Curious how other office breaks and breakrooms stack up against yours? Staples presents facts from their latest survey about break habits and spaces.

1. 1
Fun Facts About the Office Breakroom
Staples conducted an online survey in
March 2014 of more than 200 office
workers and managers at organizations
of all sizes across the U.S. and Canada.
The survey asked a series of questions
about people’s work habits, taking
breaks and office breakrooms.
Interested in learning more about how
your break area and habits stack up
against others? The results might
surprise you.

2. 2
Healthy Snacks vs. Sweets
Employees want snacks but not for their sweet tooth. They are
looking for healthy snack options such as nuts, protein and granola
bars to be added to the breakroom (57 percent), as compared to
chips, cookies or candy (10 percent).

3. 3
Bring Your Own Snacks
Bringing snacks from home? You’re not alone. 86 percent of offices do not
supply snacks to employees.

4. Where Is the Coffee?
4
30 percent of employees indicated that their offices do not supply coffee;
meanwhile, 45 percent of employees take up to 40 minutes to leave the
office for coffee.

5. 5
How Would You Use Your Break?
84 percent of employees would use the time to eat lunch, while 57 percent
would run errands, 20 percent would exercise and 24 percent would
socialize with co-workers.

6. 6
Recharge Your Battery
Only 17 percent of employees are using the breakroom for short
recharging periods.

7. 7
A Place for Socializing
49 percent socialize with co-workers in the breakroom, showing that “water
cooler talk” is still prominent.

8. 8
Standing Room Only
A well-stocked, appealing breakroom should include comfortable furniture
to relax on, yet 50 percent of respondents don’t have a properly furnished
breakroom to allow for this.

9. 9
Nap Time?
Feeling sleepy? 10 percent of employees would take naps at lunch if they
could.

10. 10
Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?
Lunch is the most popular breakroom meal: only 4 percent of employees
eat breakfast in the breakroom, compared with 30 percent at lunch and
only 3 percent at dinner.

11. 11
Gender Differences
Men and women use the breakroom differently: 47 percent of women
primarily use the breakroom to store their lunch, compared with 34 percent
of men. Men outpaced the women in only using the breakroom for coffee
(28 percent vs. 24 percent) and not using the breakroom at all (10 percent
vs. 6 percent).

12. 12
Make Room in the Fridge
41 percent of employees only store food in the company's
breakroom/refrigerator and don’t use it for any other purpose.

13. 13
How to Make the Most of Breakrooms
To help employers encourage more
employees to take breaks, Staples
recommends the following:
• Provide healthy snacks and beverages
to keep employees recharged, happy
and feeling appreciated.
• Furnish the breakroom to enhance its
comfort and appeal.
• Encourage complete disconnect from
work-related items during breaks to get
optimal results.
Visit the Staples Breakroom Solutions
Center for more information on how to
stock your breakroom to ensure a happy,
productive staff.