What Are the Benefits?
With so many people working from home or only being based in the office part-time, it’s all too easy to assume that the office kitchen just isn’t that important anymore. Wrong! Small kitchens for commercial spaces might not seem like they are the heart of the workplace, but they still have so much to offer. Here are just a few of the reasons why a kitchenette still plays an important role, even though the way many of us work has changed.
Connecting with colleagues
Whether it’s down to flexible working or hot desking, we’re not coming into work and sitting down next to the same colleagues five days a week. It’s for this reason that connecting with your co-workers can be hard. Strong office relationships lead to higher morale and better productivity, especially on big projects. When you have a kitchenette, people can meet their colleagues, get chatting and form connections in a relaxed, informal setting,
Cross-departmental conversations
Do you share a floor with other departments, but your paths rarely cross? When you have a kitchenette, you’ve got a place where everyone can come together. While it might not seem like staff from, say, accounts will have something in common with a member of the marketing team, having an area to make a cup of coffee and prepare lunch can give them a chance to find common ground and come up with new ideas as a result.
Breaking down hierarchies
It can be hard for a junior staff member to pluck up the courage to have a conversation with someone in a senior role, especially if they are shut away in their own office. When you have an office kitchenette, you have a space where everyone is on an equal footing. So someone who is just starting out could find themselves sharing a tea break with their boss, and it’s those conversations that can lead to real opportunities.
A breakout space
Looking for an area to debrief after a meeting? You can keep those important discussions going in a much more informal setting when you have an office kitchenette in place. While we’re not suggesting that you start holding your annual shareholders meeting in the space, it can serve just as much as an area where you can carry on brainstorming with your colleagues as one where you make your morning cup of tea. Some of the best solutions come from these kinds of conversations!
What to do next
As you can see, the kitchenette can still play a really important role in the office. Modular, ready-built kitchens are a great solution for creating this kind of space, and they have the benefit of costing a lot less than traditional kitchens, too! So if you want to create a workspace where everyone is truly connecting, focusing on the kitchen is a great move!
