Lunch Room Enhancement, Case Study

Does your lunch room/space entice you or turn you off when you think about visiting it?  If you chose the second answer, there are a few enhancements that you can make with a limited budget and a little bit of time to remove the environmental barriers to encourage employees to get away from the desk and engage in a healthy snack/meal, while getting recharged for tackling the next to-do item.

 

Like most work environments, everyone is rushed and pressed for time due to heavy workloads.  Employees want to get in and out with as little effort as possible when it comes to making food decisions.  Here are some before and after examples of small changes made to a client’s food area to improve usage, flow, creativity, and increase office productivity.

Lunch Space – Disorganized

Lunch Amenities – Limited Access

 

Problems

  • Food space was cluttered and looked unprofessional
  • Fruits/veggies left in plastic trays discouraged use leading to food waste
  • Food supplies and office supplies were co-mingled
  • Poor access to kitchen amenities made them difficult to use
  • Office set-up discouraged healthy cooking and encouraged employees to order delivery or eat out

 

With less than $500 spent on actual materials and a little bit of time organizing the space, here is what was accomplished:

 

Clean, inspiring fuel area!

Outcomes

  • Improved access to all kitchen electrics and amenities
  • Consolidated refrigerators in office to one location
  • Designated one refrigerator for employee lunch storage and one small fridge for office drinks
  • Moved water to front of area to encourage more usage
  • Purchased storage cabinets to organize bulk food items
  • Purchased storage bowls to keep fruit easily accessible and easy to rotate out
  • Visibility to all food selections made it easier to make better choices (e.g. Splenda is not used by anyone – let’s get rid of it)
  • Created food preparation area to encourage bringing foods from home rather than eating out
  • Enhanced professional appeal for visitors and employees

 

Organized and accessible

With the new layout, the next steps will be to improve the foods that are purchased and made readily accessible to provide enhanced nutrient values and energy for employees during the day.  The environmental setting has the opportunity to promote or hinder employee productivity.  Ask, what type of feeling does your lunch room/space reflect: ramshackle and undisciplined or healthy and productive?

 

It only takes small changes to have an impact on the daily health of employees.  As John Wooden says, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

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