effective breakout room?
What follows below is a discussion of each of the 10 ideas for breakout areas in an office to make your workplace great by considering the needs of different employees and creating a stimulating environment.
Themed Area
You can completely change the breakout area in an office by implementing a fun theme, such as a beach or woodsy area. Turn the area into an experience by including elements like coastal blue colors, sandy textures, wood, or greenery to create an indoor breakdown of the natural environment. The theme will not only increase creativity, but will provide a consciousness that feels like the employee is escaping your typical office setting. Staying mindful of the design and elements of the breakout areas will allow employees to relax and re-energize in the breakout area with clear visual stimulation.
Game Zones
You can engage employees in fun and collaborative cool office breakout areas with game zones including board games, foosball tables, or bean bag chairs for gaming consoles. Game zones can invoke a collaborative and inviting social area where employees can conquer new and awesome games or revisit classic favorites. The social interactions that game zones foster allow for stronger team bonding and reduction of stress for employees and have become great additions to most office environments today.
Designing with Biophilia
Designing with biophilia means bringing forth plants, natural materials such as wood or stone, and plenty of natural light into the design of your office breakroom area. This approach promotes a calming response and an improvement of air quality that reduces stress.
Flexible Furnishing
Make use of flex furnishings or seating options for the office breakroom area that are modular and movable such as stackable chairs, collapsible tables, or sectional sofas. Providing flexibility for use allows the space to adapt for whatever type of needs in either a collaborative method or unstructured use. Flex seating and furnishings will also give the office break room an option for versatility for different group sizes and activities.
Coffee Nook
Add a coffee nook featuring a quality coffee machine, teas, and snacks so the employees can grab a quick refreshment. It is also a cozy area that provides a comfortable area for informal conversation and quick breaks. When you addong some seating and a small counter it can very easily be a place to have informal conversations or take a mental break.
Technology Hubs
Create technology hubs in the breakout area of the office by offering screens, charging stations and fast wi-fi to contribute to collaboration. The breakout area serves as prime real estate with an appropriate context for quick huddles as a team, short brainstorming sessions, and brief presentations. Utilizing technology and a space for collaboration in the breakout area is a helpful place in developing innovation without a lot of pressure.
Artistic Walls
To foster creativity in the breakout area, consider adding some artistic walls with either murals, employee art, in addition to motivational graphics. Each of these, either in isolation or combination, offer compelling visuals and can demonstrate a sense of company culture, while also serving to promote employee pride and creativity. Artistic walls can help add some energy to the breakout space by inspiring Creative Stimulation.
Quiet Corners
Quiet corners are for employees who want a moment of solitude or focused work in a breakout room. It can be in the form of soundproof pods or an enclosed booth. These areas are ideal for making private calls, reading, or working on focused tasks. Providing a quiet corner in an office breakout room is a great way to allow for time both collaboratively and individually.
Fitness Spaces
Introducing yoga mats, standing desks, or light workout equipment to your break-out can facilitate movement and physical activity throughout breaks. Fitness areas promote health and wellness and allow employees to invigorate and break the stream of sedentary work. A break-out workplace that promotes activity and wellness will boost morale and enhance a healthy work/life balance.
Outdoor Breakout Spaces
Outdoor breakout spaces with patio seating, casual lounge seating, or areas to escape the sun will provide employees with a change of scenery as they enjoy the outdoors. Adding some plant life; tables where employees can sit to enjoy the shade; or even a small water feature will compliment the experience of the outdoor break space. Outdoor breakout spaces feel more natural and deliver employees with another opportunity to escape the office scenery, while encouraging employees to be outdoors to get refreshed, invigorated, and re-energized all while enjoying nature.
These workplace breakout area options fit various employee preferences, whether for ‘low-key’ or ‘collaboration’ work styles, encouraging employees to get back to an interactive and engaged office culture. Using these area options, organizations can build organized flexibility in the use of space to drive productivity and organizational employee experience in the workplace.
Final Thoughts
An office breakout area is not just an area; it’s a valuable contributor to creativity, collaboration and employee wellness. With some intentional office breakout area design, office breakout area ideas, companies can change their workplaces to become colorful and vibrant. At Officebanao, we design customized breakout areas tailored to your brand’s vision and to help improve productivity. Visit Officebanao to learn more about how to upgrade your office.
