Office perks aim to help employees to truly have a break from work and to feel appreciated. The more office perks you offer, the more satisfied and productive your staff.
The approach to the office environment has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Much attention has been given to how employees feel at work – their comfort, level of satisfaction, and the opportunity to relieve stress are some of the main factors involved in office design, company culture, and interpersonal office relations.
Businesses now compete in attracting talent, which is a real challenge now, as many millennials expect their work environment to address some of their personal needs, too. So, to make sure your business gets the best possible workers, you need to step up your game and introduce great office perks to candidates. Furthermore, these perks will also boost the productivity and happiness level of your current employees, as they will feel you appreciate their contribution and value their efforts.
The main perk you should include is introducing a recharge room inside the office space. A recharge room can be a lot of things – as you will see below – but its main purpose is to help your employees take an efficient break from work, recharge their batteries, exchange creative ideas, and soothe their minds when they need it. In other words – to provide them with a way to entertain and relax.
Healthy snacks
Consider adding a snack bar containing healthy food items to the recharge room (or the main hall/the kitchen, etc.). It will not only allow your employees to have a quick snack whenever they want, but healthy food will also make them more productive. A healthy diet is something that every business owner should promote in their office – it keeps the employees healthy, happy, and efficient.
Furthermore, snacks are a great tool for relieving stress, so make sure your office is always stocked with nutrient-packed foods, including fresh fruit.
Entertainment options
To have a true break that keeps one’s mind off work completely, it would be great to provide your employees with some form of fun.
It’s necessary to provide a different mental stimulation for employees because it will allow them to zone out more easily.
You may be afraid that entertainment systems could interfere with work and lead to negative performance, but their impact is quite the opposite. They relieve stress and make employees think about something else for a while, which makes it easier for them to quickly re-energize.
As a bonus, playing video or board games allows employees to bond, enjoy a healthy competition, and develop deeper relationships, which ultimately leads to better teamwork.
You could add Jigsaw Puzzles, Ping Pong, miniature golf mats, and a video console to the recharge room or a break room and see what happens.
Nap time
As ridiculous as it may seem to someone, enabling employees to have nap time during working hours can be incredibly rewarding for both the business and the employees.
Hugely successful companies such as Samsung, Google, and NASA provided their employees with nap pods at work so that they can have an uninterrupted sleeping break. Having the opportunity to get some sleep precisely when you need it is incredibly important for productivity at work. Well-rested people are happy people. In other words, it will boost your employees’ productivity and energy levels because even a 20-minute nap means a lot for a tired mind.
Fit and pain-free body
Many employees are expected to sit at their desks for eight straight hours. That doesn’t do any good for their physical health – many employees suffer from back pain, leg or neck pain, sore muscles, and sore wrists. Our bodies need to move more, and our muscles and chronic pains need to be taken care of.
So, the recharge room (or a special room, for that matter) can be equipped with things that can help employees remove some of the pain caused by long-hours of sitting. An adjustable massage chair would be a wonderful surprise for your employees – they can relieve pain whenever they need it, and they can even pamper themselves when they have some extra time.
Also, equipping one room with workout equipment will be a huge perk for those who already work out regularly, but also for those who can’t find the time to do it in their free time. By adding yoga mats, treadmills, dumbbells, and pull-up bars, you will offer your employees a variety of physical exercises so that each one of them can follow their preferences.
Don’t forget that good massage and a bit of exercise can do wonders for mental performance and cognitive stimulation. People who have just enjoyed a massage or did a bit of physical exercise experience a boost in productivity and energy afterwards. So, promote a healthy life and responsible care of one’s own body.
Bringing in the outdoors
Even though working outdoors brings many benefits for a business, it’s often not easy to achieve in reality. People love spending time outdoors and office work is what is keeping them from doing it most of the day. So, if you understand that the outdoors can boost your employees’ happiness and productivity but you know it can’t be done in your line of job or space doesn’t allow it – bring the outdoors inside.
This idea does not only refer to recharge/break rooms – it can be implemented into every office, every hall, and meeting room. Nature has a positive impact on people’s minds, so why not surround yourself and your employees with it? Biophilic design is a special type of workplace design – it aims to help employees feel both physically and mentally healthier so that they can show off their creativity and energy at work. It includes a lot of natural light and fresh air inside the workplace because they both improve mood and improve efficiency. Placing potted plants not only in ugly, boring corners, but also on employees’ desks, and around them, will make them feel more connected to nature. Green walls, decorative statues made of plants, fountains, and air-cleaning plants – they all contribute to creating an outdoor feeling. Allowing Mother Nature to make her way inside your office space will prevent your employees from experiencing burnout, anxiety, and depression.
Provide some peace and quiet
Of course, not everybody wants to socialize on their break. Some jobs are mentally draining, so these employees need to spend their breaks in solitude, sometimes in complete silence. That way, they have the opportunity to recollect and process their thoughts, to decompress, and ease their minds.
A great perk would be to assign a special “quiet room” where the introverted or overwhelmed employees can go to meditate, practice mindfulness, or simply sit in peace. This room should have dim lighting, comfortable seating and soothing colors, as well as soundproof walls. This is a perfect room for “me time”, completely isolated from the hectic business world outside. It’s a quick way to recuperate from stress and gather thoughts.
Final words
In short, office perks aim to help employees to truly have a break from work and to feel appreciated. The more office perks you offer, the more satisfied staff you’ll have – and they will be devoted and productive as they have never been before. By helping your employees – you help your business, too.
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