Welcome Back To the Breakroom

After many employees spent a few weeks working from home, they may have become accustomed to some of the finer things in life as it relates to their break time. For example, they were brewing their own coffee just the way they like it (or getting it from their favorite coffee shop via carry out or drive through). They were eating their mid-morning snacks on their own silver dinnerware and fine china (because let’s face it, if you didn’t get your fine china out during quarantine, when are you ever going to get it out?). They were snacking in their own kitchens or home offices, surrounded by only their immediate family, so they had absolutely no fear of germs during their afternoon brain break.

As your employees transition back into the workplace, you want to make this process as stress-free as possible. Have you considered upgrading your breakroom offering to increase comfort and cleanliness?

First, for the coffee snob….er, I mean coffee connoisseur, may I suggest single serve pods from our friends over at Columbia Street Roastery. Purchase or lease a pod machine from Rogards, and chose from 13 different varieties of CSR pods. They’re sure to delight the most discerning palette (my personal favorite is Black Velvet). It will remind them of the good ol’ days in their kitchen, when they got to make their coffee just how they liked it. They’re also “cleaner” than the communal pot. Each pod is individually heat-sealed so it can’t come into contact with any germs. And, bonus points for you, it can actually cost less than buying bulk coffee because employees will make only as much as they actually drink and not dump practically full pots down the drain.

For those people who have become used to using their freshly polished silver utensils, may I suggest subbing in the Wego cutlery dispenser? This innovative product dispenses individually wrapped cutlery to help decrease the potential spread of germs and give you that feeling of class. If you want to feel classy and save the planet, there’s also a green-friendly cutlery dispenser from our friends at Eco products.

Last but definitely not least, make sure you have a plan for keeping the breakroom clean. At Rogards, we make cleaning supplies easily accessible and ask each employee to wipe down the tables and counters after every use. Once you’ve decided on a cleaning plan, communicate it to all employees and consider posting it in the breakroom. Knowing the room is clean will go a long way towards calming nerves and creating a welcoming space. And it never hurts to have cleaning supplies readily available. Ready-to-use disinfecting sprays and wipes can still be hard to come by, but cleaning concentrates are usually easier to find. You can also make your own disinfecting solution using bleach and water. Just make sure to keep all of your empty spray bottles so you can reuse them. Those things are like gold right now!

The isolation of quarantine has been hard on everyone, and people are looking for ways to reconnect. Offering your employees a comfortable place to do that can help build a feeling of happiness and connection in your workplace. That’s something worth coming to work for.

If you want to brainstorm more ideas for how you can create community in your breakroom even during Covid, give us a call or drop us an email here at Rogards. Our account executives and account associates are talking to many of our customers every day, and we’re glad to share our ideas and what we’re learning from our customers.