The work life balance is something that has become more important in recent years, even though it has also become more difficult to obtain in many cases. There was a time when working long hours and at weekends, losing sleep and family time, was seen as something admirable, but thankfully the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way, and now most people understand how important it is to have some down time.
Having a quality kitchen in your workspace really can make all the difference. Here are some of the reasons why your kitchen is the heart of your office space.
Take A Break
We spoke to Cornerstone, an office research company based in London, who said their clients look for a bright and functional kitchen area as it seems to have an impact on their day to day work. When your kitchen is a beautiful, quality, functional space, it’s easier to take a break there, and that is a great thing when it comes to your productivity and even your health. Regular breaks away from your desk throughout the day and ensuring you get up off your chair can really make a difference to how much work you’re able to do – even if stepping away from your desk might seem counterproductive.
Studies have shown that sitting for the whole day, not taking proper breaks or even leaving your desk, can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even some forms of cancer. The body’s metabolism can’t work properly, and that can lead to type II diabetes. In other words, getting up and moving around, taking a break, is a good thing, and when there is somewhere lovely to do it makes it easier to do.
Rest Your Brain
Not sitting at your desk, thinking about work, is the best way to get more done. Your brain will be more relaxed and when you do get back to work you’ll find that it is much easier to work out any challenges that you might be faced with. That’s why removing yourself to the kitchen can be the best way to solve problems, and why staring at your computer screen hoping the answer will come is never going to be the best way to go about things. The designers at Stonehouse explain that ‘down time’ is what you need if you want your brain to work at its optimum level.
Healthy Eating
In offices that don’t have kitchens, or don’t have pleasant kitchens where people want to be, employees often go out for lunch or they eat at their desks. Neither of these things are the best way to remain healthy. Going out to a restaurant is expensive, plus it can be extremely tempting to choose unhealthy options from the menu, telling yourself that you’ll do better next time. Popping out to a fast food restaurant is just as bad, although cheaper. Either way, you’ll find that you are eating much more unhealthily that you normally would.
Eating at your desk is also unhealthy – studies show that your keyboard area is just as dirty as a toilet, so imagine the germs that are crawling all over your lunch, It’s far better to leave your desk and make your lunch (or at least eat it) in a hygienic kitchen environment.
A Snack Space
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, sometimes it’s just not enough. The experts at Duke Health state that in actual fact, human beings do much better when they have small meals and snacks in between. The problem is that these snacks can either be ignored altogether, or grabbed on the run and they can be terribly unhealthy. When you have a kitchen in your office, keep healthy snacks in there, meaning that your employees can fill up whenever they need to.
An Additional Meeting Space
No matter how big or small your office is, having a meeting space is always something that will be required; it shows that you are professional and means that you can really delve down into what your clients want. If you have a lovely breakout space that can be utilised as an additional meeting room, it can really help. This is a space that can be used for creativity, for meetings and for stepping away from a more formal space into an informal one.